Ukraine sanction rumour put to bed

I saw this rumour (just the part about possible CL) and got excited for a few seconds. Then I realised that for it to happen a European country would need to descend into civil war. I very much hope that does not happen!

Point well made, Drew. However, It is tricky to see how away legs could be played in Eastern Ukraine at the moment....

I guess the games would be played at a neutral venue. Its an intriguing story but unlikely to happen unless things take a turn for the worse. In this case the cons far outweigh the pros. We had our chance to qualify and failed... Next story.

I don't want us to qualify like that.

You can bet your bottom dollar that whatever happens with those clubs - and hopefully they will be playing as that would mean a return to some sort of normality in the region - it won't be Everton FC that would gain a place in the CL

I know one set of fans who would send a group of agitators to anywhere in the world if a civil war meant they were back in the CL.

I can just picture that fecker with all the badges waving flags now.

Phil, Iove your (very Everton) use of 'like that'.

Not saying I disagree by the way, but there is something very Private Godfrey about us/Everton.

Teams who finish above us throw hundreds of millions at the title and the CL. (A billion in City's case, resulting in a fine of £50m for breaching Financial Fair Play rules). But we want to do things 'the right way'.

By the way, I wonder if we'll get a couple of million of that fine???

Link

Kevin,

I can't think of who you are referring to but I could have a good guess – very funny image: Khaki clad Kopites pretending to be something they're not, switching reasons for their actions at the drop of a hat. Yes, it definitely fits.

Try that again.

Link

City's fine will only be £16 million Eugene.

38 will be returned if they stick to the conditions UEFA laid down

34

Said it before but City and PSG's punishment was a joke. The only way you can punish that is with a points deduction or loss of CL place. They would soon sort their act out. Anyone who thinks a £16m fine will change their ways is an idiot

Too add to that point James.

Uefa have informed Man City they can only have the same wage bill as last season.
Seeing as their wage bill was already the biggest in world football how will that hurt them?
On top of that Uefa have told them that they can pay unlimited bonus payments to the players. So City can easily manipulate paying players what they want to.

Also they "punished" City by restricting their CL squad to 21 players for this years CL.
Guess how many players Man City used in this years CL...

Phil Rogers #069 I agree, but didn't Denmark get in the Euros like that when Yugoslavia fell to bits... was that the year they won?

Derek #124 You are correct, Link

RS will be allowed to enter their B team before we get a place in the CL...

Richard #183 – that's probably closer to the truth than you think!

It is sad what has happened. I've stayed in the hotel in Kiev that forms the backdrop to some of pictures (I think it was full of western journalists). To think the lobby was being used as a temporary morgue is just wrong.

On the same trip, I went to Belarus, and was walking by the national stadium when I saw a gate was open. I asked the guard if it was okay to walk in and take a photo, and he said the Russian equivalent of "Fill yer boots, comrade". Or at least that's what I assumed he said. I walked in and within seconds was stood on the pitch.

They're mad for their football, and as long as they're not playing your team, they'll talk to you for hours about it. I did nearly go to watch Zenith play AC Milan in a friendly once, cos, you know, was bored. The barman of the place we were in told us "Not a good idea, they'll assume you're Italian and kick the fuck out of you. I've had you on 'local' rates all day (about 1/6 of the price as it turned out), so stay here and watch on TV".

Turned out to be sage advice indeed.

Put the telly on and watch the news!! Eastern Ukraine is sliding into a full blown civil war. Donetsk and Kharkov are on fire so who in their right minds would go and play there?

They might have to play their games, say in Russia, but there's no way they will be played in the Ukraine, not even in Kiev.

Like Derek said, the former Yugoslavia was kicked out of the euros for being in a similar situation and I can't see even Mr Toady aka Platini allowing teams to play in such a volatile region.

Colin #231 "They might have to play their games, say in Russia,"

You're not even being slightly ironic there, are you?

Ha ha, bloody hell, Colin!

Under armed guard of course, and with Putin as ref.

There will be civil war if Russia start annexing their football teams!

Just out of interest, what was the source/evidence for the stated truth that the rumour is quashed?

I havent seen anyththing on the web that disproves the rumour.

Good point, Jeremy. I'd meant to add Greg O'Keeffe's findings yesterday but didn't get a chance. See the original post above.

A bit odd that they would have 6 Spanish teams and 5 English should this come about. Why not offer the places to the top countries with only 3 entrants currently, France, Portugal or whoever it is.