lol uefa got some good press for the super league disaster and completely bungled it almost immediately
wow little old city is getting no coverage and instead they're just making it an infomercial for chelsea. life as the underdog i guess
Each teams ticket allocation will be in the hundreds and they’ll be required to arrive only on horseback and sleep in a hotel outside the host city selected 24 hours before kickoff
One game semifinals aren't uniquely American, American media just frame it that way because that's the market they appeal to.
I think the problem isn’t necessarily with the 1 leg semifinal it’s that UEFA is gonna give these games to the highest bidder regardless of merit or how accessible it is. (Ex. Baku) Per google each team got 28% of the tickets for the 2020 CL final, imagine that’ll happen for these semifinals as well. They’re gonna make this into an event for neutrals and sponsors
Riiiiight, it’s a strange coincidence that making a final four destination week is happening now. You are truly dazzling.
Fan atmosphere is one of the coolest parts of the sport so hell no to taking that away. Even in the NFL the championship games at the home team’s stadium are more exciting to watch than the over-the-top corporate spectacle of the Super Bowl.
Sure, but actually UEFA's history of site selection for the finals (and the Euros and Europa League final) is actually pretty damn good. And I'm not willing to die on this hill but it's probably good for the game as a whole to make big games more accessible to neutrals. Don't let Iron Mickey fool you, he wears his Gazprom t-shirt every time he goes to fill up his Hummer H2.
Without the covid interruptions, this seasons final would have been in Moscow. 2018 was kyiv. the 2020 Europa league final was supposed to be played in gdansk, Poland (2021 was) and the 2019 final was played in Baku, Azerbaijan. what exactly is your criteria for defining a good venue? More perks for UEFA VIPs? Bribes paid to UEFA VIPs?
the chelsea and arsenal fans who made the trip had horror stories. No issues with the city or the people but the travel to get there was a major problem. 2 full days of travel and 3+ connecting flights and trains to get there. Was very expensive also.
if he can’t play would we see rodri/Fernandinho combo or does someone else a bit more attacking get in instead?
That’s not the point. As a neutral, why would you not want to see both sides with their preferred starting 11 in the biggest match of the season.
As a neutral I have no issue if he hates City more than Chelsea or vice versa. We know he'll naturally gravitate towards hating the team with the worst net spend and that's okay with me.
I’d rather see City lose but I also want to watch the best players. It’s the biggest match of the season. I want the strongest sides possible.