# Omnibus World Football Thread 2020-2022 (edited) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [August 16, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264 "2020-08-16T15:38:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 75
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1482 "2025-06-15T16:57:18Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I had forgotten it was happening. I’m sometimes a very bored retiree who watches anything football, this time a lame, totally one-sided game in a questionable tournament. In fact I’m much more interested in the parallel UEFA U21 and the upcoming UEFA women’s cup. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1483 "2025-06-15T18:20:31Z")
I don’t totally understand Barca’s financial difficulties. Have they taken on too much debt in order to chase talent? Are they in violation of Financial Fair Play (or whatever it’s called the days) and if so, how is it happening? Since it’s basically supporter owned, I’m really intrigued by the nature of their problems. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1484 "2025-06-15T18:23:02Z")
I confess I watched, but mainly to see the ending matches of Thomas Mueller’s Bayern career. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1485 "2025-06-15T18:31:23Z")
Well, he scored twice today. Maybe his last goals for Bayern? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1486 "2025-06-15T18:37:58Z")
A perfect question for trivia night at a Bayerische Gaststube! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1487 "2025-06-15T18:38:39Z")
Yeah, in twenty years… ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1488 "2025-06-15T18:39:04Z")
My main hope for the CWC was to see one last Messi vs Ronaldo match, but it’s not happening so not super interested. I’m near DC, so I can go watch Juve play Al Ain, but none of the local matches really interest me. Knockout games in Philly or NJ are possibilities. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1489 "2025-06-15T19:11:21Z")
It is a very long story, but the most important part is that they had the best player in the world and not only kept raising his fee, which he deserved, but they had to promise to set up a squad for him, the best they could get for money. And that was really expensive. Somewhere around 2018 (before Covid) they were paying over 90% of their revenues in salaries. Then they decided to build a new stadium, which was supposed to cost one billion or so (like Madrid’s new stadium, perhaps a bit more) and be finished by january this year (it is not, and will probably not be finished for the start of the new season). So far it has cost over 2 Billion, and a part of the future revenue (VIP lounges, 25% of future TV income, and more) have been already sold at a discount to generate liquidity at the cost of long term solvency. Someone earned a juicy commission on those deals (did I mention corruption already?) Then came Covid, and the revenues collapsed. An empty 100,000 seat stadium is a huge loss. Add to that that Barça has not won the Champions League since 2015 (that is also a lot of money) and has bought players that did not work out and paid through the nose for them (Coutinho, Dembelé were perhaps the most glaring examples, completely wasting the windfall of the 222 Million € they got from PSG for Neymar), paying football agents a fortune (corruption?) in commissions in the process. I could go on, but I think you get the general idea. Barça has chronically overspent and financially underachieved, has incurred expensive long term commitments (expensive player’s contracts, a glamorous stadium) and then came Covid. Messi left, but the other players that had been contracted at inflated fees to keep Messi happy stayed and kept pocketing their salary. Plus some corrution, ie theft from the management, player’s agents, friends and contractors. And Catalan politicians play a role too. It’s been a long post and I have barely scratched the surface, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1490 "2025-06-15T19:36:55Z")
I hope this is not paywalled, it explains some of the things I have mentioned in a clearer way: > **[How will Barcelona’s financial situation affect their transfers this summer?](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6399278/2025/06/05/barcelona-transfer-window-finances/)** > > Nothing is ever simple in the world of Barcelona transfers... and this summer is unlikely to be any different I could quote some relevant bits if you can’t read it. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1491 "2025-06-15T19:48:34Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I had forgotten it was happening. The only thing I wish is that Real Madrid does not win it, as they are the enemy. And **if Barça gets some money** […] I am really not well informed at all. Barça does not even participate in this tournament. Neither does Liverpool. But Auckland City does. And promptly lost 10:0 against Bayern München. I guess the final could be competitive, perhaps the semis too, if they have foreseen such a thing and it is not in league format till the end. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1492 "2025-06-15T20:41:26Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I am really not well informed at all. Barça does not even participate in this tournament. Neither does Liverpool. Don’t be too hard on yourself. I also only learned two days ago from a friend who maybe, just maybe is even a bigger football fan than me, that Barca and Liverpool aren’t in. I don’t know how the heck FIFA handled the qualifications for the tournament. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1493 "2025-06-15T21:08:49Z")
It’s a new format this year. Previously it was just the winner of the continental competitions, but this year they expanded the tournament and the criteria was mostly “winners of the last 4 continental competitions”, so Man City, Real Madrid, and Chelsea for UEFA. Then both because RM won twice and UEFA had more than 4 slots they added teams based on pts in the previous 4 UCL seasons, with a max of 2 teams per country. So Barca lost out to Atletico while RB Salzburg gets in despite lower points, because nobody was ahead in Austria. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1494 "2025-06-15T21:18:40Z")
Also, damn PSG shredded Atletico 4-0. 11 vs 1 shots on goal. To be fair, 2 goals were after Lenglet was sent off. That was my main complain when he was at Barca. solid for most of the game, then complete idiocy leading to a red or PK. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1495 "2025-06-15T21:49:24Z")
Unfortunately I couldn’t read the linked piece but your post was very helpful, thanks. I’ve always been fascinated by the management aspects of clubs which aren’t individually or state owned. An in-depth look at the dynamics inside the Barca boardroom and the relationships with/pressures by the 150,000 members would be a fun read for me. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1496 "2025-06-15T22:00:07Z")
You could do worse than to read the book mentioned in **[this article](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/barcelona-crisis-problems-explained-author-book/t2xlvykzbnjyvqpekyqezfpe)**, although it is too rosy by a lot. The article itself is worth reading too. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1497 "2025-06-15T22:52:43Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Enhances my skepticism about this tournament. What do you all think about it? Are you interested, do you follow it? I hope to not watch a minute of it. There is zero reason to have yet another overgrown off-season tournament other than raw greed and FIFA trying to get some of that Champion’s League money. Add in the rather obvious corruption between DAZN and Saudi Arabia (who just executed another journalist today) in the funding/prize money and I hope it’s a miserable failure. But I figure it will probably get plenty of viewers and make a boatload of money and then folks will wonder why so many players get injured early next season. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1498 "2025-06-15T22:55:45Z")
Thanks again. That book sounds right up my alley not only because of the subject material but also because author Simon Kuper was also co-author of _Soccernomics_, which I loved. (Should also note that the piece itself was penned by Mike Decourcey, a very good sports writer with whom I’ve butted heads several times on Xitter). Oof, did the club really ask UEFA for an advance on future Champions League earnings? That’s a bad look on multiple levels. Here’s the thing, though: even if Barca goes through an extended down period (doubting this), I still love the ownership model. Fans should not only control their clubs but also live with their own failures when their unrealistic expectations are responsible for them. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1499 "2025-06-16T08:53:49Z")
Couldn’t agree more. Also just to add, the enormous prize money available will just add to the distortion of domestic competition. Even for relatively miniscule amounts like the reported £2.5m (it might be USD) for the amateur team Auckland. For the NZ league they are in that is serious money. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1500 "2025-06-26T22:25:46Z")
I find the idea of the Club World Cup intriguing. It contributes to the problem of players being overworked, but I’d much rather get rid of the completely unnecessary Nations League. I haven’t actually watched any games, though. If there were games in Chicago, I’d go see one, or if Spurs were involved, I’d travel to see them. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1501 "2025-06-30T04:32:57Z")
In not-so-earth-shatteringly important CONCACAF Gold Cup play, my fellow countrymen chippy losers Canada were true to form in stupidly losing in the shootout to Gautamala to sashay their way out of the tourney. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264.md?page=74) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264.md?page=76)