The Football Thread

[buttsie]

Seems to be rife across most top leagues & clubs

Manchester City facing transfer ban after signing Argentine wonderkid Benjamin Garre

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...r-ban-10545324

Liverpool banned from signing academy players and fined £100,000

Club found guilty of tapping up a schoolboy from Stoke City
• The ban is for two years, with the second one suspended

https://www.theguardian.com/football...rs-fined-stoke

Athletico & Real Madrid

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have lost appeals against Fifa bans on signing players in the next two transfer windows.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37312487

Real Madrid’s transfer ban cut and only applies to January window
https://www.theguardian.com/football...indow-2017-cas

Barcelona’s appeal against two-window transfer ban dismissed
https://www.theguardian.com/football...tion-for-sport

[Meini Again]

Down a level in the Championship

Strange and soft reporting at Aston Villa.

Their CEO - Wyness, a man with form - fined £10,000 and banned from any football activity for 3 weeks.
Twatter again. He asked if the Ref had some 'disability' after not letting AV have a penalty against Brighton.
Seems a heavy punishment when compared to many footballers insane comments on social media - but, as said a "man-with-form" and the FA certainly have long memories.

And their owner. Mr Xia, within a week of Wyness admitting that they've infringed FFP and could face embargoes, fines etc - Mr Xia Twatts that he has undergone Heart Surgery.
As usual with Mr Xia: No Hospital named, No Country named, No specific details about the "sugery" - only that his condition was 20 years old and it's pure coincidence that he is removed from the spotlight as the FA consider his wild and extravagent financial handling.
One reporter claims £200 million spent on players and debts in his first season.
Mind boggling if true.

Neil Moxley was the reporter, but he can't and won't get anything else from Xia and Wyness for a while

[buttsie]

They must really be fearing the up and coming qualifier against Scotland



great team work - West Brom's Jake Livermore applies his camouflage paint

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40167038

[footstep]

Rumours... Pepe , Aubameyang to Paris.

[ginny76]

Hazard broke his ankle by dropping his wallet on it. The old ones are the best. Thank you and good night.

[snowy25]

Liverpool have announced that they have ended their interest in signing Virgil van Dijk and apologised to Southampton after allegedly being accused of tapping up the defender. The Anfield club say they regret the "misunderstanding" over their much-publicised pursuit of the Netherlands international. It follows suggestions that Southampton were prepared to report Liverpool to the Premier League over what they considered to be an illegal approach for the 25-year-old.

I think its pretty safe to assume that the club or its players did indeed tap up Van Dijk after that statement. By ending their interest they are hoping that any potential FA punishment will be lessened. They are not the first club to be caught and they won't be the last. Southampton though are a club that doesn't need to sell, unlike some others. So they are able to stand up, fight back and stand their ground regarding the player. Other clubs may have let it slide and sold the player even if rules were possibly broken. I suspect tapping up goes on all the time, especially when players are on international duty. Liverpool it seems were maybe a little too eager shall we say and now they have lost a player that was willing to choose them over City and Chelsea. There are not too many top players that would currently do that.

[buttsie]

Given how many significant players have left Southampton since they got promoted
its all lip service but theres a right way and the wrong way

The wrong way obviously is all about not wanting to show interest and getting the player cheaper

Like Mahrez for Leicester signs a 5 year deal in August last year but asks to be transferred this year - only an idiot would assume he hasnt already got another club lined up


Sadio Mane makes up a team of Southampton players to have left club since Premier League promotion

The Saints have recouped a mega £178million on ten outfield players who have moved onto Champions League chasers over the last three years

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/footb...gue-promotion/

[snowy25]

Apparently he met Klopp in Blackpool which is where the tapping up claims come from. I can only assume he didn't ask the club to allow him to go to the meet. It leaves Van Dijk with a problem now though as he has made it very clear he wanted to go to Liverpool. Now every club who is interested in him knows that he doesn't really want to be there or at least they were not his first choice. That gives the club a huge advantage in terms of personal terms. They can basically say if you want to leave Southampton then this is what we will offer, take it or leave it.

With Liverpool's recent history in regards to the transfer ban on academy players should the FA step in they could be in real trouble. We have already seen Spanish clubs fall foul of the tapping up rules and being banned from transfers. You have to think there is the possibility that Liverpool could see a full transfer ban enforced if the FA were to be involved. I think that is unlikely now due to their backing off but who knows.

[Motorboater]

He might have the benefit of managing an institution like Madrid. But Zidane in 18 months has done more than 98% of all managers. He's already an all time great manager. I'd love to see how he'd go with the French National team?

I can't remember listening to a thorough interview of his. Has he done something like that? Does he articulate himself in a way where it obvious that he's a superior football intellectual?

[gordian_knot]

Originally Posted by snowy25

Apparently he met Klopp in Blackpool which is where the tapping up claims come from. I can only assume he didn't ask the club to allow him to go to the meet. It leaves Van Dijk with a problem now though as he has made it very clear he wanted to go to Liverpool. Now every club who is interested in him knows that he doesn't really want to be there or at least they were not his first choice. That gives the club a huge advantage in terms of personal terms. They can basically say if you want to leave Southampton then this is what we will offer, take it or leave it.

With Liverpool's recent history in regards to the transfer ban on academy players should the FA step in they could be in real trouble. We have already seen Spanish clubs fall foul of the tapping up rules and being banned from transfers. You have to think there is the possibility that Liverpool could see a full transfer ban enforced if the FA were to be involved. I think that is unlikely now due to their backing off but who knows.

Everyone knows the rules on tapping up and everyone does it. But someone at Liverpool leaked it to the press and they've been caught once again with their trousers down. Someone's head should roll and, while it would be slightly unfair to single Liverpool out, in order to stamp it out we need a draconian punishment, something like a transfer ban.

The stupid thing is that Liverpool wanted him, he seemingly wanted to go to Liverpool and now they've lost him. Why didn't they do things properly? It may not be completely over. Van Dijk could insist he won't go anywhere else, but it would probably mean staying at Soton for another season.

Klopp is as much to blame as anyone. He must have known what was going on and presumably could have stopped it if he wanted.