Yesterday The FA said they will move to block globetrotting friendlies from taking place following the end of the Premier League season.
This came after Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur scheduled friendlies in Australia which are set to take place just three days after the Premier League season ends.
The clubs have made this call as a means to generate more revenue and global recognition in the wake of restrictive Financial Fair Play regulations, but now the FA and the PFA want any future similar friendlies to be banned.
They're doing it under the guise of player welfare, but TalkSPORT's Simon Jordan wasn't having any of it saying that a club can do whatever they like, it's their business and their employees.
Simon Jordan doesn't always come down on the side of Newcastle but when he does, he goes all-in. Arguing with host Jim White who was trying to make a case against the friendlies, the Scotsman didn't stand a chance as Jordan put it perfectly after going on a superb rant about The FA themselves where he called them spineless.
"Three days after the end of the season? So what? They haven't got Michael O'Leary flying them on Ryanair with their knees up round their earholes, they're on first-class getting a pedicure, let's get it right.
"They're going over to Australia to generate revenue for football clubs because, I don't know if you've looked, recently, there ain't that many football clubs that are turning over much profit in the Premier League right now."
Jim White interjected trying to say how it's "all about money" and not about the players, but Simon Jordan had him on that one too.
"It's fair, it's a good point, Jim, it's all money, and who's getting it? Who's getting the lion's share of it? Who gets the bulk of it? Oh I know, those poor, hard done by survivors of the terrible tragedy of playing football twice a week."
We know it's not ideal, but it's not as if the players are having three weeks off then being called back in for one game and then sent back on their holidays. It's three days after the final Premier League game, they'll still be in work mode.
Granted, flying to the other side of the world for one game is a bit much, too, but the revenue it could bring in for the clubs makes it worthwhile.
As for the European Championships and players who will be involved in international competitions, you'd expect that both clubs have thought about that and won't demand too much of those players who have been called up. It's all a big fuss over nothing.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
10 | 13 | 25 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
10 | 10 | 23 |
3 |
Nottingham Forest
|
10 | 7 | 19 |
4 |
Arsenal
|
10 | 6 | 18 |
5 |
Aston Villa
|
9 | 5 | 18 |
6 |
Chelsea
|
9 | 8 | 17 |
7 |
Brighton
|
10 | 3 | 16 |
8 |
Bournemouth
|
10 | 1 | 15 |
9 |
Newcastle United
|
10 | 0 | 15 |
10 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
9 | 8 | 13 |
11 |
Brentford
|
9 | 0 | 13 |
12 |
Fulham
|
9 | 0 | 12 |
13 |
Manchester United
|
9 | -3 | 11 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
10 | -6 | 11 |
15 |
Leicester
|
10 | -4 | 10 |
16 |
Everton
|
10 | -7 | 9 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
10 | -5 | 7 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
10 | -11 | 5 |
19 |
Southampton
|
10 | -12 | 4 |
20 |
Wolves
|
10 | -13 | 3 |