The return of soccer and the impact of the BLM protests on the sport worldwide.

The past three months have been insane. On Wednesday, March 18th New York City was already like a ghost town when I left work to head home. The shelter in place order had been announced and as I said goodbye to my coworkers, I jokingly said “see you in six months”. I really didn’t believe that, but it’s looking more likely.

Like many I was furloughed and have had a lot of free time on my hands. As a sports fan I usually spend countless hours watching my favorites (baseball and soccer). With leagues throughout the world suspended due to the virus, I suddenly realized how much enjoyment these games provided me. The void in my life was palpable.

While baseball still fumbles and bumbles its way to some sort of a season, soccer leagues throughout the world have figured out a way to restart. Of course empty stadiums, piped in crowd noises and social distancing rules are not what we want. However, the fact that the matches are back is a great start to some type of return to normalcy.

2020 has so far been the year that keeps on giving things you don’t want and that pattern continued with the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. This has led to weeks of protests and is forcing the country to deal with the systemic racism that exists whether we want to acknowledge it or not.

I was pleased to see that the demand for justice extended beyond the United States. To see Jadon Sancho display a t-shirt that read “justice for George Floyd” after scoring for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga was eye opening. I know that racism in European Football has been an ongoing problem and the Black Lives Matter movement in the US has led to a global outcry for justice.

The Arsenal squad were pictured wearing a variety of t-shirts addressing the racism issue and the Premier League. In addition the Premier League will replace players’ names on the back of their jerseys with the words Black Lives Matter for the first 12 matches as the league resumes play this week after three months.

Racism exists in all facets of society and sports is not immune to this situation. The fact that the US protests has been felt and picked up on throughout the world has raised awareness and started a conversation that is necessary.

Back in 2016 San Francisco 49’ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick caused controversy when he refused to stand for the pre-game playing of the Star Spangled Banner. Instead he would take a knee as the anthem played. To anyone that would listen it was clear that he was not doing this to disrespect the flag or the country. Instead he was trying to raise awareness of how black Americans were not being treated equally and fairly in many aspects of life.

Unfortunately Donald Trump had somehow won the 2016 presidential election and his reign as Divider In Chief had begun. Trump has no ability to listen or care what anyone has to say. Instead of taking the time to understand the point that Kaepernick was trying to make, Trump instead lashed out at how disrespectful the player’s protest was. Trump didn’t see anyone trying to point out racial inequalities, instead he saw a troublemaker who didn’t love his country.

Four years later, it’s apparent that Kaepernick’s protests had validity. The Black Lives Matter movement has taken off and people are now listening. In fact, both the NFL and MLS have announced that players will be allowed to peacefully protest by taking a knee pregame.

This led to the #WorstPresidentEver putting out the following Tweet:

And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching! https://t.co/aGfBaK7RNA

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2020

It will be great know that the #RacistInChief will not be enjoying MLS and NFL when he’s voted out of office in November.

Stay safe, wash your hands, enjoy the matches and hopefully we’ll all be able to gather and watch the games together.

The strange goings on in Belarus and Tajikistan

Virtual fans

For those of you suffering from soccer/football withdrawal, there is a cure. Just start following the Belarus Premier League or maybe you’d prefer the Football League of Tajikistan. While the level of play may not be up to the standard that you’ve become accustomed to, it is actually taking place in present time as the rest of the world battles the coronavirus pandemic.

The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has dismissed concerns about the outbreak and the mass lock downs across the globe as “corona psychosis.” He has even suggested that taking shots of vodka and going to saunas will keep the disease at bay.

Adding to the insanity of this situation is the fact the league is allowing fans to attend the games.

One interesting result of being the only European league still operating is that the Belarus Football Federation has secured broadcasting deals with sports networks in 10 countries since the onset of the virus. The list includes Russia, Israel and India. Here in the states you can try and find some action on the Belarus Premier League You Tube channel.

Fans in Belarus

One of the Belarusian clubs, Dynamo Brest FC, have been selling “virtual” tickets to foreign fans. The club then places cardboard cutouts of the faces of new supporters on mannequins in the stands during matches.

Another league carrying on business as usual is the 10-team Tajik league which kicked off its new season earlier this month. All matches are being played behind closed doors without fans in attendance. The World Health Organisation has warned that people should avoid crowds, even in Tajikistan which has not announced a single case of the virus.

Current champions Istikol are managed by Vitaliy Levchenko. In his most recent press conference he stated:

You know that the championships are stopped in almost all countries because of the coronavirus pandemic. Thank God, there is no coronavirus in Tajikistan and the new football season begins in the country.

Action from the Tajik League

Pardon me for being a bit cynical but I find it hard to believe that this virus which has infected every corner of the globe has mysteriously skipped Tajikistan. Time will tell if any of the players end up getting sick, but in the meantime the games will go on.

To that point Khujand's Uzbek keeper Mamur Ikramov said, "My soul is anxious, I worry bout my compatriots, my family and my relatives. You know there are 205 coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan” (the neighboring country).

Hopefully we’ll get our favorite sport back soon, but maybe Belarus and Tajikistan can fill the void in the meantime.

Soccer clubs and players pitch in to help during the coronavirus pandemic

Today I was supposed to go to the New York Mets’ second game of the season. It was even Pete Alonso bobblehead day. Obviously there was no game today. In fact there are no games anywhere (except maybe Belarus and a few other distant lands).

The world as we know it has been turned upside down and sports fans all over the globe are all trying to navigate through this crazy time.

There have been a lot of great stories circulating about various sports stars donating money to displaced workers and others in need. Here’s a look at just some of the efforts by soccer leagues and players to help out during this pandemic:

Premier League

Serie A

La Liga

MLS

Bundesliga

The only thing certain at the moment is that no one knows when things will get back to normal. The NBA, NHL and soccer leagues throughout the world stopped play mid season. MLB never finished spring training, Wimbledon, the Kentucky Derby, the Olympics, etc. have all been either cancelled or postponed indefinitely.

You can fill the void with some classic matches that are being rebroadcast or streamed online.

In the end it’s nice to see that well paid athletes will pitch in to help their communities when times are tough.

Soccer and the world of sports takes a back seat for now

I usually love this time of year as the European soccer seasons are heading for the home stretch and the Champions League is getting down to the wire. Meanwhile spring training is taking place in Florida and Arizona as the baseball season will soon get underway.

This year, we have a new reality. I know that I have never experienced anything like this before and I hope we never see something like this again. First teams were playing matches, but in empty stadiums. Now, the games have all together been put on hold. Outside of soccer, the NBA and NHL have halted play, March Madness has been cancelled, MLB has scrapped the rest of spring training and will have to decide when and how to proceed with the 2020 season and tournaments such as Euro 2020 and even the summer Olympics are facing possible postponement.

Then there are youth leagues. This is the time of year when Little League and other sports leagues awake from their winter slumber and kids can get back outside and play sports.

All of that is on hold for now. Sports are an outlet for people and with the games stopping many of us are left feeling like we’ve lost a part of ourselves. Unfortunately, this has to happen until the world can come to grips with this insidious virus that has spread throughout the globe. It’s times like this when we have to take stock of what’s really important in life and of course that’s our health and the health of our families and friends.

The games will come back and we’ll get past this terrible moment in history. Until then there’s always DVD’s of Arsenal’s 49 game unbeaten run, the 1986 New York Mets World Series victory or whatever sports highlights you’d like to revisit.

In the meantime, stay safe and wash your hands.

Italian soccer takes drastic measures to combat the Coronavirus

When Juventus defeated Inter Milan 2-0 over the weekend it was unlike any other match you may have seen on television. Usually the sound of the fans chanting, singing and applauding is audible and adds to the entire ambiance of the match. This match was entirely different as the teams played at Juventus' Allianz Stadium in front of no one but their teammates, coaching staff and match officials. It almost sounded as silent as a New York Mets game in the early 90’s.

The Coronavirus fear is real and spreading throughout the world. Italy has so far been one of the hardest hit countries. That is the reason why this past weekend’s Serie A matches were all played behind closed doors.

Then today came another announcement. Italy Primer Minister Giuseppe Conte confirmed that all sports in Italy have been halted because of the Coronavirus outbreak. This includes Italian soccer which is heading to the final two months of the season. The earliest date that play may return is April 3rd, but that is not set in stone.

Later in the day it was announced that the entire country of Italy has been placed on lock down. People have been ordered to stay home and seek permission for travel. Conte stated:

There is no more time. Customs must change. We're having an important growth in infection and of deaths. We all must give something up for the good of Italy. We have to do it now, and we'll only be able if we all collaborate and adapt to these more stringent measures.

Obviously in the scheme of life, soccer is not as important as people’s health. This move by Italy, while extreme, makes it clear that Italy is taking this pandemic seriously. Perhaps we will see restrictions such as these taken in other countries. It’s hard to imagine, but this is real.

Let’s just hope that the world can get a handle on this virus and that life, and soccer, can return to normal soon.

What are your thoughts on stopping play during this outbreak?

Major League Soccer kicks off its 25th season this weekend

How much progress has the league made?

Major League Soccer begins its 25th season this weekend. That alone may surprise many as there were many doubters and naysayers when the league began back in 1996 with ten teams. The total number of teams is now 26 and will reach 30 by 2022 with the addition of Austin, Charlotte, Sacramento and St. Louis.

MLS averages 20,000 fans per game. This is the third highest average attendance of any sports league in the U.S. after the NFL and MLB. It’s also the seventh highest attended professional soccer league in the world.

Over the years many of soccer’s biggest names have plied their trade in the American league. The list includes: David Beckham, Thierry Henry, David Villa, Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Ibrahimovic and Didier Drogba among many other big names.

Unfortunately for MLS, major leagues around the world have a higher profile and a lot of history. If a player has the opportunity to play soccer at the highest level, they are going to choose La Liga, Serie A, the Premier League, Bundesliga or other top flight leagues over MLS. The bottom line is that the level of play is higher in more established leagues than it is in MLS. Major League Soccer is making inroads but it’s going take some time to attract top players in the prime of their careers.

Here’s what fans have to say about MLS:

That’s true. The problem is that world soccer is readily accessible and plentiful today. In addition, while MLS level of play has improved considerably there are still too many clunkers and teams barely competing.

— The Boss (@RobertWCross) February 21, 2020

I never watch MLS,inferior to the PL in every way,it’ll get better but not enough in a country that’s over saturated in sports.

— RustyMckeever (@MckeeverRusty) February 29, 2020

Premier League makes you realize that the MLS has a long way to go to have the quality of players, it’s much more exciting than MLS. But being a Man U fan is brutal more often than not these days

— Hot Takes and Hostility (@615Hockey) February 13, 2020

Just read an AP article in the sports section of the SJ-R that is saying in the next 10 years MLS will overtake MLB in popularity. Hahaha...not in my lifetime! Almost as boring to watch as golf. ZZZZZZZZZZ...

— Big Kahuna (@bigkahuna644) February 27, 2020

I’m from LA. But I’m stating the facts. The MLS is boring to watch. I watch game’s from league 2 and I rather watch that than the mls

— Juan Ochoa (@Juan0choa) February 26, 2020

The good news is that there are fans who truly support the league:

Always love opening week of @MLS, pumped for @NashvilleSC and @InterMiamiCF but even more pumped for @CharlotteMLS next year

— Ryan (@ryandonahue96) February 29, 2020

Love that the @MLS is back. Looking forward to the new mls season and @NWSL season coming up. Excited for soccer in this country

— Jake Davis (@JakeDavisSoccer) February 29, 2020

This is so incredibly, comically bad. I LOVE MLS I MISSED YOU SO MUCH
pic.twitter.com/YgPEllLHga

— Kylo Force Choking Appreciator (@LindsayAdaire) February 29, 2020

Doing my yearly ritual of watching every game of MLS opening day, it's kind of crap, but I love it. #MLSisBack

— Closet Kickboxer (@CKickboxer) February 29, 2020

So what are your thought on Major League Soccer and the quality of the league?

UEFA Comes Down Hard on Manchester City

Newcomers to English football know that Manchester City has been one of the best teams in Europe over the last decade. What they may not know is that prior to the team’s September 2008 purchase by Sheikh Mansour, Manchester City was the second-best team in Manchester and a team that bounced up and down between English divisions.

The infusion of money from Mansour, who is the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, led Manchester City out of the doldrums to the heights of European soccer. The club was now able to compete with the top sides in Europe. This included a new stadium, new training ground and the ability to recruit top players with large salaries.

Since then the side have won: One FA Cup, three League Cups and three Premier League titles. As of 2015 the City Football Group was valued at $3 billion.

The fact is that Manchester City has been transformed from also rans to domination because the club has spent a ton of money to achieve this success. It’s frustrating for teams that do not have an oil baron sugar daddy, but to be fair, a number of big clubs throughout the world accumulate success by spending more than the competition.

It took a while, but this week Manchester City’s actions have come back to haunt them. The independent Adjudicatory Chamber of UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) handed down a two season ban from UEFA competitions and fined the organization with a $32.5 million fine. This was because the club were found to have committed "serious breaches" of Financial Fair Play (FFP) while submitting inaccurate information to UEFA between 2012 and 2016. They were also found to have "failed to cooperate" with the investigation.

Manchester City are appealing this ruling and the ban may end up being reduced. However, it’s a warning to other clubs. If the ban is upheld, City will lose out on millions of dollars that come from competing in Europe’s top competition. It will also hurt City’s ability to attract top talent and the ability to spend freely.

As a fan of the game, I’m glad to see that soccer’s governing bodies are making clubs be held accountable for their actions. It’s never going to stop the richer clubs from outspending their competition, but hopefully it will lead to a bit of a more level playing field.

What are your thoughts on the Manchester City ban?

Will Qatar 2022 happen as planned?

Qatar is on my mind recently. I booked a flight last week to Africa on Qatar Airways and two days later I met a lovely family currently living in the country along the Arabian Peninsula. Being a football fan, I asked about the next World Cup. He assured me that the country is ready, the stadiums are beautiful and he is expecting the games to be successful. Personally, I’m still skeptical and think the situation is ridiculous.

Since the announcement that FIFA had awarded the 2022 games to the tiny gulf nation, there’s been nothing but controversy and confusion surrounding the games. These issues include, the exploitation of migrant workers, Qatar’s human rights violations, including its stance on homosexuality, the fact that alcohol is banned, the country has no real football history, the nation’s intense heat has led to the entire soccer/football world being forced to alter their domestic seasons in order to accommodate the tiny nation. Every previous World Cup has been held during the summer when most leagues are in their off season. Qatar 2022 is planned for the winter. Basically it was a corrupt decision on FIFA’s part which was made due to bribery.

I still think there’s a possibility that Qatar will be stripped of the games.

Last month, tensions between Iran and the US rose when a US drone strike killed an Iranian military leader. Iran retaliated and the idea of travelling to Qatar for the World Cup started to look less appealing.

In fact, the US Men’s team was planning a three week training camp in Qatar. That was cancelled after the US government issued warnings for Americans to avoid that part of the world.

As of now the games are still planned for November and December 2022 in the Middle East. I am hoping that FIFA realizes its mistake and moves the games to a more deserving and stable part of the world.

What are your thoughts on Qatar 2022?

MLS expansion continues with Charlotte becoming the 30th franchise

Just before the holidays MLS commissioner Don Garber made the announcement that Charlotte would become Major League Soccer’s 30th team. Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper heads up the new franchise and the yet named team will begin play in 2021.

The growth of MLS is pretty amazing as the naysayers back in the early days of the league never thought that it would work. Play began in 1996 with just ten teams. 25 years later and the league continues to grow and attract more talented players.

David Beckham’s Inter Miami and Nashville SC will begin play this season. Charlotte and Austin join the league in 2021 and will be followed by St. Louis and Sacramento in 2022.

I got to attend a soccer match in Charlotte this past summer as Arsenal and Fiorentina faced each other in a pre-season match. The game was played at Bank of America Ball Park and was attended by about 35,000 fans. It was a great match, but as purists of the game know, seeing a soccer match at an American football ballpark just doesn’t feel right. The new Charlotte franchise will play in this stadium and it’s unclear if there are plans for a soccer specific stadium in the future.

I’ve attended home matches for both the Red Bulls and NYCFC and there’s no comparison between the experience of seeing a match at Red Bull Arena versus Yankee Stadium. Hopefully NYCFC will find its own home and other MLS clubs will follow suit.

The real question now is whether there is enough fan interest in Charlotte and the other new MLS cities to keep the league moving forward. What do you think?

Being a supporter as well as a fan; sometimes you have be both

I have been a fan of Arsenal Football Club since 1999 and during this period the team has been one of the most successful clubs in the Premier League. In the early days the top four teams were Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. The rest of the league were also rans.

Times have changed and so has the league. Instead of a top four, the pundits now speak of a top six. In addition to the above mentioned sides the group now includes Tottenham and Manchester City. Tottenham have improved significantly in recent years and have finished above Arsenal the last three seasons (prior to this Arsenal always finished higher than their North London rivals). Younger fans may not know that Manchester City once bounced between leagues and were the second team in Manchester. That all changed when Sheikh Mansour purchased the floundering team in 2008 and turned them in to a powerhouse team.

Arsenal are currently experiencing a rough patch. They have finished outside of the top four the last three seasons and have found life after 22 year manager Arsene Wenger difficult at best.

Wenger’s replacement, Unai Emery, was fired last week after 18 months in the job. Proving how stable Arsenal had been, this was the first time in my fandom witnessing the manager of my side get the ax. To get an idea of how rare this is, check out this article about the number of managers other Premier League sides have had over the years.

While watching the team you support underachieve is not fun (I am also a fan of the New York Mets and Jets so I am used to underachieving) seeing the negativity from so called supporters is deflating. The abuse and vitriol being stirred up by supposed fans is only making the situation more dispiriting.

I of course want to see the team get back to being a dominating side. However, to me being a supporter and a fan go hand in hand. Yes, fans have the right to voice their opinions, but if you’re a fan you should support your team through the bad times as well as the good times. There are no guarantees in being a fan. There will be highs and sadly there will be lows. If you’re a true fan, you’ll take the ride with your team and stay with them all the way.