This week the Premier League rejected a proposal by the Bolton chairman to include Celtic and Rangers in a two-tiered Premier League with the Guardian saying that 14 clubs voted against it.
There are two ideas here that want to handle separately. First is the Celtic and Rangers problem. Clearly, they have outgrown the SPL and its financial limitation, chiefly television rights fees. Click to continue reading...

So just a quick update before our Copa del Rey encounter.

World Soccer magazine has just awarded our very own DAVID VILLA best forward in the world.

Booya

Not that we didnt already know that. Villa has proven himself already this season with a stunning 7 goals.

There is however rumours once again that Manchester United are after Villa and SIlva in a 40 million pound bid to take them in January.

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The loss of Setanta Sports during the summer didn't only have knock on effects for the Premier League, although that was the story which hogged the headlines at the time. The Scottish Premier League had to negotiate a new (and reduced) deal with Sky Sports, the Blue Square Premier started the new seasons without any television coverage at all and the FA were left seeking new partners for the FA Cup.

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One Fan's Reaction to Watching U.S.-Honduras Eighties-Style

I watch most U.S. national team games cloistered in my own soccer nerdom, hunched over a computer or slouched at a friend's house where I can bitch freely about the team's dry ideas and dire first touch. This is how a lot of us watch games.

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American soccer fans, because the US remains a country with unfulfilled potential, are notorious for finding the bad in a good situation. It just comes with the territory; we can't seem to allow...

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Some random thoughts on the US win and the upcoming game against Costa Rica

The Greatest US Win I Have Never Seen.  A lot has already been said about how absurd it was that this game was not broadcast to the average US fan, so there is no reason to continue to beat this dead horse.

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Not a literal reference to the Honduran coup which ousted Manuel Zelaya but the decision not to broadcast the match by the Honduran soccer federation.

From the US soccer website:

" In regards to the U.S. Men's National Team's match against Honduras on October 10, the rights are owned by the Honduras federation, which chose to sell the U.

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Nothing but a pipe dream.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has not given up hope of the club joining the Barclays Premier League.

The Scottish giants, along with their old foes Rangers, have been flirting with the idea of becoming part of the lucrative Premier League for some time.

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Big Story
Have fans become spoiled, expecting every major game to be available for free and in their own language on their home television set, whereever the game is being played? The patchy television rights structure of World Cup qualifiers in which home teams sell their own coverage has led to considerable frustration for fans of both England and the U.

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Two weeks ago in Deep Cuts, we passed along a story about the creation of the US Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York, a story with a melancholy feel thanks to the struggles of the Hall and the...

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The USA-Honduras World Cup qualifier broadcast situation, which has gone well beyond the USA-Mexico version on the debacle scale, is slowly resolving. Mediapro, the company that purchased the rights...

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With USA-Honduras only a few short weeks away, US National Team fans have a few questions they need answered, and none of them has anything to do with the standing, the players, or the managers. ...

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In my last post on MLS' future, I postulated that the television rights deals of the future will determine the level of play we will see on the field. I also stated that it is my belief that MLS must offer a better quality product on the field in order to achieve higher fees. Kind of a chicken or egg dilemna.

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This week on MFUSA, Jason and Zach discuss FIRE BOB!, the USL-1 breakaway, young Americans coming home to MLS, and the USA-Honduras TV issues. Match Fit USA Soccer Show, part of the Champions...

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It seems like we've done this once before. An important World Cup qualifier for the US National Team being played away from home in a Latin country will be unavailable for millions of American fans....

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REUTERS/Albert Gea

For FC Barcelona's second match of the La Liga season Pep Guardiola will have two of his stars back on the roster. Both Andres Iniesta and Rafa Marquez will receive medical clearance on Wednesday meaning that they will be on the roster against Getafe. Guardiola has already confirmed that both players will start on the bench this weekend after receiving medical clearance.

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TV Rules

The number one item that should be on the agenda for MLS officials should be has to be the preservation of the TV rights contracts.

Why do I believe that TV holds the future of MLS in its grasp? Because it's already saved the league once. And as of now, it could be argued that the contracts might not even be extended at the current price, or not extended at all(unlikely).

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In case you wondered why making the Champions League group stages is so important, consider the huge revenue windfall for teams that make the competition.

The Champions League will generate a record $1.55 billion in marketing and television revenues for clubs and organizer UEFA this season, that is a 33% increase from last year.

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The Spanish Primera Division or La Liga is set to start its 2009-10 season on Saturday with a full set of matches through Monday. In the United States, television rights are shared between GolTV and ESPN. GolTV will carry several matches each weekend while ESPN will usually broadcast only one each weekend.

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Argentina strikes deal with govt to show games

The Argentine soccer federation approved a deal with the government on Tuesday to broadcast games free on television, a week after it tore up a contract with a private cable TV provider.

The start of the country's soccer season has been delayed due to a financial crisis that drove the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to scrap its previous multimillion dollar deal because the broadcaster refused to pay more for the television rights.

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The Champions League reaches the final knock-out stage this evening, with an all-British match between Arsenal and Celtic taking centre stage as twenty clubs play off against each other for the right to join the lucrative group stages of the competition. The big question facing the competition as it kicks off, however, is whether the Champions League is lucrative enough for its biggest clubs any more.

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ESPN has struck an deal with FSC to sub-license some of the soccer network's English Premier League matches; this means that Jozy Alitdore's possible first appearance with his new club, Hull City,...

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There's been much confusion over who will be broadcasting the English Premier League this season. Fox Soccer Channel still owns the rights and will broadcast several matches a week. As of 11:50 AM (central time) ESPN does not have rights yet for any matches but this could change. Here's the latest update on the official rights.

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Here in the U.S., followers of the mighty MLS have a marvelous option that negates the need to go fishing for illegal internet streams to watch games the league offers an affordable (only $20 for the season), high-quality (up to 800k) stream on their website.

Now, if we scoff and say MLS is small-time, consider that Major League Baseball has an even better internet broadcasting set-up which has proven to be enormously profitable for the league, with over 500,000 fans forking out $110 for the season, and even offering streaming to the iPhone.

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No Boca this weekend..... / VIA AP

Uh-oh, it looks like we may not get to see the likes of Boca Juniors and Estudiantes this weekend in the Apertura after the AFA recently ran into major monetary problems.

Yes, it seems that the top-tier Argentinean sides have amassed massive debts estimated to be a whopping US$182 million and this has forced the Football Association to scrap the Aug.

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Pre-season training is in full swing as the start of a new soccer season in Argentina is near. There is much anticipation for the 2009 Apertura championship to begin, but it has been a problematic offseason for numerous teams and the Argentine Football Association on a financial and administrative level. Click to continue reading...

Big Story

It's that "crisis" word again. Following the Sweeper's report last Friday on the SPL's growing financial troubles, the Argentinian Football Association has announced it is canceling the league season's August 14th season opener across all divisions due to unpaid club debts totaling USD$182 million.

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There's been a lot of confusion about which networks will be broadcasting the English Premier League in the USA this season. The confusion is largely because ESPN purchased rights in the UK to which some believed this would result in games being broadcasted in the United States. This is NOT true and the television rights remain with Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Sports for the United States.

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Argentina football season suspended due to debts

Reuters

August 5, 2009

The kickoff to the Argentine domestic football season was put on hold indefinitely on Wednesday, while the game's national governing body sought a solution to clubs' massive debts.

Bussed-in protesters also attacked the Argentina Football Association (AFA) headquarters, smashing windows and demanding the resignation of AFA president Julio Grondona.

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Bobbby Robson, 1970

It seemed nothing more than a routine friendly, remarkable only perhaps for providing the first proper international meeting between Canada and England in the modern era (earlier encounters were played between representative sides).  And while the result was closer than most bookies had predicted—a 1-0 win for England with Mark Hateley's goal from a Glen Hoddle freekick in the 59th minute saving face for Sir Bobby Robson's team—the warm-up match for the World Cup in Mexico played on May 24th 1986 at Swangard Stadium BC would have been routine to just about everyone.

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In light of today's news that mun2 will be available to many on the day of the USA-Mexico World Cup qualifier at Azteca, I'm curious how the development effects those of you planning to watch/DVR the...

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We signed a petition, we sent emails, we moaned and complained, all in an effort to get NBC Universal to do something about the availability of the USA-Mexico match on August 12th. I don't know if...

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While many of us have been frustrated in recent days over the planned broadcast of USA-Mexico on mun2, the full story of why it ended up there is just now becoming known. MFUSA has learned that...

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First, a quick review, then some new information: Telemundo will simulcast the USA-Mexico World Cup qualifier on August 12th in Spanish and English, with the English-language version to be broadcast...

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Morning boys and girls. There's a full day of footy ahead of us, including MLS, a high-profile friendly, and Gold Cup, and yet my mind still remains on next month's USA-Mexico World Cup qualifier. ...

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