Tariq Panja

Note the hierarchy in play here...

Not the only game in town.

Perhaps threat of a wider legal problem here but then again why get into bed with an organisation that is pushing something that you fundamentally oppose? Relevent’s position on this issue has been very clear from long before Uefa entered into agreement with it.

Uefa going out of its way to disavow something it has actually approved is a real head scratcher. Reminder that Relevent, which filed the lawsuit in favour of overseas games in the US, is a Uefa partner. 😵‍💫

Uefa clears Spanish and Italian leagues’ plans for overseas games. Says they are two exceptional cases but opposes principle. So Barcelona-Villarreal in Miami and Milan-Como in Perth, Aus.

Perhaps another reminder that inequality is growing across the developed world.

Labour's lobbyist friends I went to Liverpool this week. I found lots of "Labour specialist" lobbyists, and barely a word on cleaning up politics.

A backbench Labour MP posed with the Premier League trophy.

Photograph snapped, she thanked the league’s reps: “Hopefully I’ll see you guys in parliament. Anything I can do to help, let me know.”

Me from Labour conference:
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/labour-and...

All for the good of the game.

More than two dozen new committees created by Infantino in last year, positions that will allow more random FA officials from nations that vote for the FIFA president every four years to get paid. Hard to square all this with need to have excessively high ticket prices to fund world football.

The FIFA point that they are squeezing World Cup until the pips squeak because all the money is invested in football would carry far more weight if the shear amount of money wasted on grace and favour position, executive travel and luxury accommodations wasn’t so blatantly visible.

FIFA has very strict demands on host countries, imposes tax exemptions and so on. They should have made the resale of tickets/price gouging a condition of taking the World Cup to North America if they were so concerned about the legal basis of resellers affecting the World Cup. They didn’t.

Already spending far more than they probably should to attend World Cups given economic circumstances many fans from Latin America face enormous costs in 2026 (if they’re let into the US). FIFA’s argument is the N. America. resale markets mean funds would leave football but this hits fans in pocket

The FIFA pricing model for the World Cup penalises teams with the most loyal traveling support, typically this has been fans from across South America in recent tournaments. 2014/18/22 they brought the noise/numbers. Dynamic pricing model means FIFA will profit from their passion.

LIV Golf Ltd, the United Kingdom-based entity which manages the upstart golf league’s activities outside of the United States, lost £461.8million in 2024 ($590.1million).

🔗 theathletic.com/6686158/?sou...

Libero: Libero 058: Is Football Too Online? Dressing rooms sharing posts about refereeing decisions, managers complaining about their nicknames on X and social media troll campaigns, football is very online these days. Is this just another c...

New Libero

Is football too online?

@migueldelaney.bsky.social
@tariqpanja.bsky.social
@jameshorncastle.bsky.social

pod.fo/e/3362c0

Libero: Libero 058: Is Football Too Online? Dressing rooms sharing posts about refereeing decisions, managers complaining about their nicknames on X and social media troll campaigns, football is very online these days. Is this just another c...

Dressing rooms sharing tweets about refs. Managers complaining about their nicknames on X. Social media campaigns.

Is football “too online”?

The latest @liberopodcast.bsky.social with me, @jameshorncastle.bsky.social and @tariqpanja.bsky.social discuss.

pod.fo/e/3362c0

At Saudi Comedy Fest, American Free Speech Becomes the Punchline

What a time. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/w...

Protests in Morocco with youth complaining about among other things prioritising massive spending on World Cup projects over more urgent public needs. Eerily similar to what happened in Brazil 2013/14.

The deal is now public. Subject to completion it would become the largest purchase of a publicly traded company to date.

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka posts contract after turning down Riyadh Comedy Festival Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka posts contract after turning down Riyadh Comedy Festival

Okatsuka posted the censorship rules for the controversial comedy festival, noting how many "You can’t say anything anymore!" comedians have signed on.
www.avclub.com/riyadh-comed...

Not mentioned in this story but the other investor Silver Lake, which owns a bit of Man City, has significant UAE state investment in its tech fund. So should EA takeover go through, the company will be heavily backed by two Gulf regimes, both have invested in Trump’s son-in-law too.

The biggest single revenue stream for this company is the FIFA game, or what’s now known as the FC series. Worth billions to the business and FIFA had promised a new video game years ago, which Gianni said would be even better. That has so far failed to materialised. Was worth $150m/yr to FIFA.

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has been spending billions in video games companies, and now if this deal goes ahead he will be a major owner of EA which acrimoniously split with FIFA, another Saudi partner, a few years back. The Kushner firm - in which KSA invested - a vehicle for this.

FYI. Amnesty International calling for the suspension of the IFA from FIFA and UEFA bsky.app/profile/fran...

Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu: "Despite positioning themselves as defenders of civilized values and peace, the sports world and football institutions have remained silent for far too long. Now is the time for FIFA and UEFA to take action. Israel must be immediately banned from all sporting competitions."

Amid all of the noise of the last few days, played out behind the scenes, about the possibility of a UEFA ban on Israel, The Turkish FA president has put his name to a public statement calling for Israel to be banned from football because of its actions in Gaza. His quotes in post below.

The populist right wants to remake the UK in the image of Dubai. We should all be careful what they wish for | Jonathan Liew Politicians and influencers eulogise the emirate as a place of cleanliness, convenience and low crime. The truth is far darker, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew

column on why is the far right is obsessed with dubai

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Libero: Libero 055: Arsenal, Tottenham, Succession And Serious People Two of the biggest Premier League stories in September came away from the pitch, and specifically in the boardrooms of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. First was the sacking of Daniel Levy, Tottenham...

"Succession" stories at Arsenal and Tottenham as Lewis and Levy leave, and why such headlines are now big news, and what they mean - the latest @liberopodcast.bsky.social with me, @jackpittbrooke.bsky.social and @tariqpanja.bsky.social

podfollow.com/libero/episo...

Libero: Libero 055: Arsenal, Tottenham, Succession And Serious People Two of the biggest Premier League stories in September came away from the pitch, and specifically in the boardrooms of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. First was the sacking of Daniel Levy, Tottenham...

New Libero

The sackings of Daniel Levy and Tim Lewis.

Why Spurs and Arsenal had their ‘Succession’ moments this month, and what it tells us about ownership in 2025.

@jackpittbrooke.bsky.social
@migueldelaney.bsky.social
@tariqpanja.bsky.social

podfollow.com/libero/episo...

Nuno Mendes was incredibly effective last year for PSG. Difference maker at both ends of the field. Gave PSG a dimension other teams didn’t have and always showed up in the big games. And somehow not really in the mix for the award. Exposes the superficiality of all this.