evissy

Yes I agree. I enjoy seeing teams I never would watch or see in this type of tournament. No matter the level. Scratch that last one. The level should be 5 stories above Auckland level 😅. Watching mostly Premier League it gets boring. Always the same old story with us having difficulties on breaking down the parked bus and the football being about pace and athletism. There are great teams around the world such as these Brazilian and Argentinian sides.

I asked ChatGPT why we don't have a shirt sponsor.... Chelsea haven’t had a permanent front‑of‑shirt sponsor for a few seasons—and there are several key reasons behind it: 🎯 1. Chasing a Bigger DealAfter the successful £40 million/year deal with Three ended in 2023, the club purposely held off on a quick replacement, aiming instead for a longer-term deal worth around £50–60 million annually—on par with other elite clubs (inews.co.uk, bbc.com). But without Champions League football, sponsors are reluctant to pay premium rates, so Chelsea opted for short-term placeholders while they rebuild . 🚫 2. Several Deals Fell ThroughA potential partnership with Paramount+ was blocked by the Premier League over broadcast rights concerns (metro.co.uk). Negotiations with gambling company Stake collapsed too—partly due to a fan backlash and an upcoming Premier League ban on gambling sponsors by 2026–27 (metro.co.uk). A promising deal with Riyadh Air also stalled over valuation disagreements (inews.co.uk). ⏳ 3. Champion League Absence = Less LeverageWithout the exposure and appeal of Champions League football, Chelsea have less bargaining power to secure top-tier multi-year deals. So, they’ve pursued short-term arrangements, especially with non-EU or emerging market sponsors, while waiting to get back into Europe’s top competitions (forbes.com). 🛠 4. Temporary Sponsors Have Filled GapsInfinite Athlete, a sports-tech company, stepped in with a short-term one-year deal for 2023–24 and sleeve sponsorship in 2024–25 (talksport.com). Mid‑season 2024–25, Chelsea signed a short‑term agreement with DAMAC Properties, a Dubai real‑estate firm, for the remainder of that campaign—also tied to a development project in Dubai (thesun.co.uk). These deals provided revenue without locking into long-term commitments. ✅ Current Situation2025–26 season kits were unveiled without any front-of-shirt sponsor—reflecting Chelsea’s continued patience for a long-term, high-value deal (inews.co.uk). In March 2025, the club entered talks with FPT Software, a Vietnamese IT firm, aiming for a deal in the £60 million/year range—but nothing official yet (footyheadlines.com). In SummaryChelsea’s “blank” shirts are by design—part of a strategic pause to secure a high‑value, long‑term sponsor rather than rushing into a lower‑value short-term deal. Their absence from the Champions League complicates negotiations, but they’ve relied on interim sponsors (Infinite Athlete, DAMAC) to bridge the gap. The current season is still sponsorless while talks with FPT and other major contenders continue. Sidebar: Champions League impact Chelsea’s sponsorship strategy highlights how vital top-tier competition is commercially—big deals tend to come only when they’re on the Champions League stage. Meanwhile, fans tend to love the clean, unsponsored look—but that doesn’t cover the financial needs of the club (reddit.com).

If Oceanias best team is Auckland why were they included... I get the world wide approach but my word are they behind by a mile. Good for their financies though. Maybe they are a bit better back there in the future for it.

Early indications of the tournament: -They try to push the competition and add prestige and excitement to it. Why not, a huge investement this tournament. Not sure wheter it is that becoming though. -US is a great place to play as they have great venues for it and seems people have found their way to the games. -Teams are going for wins. No holding back so far. Maresca was asked in the presser that are they going to play the best lineup which was allegedly demanded of the participants. If true, it is a bit sad. Maresca just talked around it saying he will rotate as it is necessary. - PSG looks dangerous and to me the clear favourite to win it anyway. Beating Atletico 4-0 is a statement. -Estevao is showcasing his talents in the big stage and it looks like he is the real deal. Still raw but it looks good for Chelsea. -Why is Auckland in the comp? They have a slot for semi-pro team? Their keeper who let in 10 goals has another job as well. And who says he struggles with financies just by participating in this. All in all the early signs look more positive than negative to me. Nice to watch some good football this time of the year.

It is an amazingly positive thing UB. Can't you see? No money, no hassle. More blue shirt is visible so we are even bluer than before. Logos are basically ugly. And we don't have to bow to any company by saying their cars are better or their development sites are top notch. Freedom is the main currency in today's climate. You just have to expand your mind a tad.

I have no idea why we don't have front shirt sponsor. If they thought it was something they need to resolve quickly I think they'd already done it.

I honestly feel our club financially are a bit cheeky and underlining the circus type control from UEFA and FIFA and any other governing body restricting clubs to run their business. We are basically using cleverly the obvious loopholes that are in these (FFP, PSR) rules. Us selling our womens team didn't even go into vote among premier league rivals as everyone seems to be pretty unified with the idea how this absolute circus is run. The way I feel about the reactionary rules they spit out to clubs so I relish clubs using clever tricks to go around them legally. Relish.. okay maybe a bit of a stretch but I am okay with them. Interesting to see how they do with City's wrong doings. And..when you specifically find problems with anything our owners, board, directors, coach do you need to think are they doing something right when we are 300m on the plus side..? We are behind in revenue with our smallish stadium, we don't have the front shirt sponsor, we are losing on the football field compared to past years and we have bought a ton of players [insert UB's long list with Aron Anselminho] and still we are on the plus side... Maybe we can exploit this idiotic loopholy set of rules by selling the women's team back for 1 pound and sell it to Blueco again for 200m to make FFP and PSR. Hopefully something more unified is found at some point between clubs in the future.

👆 Your call

What is your excuse for other teams?

If your club is ran by absolute idiots and f**kups why do every other team in them Prem do worse in the mentioned category? This reasoning should be right up your alley.

I don't. Too early to judge.

Criticizing posters and directors or other people in general is pretty hard. In many ways. Especially if you don't know them or know the entire picture they are operating in. Very human though. And it seems very football-fan-like. I do it, you do it - we all do it. Sometimes it would be better to just shut the f**k up and stop criticizing others. 🤣

Yes. We had the womens team and the hotel to sell. They probably factored that in. What about the other teams?

Okay an honest question to you: what about the other 20+ teams? What did they do? What about their directors, board, owners? How do you explain their amazing inferiority in this column. Brag? 🤣 Mate, loosen up.

Strikers Delap Jackson Wingers Noni Neto George Palmer New guy Estevao Midfield Enzo Caicedo Lavia Santos Essugo Palmer Defenders Cucu Colwill Chalobah Fofana James Gusto Sarr Tosin Baddy Keepers New guy Sanchez Jorgensen + Young lads 2-3 new lads main ones being GK and Winger

Well at least it is transparent. No need to cover it with some other bullsh*t like prestige 🤣.... Anyway anything new comes to this old sport everyone is always dissing it. 5 years go by and no one thinks about it anymore.

On sunday at least one game I will watch PSG - A Madrid. Would love to see Estevao feature for Palmeiras but it is way too late for me.

Just checked how to watch the games. Not sure where it is televised but in my case it is only via DAZN https://www.dazn.com/en-FI/welcome/fifa-club-world-cup?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=futbolenlatv&utm_campaign=campaign&utm_term=term&utm_content=1101l60286%7C1011lBmoj8Ku%7Cfutbolenlatv&gad_source=7&dclid=CJb_07mN7o0DFUZsHgIdrfkpDA I just registered to their service but if you do only use that button that is here (well down on that landing page) "Get started" otherwise it sells you that DAZn paid plan that is either 9,99 or 17,99 per month. I am 100% sure it will be irritating commercials and so on through the experience and you feel you should upgrade...if you have better knowledge on how to watch please share. I think I am able to download DAZN app to my Apple TV and watch it from there through my big TV. Will test it later..

Don't be like that. Where are you then going to dump all your money?

New kit looks nice. 👌 Also like the green on that training outfit. Hot take: I also like that CFC LDN logo. I work at a brand agency and I understand why they did that. Is very usable element in every material they publish. And will grow into people as well. Don't be so grumpy. 😃

Winner winner chicken dinner

Cunha pictured before his dream move to Manchester United... judging by his beard, two weeks before the move 🤣🤣🤣

Snubbing Veiga and Petrovic is a bit of surprise to me. But again I am not listening to those conversations so we don't know exactly how they went. I feel both have demanded to play to stay. It is also a possibility they are used as assets to be sold with most value. Anyway we have to wait and see after the summer what the squad is like to judg Veiga and Petrovic.

Me clicking this thread