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2021-22-23-24 News Thread

andyt said:
Steven Goff from the Washington Post tweeted that Lisa Baird also resigned as a member of the USSF Board of Directors.
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There has to be some level of accountability on the part of the USSF as well, right? They can't possibly have been "in the dark" about what was going on, right?
 
Ed H in Pasadena said:
There has to be some level of accountability on the part of the USSF as well, right? They can't possibly have been "in the dark" about what was going on, right?
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I mean, you'd think so ... but Soccer House has a long history of getting away with "we didn't know" defenses for even the most obvious issues.
 
andyt said:
The NWSL Players Association released a statement on their Twitter account that they would play Wednesday’s matches.

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I'm pretty firmly in the camp that sees the PA as the only way out of this mess in the short term. The league office is reeling, and the ownership groups are just going to put out fires and get on with life so long as somebody allows them to do that. The PA has the power to shut things down and force changes if they have the courage to act, and it certainly looks like the ladies are in the mood to act ... even if it hits them in the wallet.
 
The women of NWSL returned to the pitch last night and in all games, they took a solidarity break at the 6 minute mark. I love how involved the PA has been in moving things forward and a love the buy-in from the ladies. A strong, active, unified players union is absolutely crucial in any meaningful change in playing conditions, regardless of the specifics.
 
jeffbear said:
The women of NWSL returned to the pitch last night and in all games, they took a solidarity break at the 6 minute mark. I love how involved the PA has been in moving things forward and a love the buy-in from the ladies. A strong, active, unified players union is absolutely crucial in any meaningful change in playing conditions, regardless of the specifics.
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And our local NC Courage laid on a press embargo. Owner Steve Malik did himself no favors with the statement he released, saying the club had done its due diligence when he purchased the Western New York Flash and inherited Paul Riley as his coach, saying he had been “subsequently assured that he was in good standing”. So either he didn’t ask the right questions of the right people or he faced a whitewash from both the league office and the Timbers/Thorns organization,
 
andyt said:
And our local NC Courage laid on a press embargo. Owner Steve Malik did himself no favors with the statement he released, saying the club had done its due diligence when he purchased the Western New York Flash and inherited Paul Riley as his coach, saying he had been “subsequently assured that he was in good standing”. So either he didn’t ask the right questions of the right people or he faced a whitewash from both the league office and the Timbers/Thorns organization,
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I think I've said before that I know Steve Malik a bit ... or used to, about a decade ago. He's a difficult man, but he means well and is generally a straight shooter ... at least he is about business stuff. If he says he did due diligence, I believe him. He's cautious and detail oriented in business dealings and that rings true with my experiences with the man.

Given the recent events in Portland, with their GM being put on leave, I strongly suspect that Portland and the league office put the Riley investigation in the burn pile and hoped it would go away once he left the club. Did Western NY do appropriate due diligence? Nobody knows and I'm not sure anyone is even asking. But that's where the rubber met the road first, not when Malik purchased what he thought was a fully functioning club that only needed a new place to play.

Bottom line ... if Malik says he asked, then I believe he asked. And if the Thorns and the NWSL didn't make any noises about the nature of the allegations against Riley that were supposedly investigated then I'm not sure what kind of crystal ball the guy is supposed to have to figure that out on his own. I find it 100% plausible that the Thorns and the league told him exactly nothing other than what they told the players who filed the complaint ... that the matter was investigated to conclusion, and nothing else about the nature of the allegations. Now, if somebody wants to question whether or not a club should hitch their wagon to a coach who has ever been investigated for anything, ever ... I mean, OK. But I'm not sure that's realistic. Pia Sundhage got investigated for abusing national team call up procedures when she was coach of the USWNT, and that had nothing whatsoever to do with anything that would disqualify her as a viable hire going forward.
 
We've seen this song and dance routine before when it comes to Newcastle being sold. And there appear to be significant hurdles yet to overcome.
But I SO want this to happen, for the sake of Geordie fans I know. They've deserved SO much better than Mike Ashley.

Newcastle takeover: Amnesty International urges Premier League to change owners' and directors' test - https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58827632
 
While Newcastle fans surely deserve better than Mike Ashley, and I'm 100% certain that Ashley is happy to see the backs of the Geordies ... I'm gonna reserve the right not to be happy about yet another source of sovereign wealth entering the EPL landscape to further distress the overall economy of the league with a nearly endless supply of cash (and the lawyers to make certain they get to waste it by the oil tanker load if they want).
 
jeffbear said:
While Newcastle fans surely deserve better than Mike Ashley, and I'm 100% certain that Ashley is happy to see the backs of the Geordies ... I'm gonna reserve the right not to be happy about yet another source of sovereign wealth entering the EPL landscape to further distress the overall economy of the league with a nearly endless supply of cash (and the lawyers to make certain they get to waste it by the oil tanker load if they want).
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We'll see. That they brought in Amanda Staveley's group and the Reuben Brothers' group suggests to me that they won't be pouring in the money to the degree that sole ownership might have (though I could be way wrong about that). She'll be on the new board and will have a voice, may even become the public face of the club.
 
Ed H in Pasadena said:
We'll see. That they brought in Amanda Staveley's group and the Reuben Brothers' group suggests to me that they won't be pouring in the money to the degree that sole ownership might have (though I could be way wrong about that). She'll be on the new board and will have a voice, may even become the public face of the club.
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Time will tell. In the meantime, I'll hang onto my doubts
 
andyt said:
I’ll be hanging next to you. There is no way a fund controlled by the Saudi government doesn’t try to outdo Sheik Mansour.
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Curious as to why the Prem thought that it was an independent body separate from the government, when the last time this came up they denied it largely on that same basis?
 
Ed H in Pasadena said:
Curious as to why the Prem thought that it was an independent body separate from the government, when the last time this came up they denied it largely on that same basis?
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Who knows why the fitness committee does anything they do? Their logic and soundness has been more than proven to be garbage down the decades, as they have approved a steady stream of charlatans, crooks and con artists. I suspect that eventually they got enough pressure (and/or inducements) from the Saudis that it became uncomfortable to say no. And you know how the Brits feel about being uncomfortable. Such a bother.
 
Since this is the news thread, this was overlooked last week. Some sites reporting it was Yves Bissouma. I hope not.
www.skysports.com

Brighton player arrested on suspicion of sexual assault

Brighton statement: Brighton & Hove Albion are aware that one of its players is assisting police with the investigation of an alleged offence. The matter is subject to a legal process and the club is therefore unable to make further comment at this time
www.skysports.com www.skysports.com
 
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