I’m always amused by the fact that a game that is so simple on paper - just kick the ball in the big, wide net - is so damn complex, generates such enormous amounts of wealth and debt, and consistently creates more interaction and aggro than any other media and religion combined. Just a few blokes and a ball.
Truly, the beautiful game.
Onwards to the World Cup and hoping everyone other than Scotland lose.
I remember 2002 being a bitch for kickoff times to the point my school opened super early and set up giant projector screens in the assembly hall in an effort to get kids to actually turn up.
Brazil x England for the 2002 World Cup was at 3:30 in the morning down here. We all woke up in the middle of the night and thanks to Brazil's victory, we had no classes. And it was on a Friday to boot.
Good times in hindsight, but I still hope we don't have a World Cup in the far east any time soon.
So who gets their spot? Do Lokomotive Leipzig get promoted (I think that's who lost the promotion playoff)? Do one of the relegated 3rd Liga teams come back?
So who gets their spot? Do Lokomotive Leipzig get promoted (I think that's who lost the promotion playoff)? Do one of the relegated 3rd Liga teams come back?
1860 gets ranked automatically as 20th which moves all other teams one rank up. Naturally that would save the team who was ranked 17th bc they move to 16. which is TSV Havelse at the moment. If they forefit their place tho then Aue would stay in 3rd league. There are conflicting reports at the moment. Some say Havelse got their shit together and wants to stay in 3rd league, other say Havelse is going to forefit for financially reasons.
And another bomb dropped regarding 1860 Munich. Yesterday in the evening the club officials announced that they cancelled all contracts with their Jordanian investor immediately bc he refused to vouch for the credits the club needed to not get relegated. The club is also now preparing for the incoming bankruptcy that's dangling over the club.
To understand what this means here is a bit of background info.
Back in 2011 the club was already on the brink of bankruptcy but they were saved when a Jordanian sheik bought a huge share of the club. And here is where it get's interesting, mind baffling, sad and/or hilarious, depending on your feelings towards the club.
Because a funny side note is that back then the big FC Bayern offered to help 1860 financially before 1860 got their sheik involved. FC Bayern of course didn't offer the money out of love for their blue rivals or out of altruism or out of generosity, no, they did it bc of the Allianz arena.
You see, when the Allianz area was planned it agreed on that both clubs will hold ownership of the new stadium. Which, of course, also meant both would share costs. One crucial point was that the clubs agreed on ordering every home match day a certain amount of food from a certain provider. FC Bayern obviously never struggled to pay these bills and made the money back while 1860 struggled right from the start simply bc of their way smaller fan base and interest in the club. So the costs where rising over the years for 1860 and the club bled financially every year.
Back in the 2005/06 season 1860 played in 2. Bundesliga and was facing relegation to 3rd Bundesliga and financial issues cought up with the club which in the end led to 1860 selling their share of the stadium to FC Bayern who then became the sole owners and TSV 1860 had to pay rent to use the stadion. When 1860 once again struggled and face relegation in 2011 it would have ment FC Bayern would miss on the rent payments from 1860 which were supposed to be around 50 million Euros bc of all the contract stuff.
Another side note in this wild story is this guy, Karl-Heinz Wildmoser:
Mighty moustache, good catholic and true Munich original, fat, chain smoker, never shy of telling some journo scum to fuck and off and screw their mum, boss of one these huuuuge beer and food tents on the yearly Oktoberfest and back when the plans for the Allianz arena started president of 1860 Munich.
[circus music starts playing] He and his son got busted for bribery shenanigans around the Allianz area deals later. The son took the fall for the father, the father got ousted from the club and the Munich "Schickeria" (the glitterati, a derogative term used for the more wealthy inhabitants of Munich but also the name of the biggest FC Bayern ultra group), lost everything, never recoup and died lonely in his family villa in 2010.
So yeah, 1860 Munich, huge shit show, got bought by a sheik who invested a shitload of money into the club which burned quicker then the sheik was able to sign the cheques and who now got left with his share being worth less than toilet paper which I'm sure he will just take graciously and totally not declare total fucking legal warfaresharia on 1860.
The story of 1860 Munich is one of these stories about football clubs and investors that we, the fans of normal clubs, tell each other as a cautios tale and to ignite the fiery hate in our hearts against all investors.
The story of 1860 Munich is one of these stories about football clubs and investors that we, the fans of normal clubs, tell each other as a cautios tale and to ignite the fiery hate in our hearts against all investors
There was a great docu series on 1860 (maybe posted 6 months ago in thread, maybe it was on Sportschau?). The history is fascinating, although obviously it didn't cover this current chaos. Sure sometimes it all works out- just look at PSG. But when it doesn't, the club could cease to be.
