Friday, September 27, 2024

The fall-out from Manchester City vs Arsenal continued late into the week, as people within both clubs were still ranting about it. It was almost like there would be a new flare-up every few days, most recently when Sky Sports showed footage of Arsenal executive vice-chair Tim Lewis just getting up and making his way straight to the dressing room at full-time. He did so without shaking hands with anyone from the City contingent. That comes in a context where the Independent has frequently written about how Lewis has been one of the most vocal critics of state ownership in the Premier League. That moment saw Arsenal players sink to the floor in deflation after John Stones' equaliser, but the mood has changed as the week has gone on, influenced by the fallout. Arsenal now see it as a fine point in the circumstances, but are even more encouraged by how they believe they have got inside City's heads. They think this is crucial, and could give them an edge "psychologically". City players would reasonably point to how they're the team that wins all the trophies in recent times. It does show the level the rivalry is reaching though, that players such as Bernardo Silva are unfavourably comparing Arsenal to Liverpool while the Arsenal dressing room now talks about the hearing. Social media posts about referees have now reached the squads too. It is likely to influence this weekend. Arsenal are playing Leicester City, and Manchester City are playing Newcastle United. They're now looking to beat both, respectively, to make a point about this title race. The race has this time properly started prematurely in September.

Written by Miguel Delaney

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That match prompted a lot of talk about 'the dark arts' of gamesmanship and the like, amid claims that a number of clubs have complained to the PGMOL about Arsenal. That did come as news to other clubs, Arsenal and even some at the PGMOL. The word among other teams and referees, as one source put it, is that "everyone uses the dark arts!" It's now something officials obviously have to be consistently mindful of, especially as players learn new little tricks such as how to block on corners. The issue is so widespread that PGMOL have their own team of analysts assessing possible trends and what teams do. That of course extends to how managers actually want to play ideologically, because that can bring issues to flag.

The Fifa Council takes place in Zurich next Thursday and, while the agenda has not been set, many stakeholders are looking for more clarity on the new Club World Cup. It is almost affecting this gravitational effect on the entire game, which is saying something for a competition that has never happened before and doesn't yet have stadiums, a full list of sponsors or even prize money. This is partly why there is such agitation. Some of the clubs involved have pushed for Fifa to use their own reserves, which would be totally unpalatable to the member associations that will attend the Council meeting. As more than one federation head told the Independent, that would be tantamount to taking from some of the poorest countries' football cultures and giving to the wealthiest clubs. It presents a quandary for Fifa, especially as they don't yet have the funding, that has long been expected to come from Saudi Arabia. The clubs are holding out for at least €50m (£41.7m) in prize money each, which is actually below the figures talked about in earlier meetings with Fifa president Gianni Infantino. A solution may come through investment in Fifa's digital platform, and potential partnerships with existing broadcasters - clubs have mentioned streaming giant Dazn - particularly since they don't yet have a media partner. Many clubs are dumbfounded by that, thinking an event like this should already have 150 broadcasters lined up around the planet given the teams involved. There is also frustration has many of the clubs are very excited by this. They see it as a huge opportunity to go global. City are known to have reshaped their training programme so they arrive in top condition. A lot of the politics around all of this are discussed in a bigger piece here. There is obviously even greater intrigue to that, since some have specifically mentioned how this staves off the prospect of a Super League. That hasn't gone away, and it probably never will. Florentino Perez is now talking a lot about their last model, which is a 64-team competition split into divisions of 16, 16 and then 32, with promotion and relegation within that to allow qualification. That is complemented by constant lobbying, with Super League figures particularly focusing on failures of governance in Uefa and European Union scrutiny. It could bring this full circle, with least 35 of Uefa's 55 member associations - all of which will be present at Fifa's Council meeting - are now backing Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin to stay for a fourth term. This would not be seen as optimum governance in the eyes of European officials.

The news that a vote on Associated Party Transaction rules was pulled from a Premier League meeting caused a lot of commotion, particularly as regards whether the competition or Manchester City "won". The truth is it wasn't the only vote that was pulled. So was another unrelated to the case. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told the members that, after feedback from some clubs, it was best not to put to a vote. Clubs and stakeholders haven't yet been informed of any decision that would change the rules, though. In any case, whatever the potential outcome is, it isn't really as having much bearing on City's Premier League hearing - which is into its second week. What all the noise does show is that the competition could do with much more transparency around its processes. That is something all the more important amid increased political scrutiny, and the prospect of an independent regulator.

Football features

Miguel's Dispatches

London Euston's station manager this week admitted to the Evening Standard that Sunday was a "challenging day", due to significant overcrowding and delays, caused by bad weather and a trespasser. The issue is that is how many football fans would at this point describe any trip from the station - something that is especially a problem given that it represents such a hub, especially for travel between London and the north-west. In other words, the areas that have all the clubs with the biggest fanbases. It has been an issue for years, and every fan who travels will be grimly familiar with the rush that comes once the platform for a train is announced - which brings up another issues: the lack of trains and comfortable seating for match-going fans and an absence of care from the authorities. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I was there for four years. I have all the information. So I know, believe me."

Mikel Arteta when asked about talk from Manchester City that Arsenal engage in the "dark arts" of gamesmanship

Reading the game quiz

On Tuesday, Mikel Arteta manages Arsenal in a Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain, a club who he used to play for. Only two other Premier League managers have ever been in this position, where they have taken an English club into a match in the competition against a team they use to play for. Name them. Note: only matches since the 1992-93 Champions League season count. The manager does not have to have played for the former club in the Champions League.

(You can find out the answers here. The answer page will be updated weekly and contains answers from previous newsletters, too)

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