11 Mar 2022 22:23:22
Wonderful article by Barney Ronay today trying to unpick some of the hypocrisy. Search 'Shouldn't someone in football also care about the war in Yemen just a little? '.


1.) 11 Mar 2022
11 Mar 2022 23:34:41
Careful, that's called whataboutism and we need to focus on stopping Russia not the Saudis, the Saudis are good they our friends.


2.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 09:07:53
It's funny how most oil producing countries do what they like and the buying countries just turn a blind eye
Would the world be a better place without oil I wonder.


3.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 12:52:02
It probably would be gg.

Yes, the Ronay arrticle comes on the eve of our match with the Saudi-owned Newcastle.

The point obviously being that almost anyonee was/ is welcome to own a Premier League Club and a problem only arises if former friends/ favoured trading partners -destination of investment and trade, if esp for post_Eu membership 'global Britain', and whose citizens now also UK citizens donate to UK political parties - become the enemy.

Also if you are unwilling, perhaps for vaild risk of escalation reasons, not to enforce a no-fly zone or completely cut off purchase of energy resources form new enemy, you need to do something, and even ineffective sanctions better than nothing for public consumption.

Malaga-gooner who I called hypocritical accused me for not getting my facts right. He had said all Chelsea fans should be ashamed because of RA onwership. I had wrongly replied saying that Arsenal oligarch Alisher Usmanov was a board member at Arsenal between 2007 and 2018.

Apologies malaga-gooner, oh dear sill me, I should have said that he was a significant co-owner with 24% of the club's shares. Since then he has of course been involved with naming rights and sponsorhsip to do with Everton.

{Ed014's Note - perhaps you could enlarge in what way Usmanov was a significant owner?

Was it simply percentage of shares he owned as he had no say what so ever in how the club was run. Basically a dead duck.

If he had owned Arsenal outright I’d have happily seen him sanctioned in every way possible, not bleated about my clubs potential demise.

Suck it up fella.


4.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 14:08:37
Where am I bleating about my club's possible demise? My post is just about the hypocrsy of some fans of other clubs who suddenly discover a conscience about ownership or investment or sponsorship. Apologies if you are/ were vocally against dirty money investment in Arsenal either by Usmanov or more recently by the authoritarian government of very poor Rwanda.

The point is simply that I don't recall that AFC fans were ever worried by fact that the club was partly owned - and thus economically underwritten - at the time by someone who most commentators at the time knew was very close to Putin, much closer by then than Roman Abromovitch it would seem. I am not blaming them.

The fact is that most of us fans don't look very closely, or closely enough, at who is investing in their club but in what is happening on the pitch, though owners might be blamed for not incesting enough in players. Or unless there is a big splash in the press about a new investor or owner as with the Saudi PIF investment in Newcastle, or clearly with any associate - past or present - of Putin now.

As there rightly should be even if unlikely to save Ukrainian lives.

{Ed014's Note - where as Chelsea fans have never ever grown a conscience about who owned it, just blinded by the wads of cash that poured into the club financially doping it beyond reality.

They don’t even have the moral fortitude to stop chanting his name!


5.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 14:20:26
Ed I am agreeing with you! But what I am adding is that all football fans have been guilty of not growing a conscience, not just CFC ones. Do you see Newcastle fans bringing up the Kashogi murder or invasion of Yemen? None of us, or only an almost invisbly small number, have objected to the wads of cahs coming into our clubs. And perhaps we should have, or should now that the issue has been made so clear in the case of CFC.

I also agree that RA name should not have been chanted, and would not be my be, because it so stupidly insensitive at this time given that it could obviously be taken as support for obscene Russian aggression.

{Ed014's Note - of course they are, you just unfortunately have very very rich owner who is also Russian and with that comes power.

Little doubt collectively they could do something but they’re not.


6.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 14:26:43
PS I would advise any AFC fan to look up the many newspaper articles about Paul Kagame's Rwandan government - AFC shirt sponsor - if especuially the murder of political opponents. And perhaps put pressure on their club to end the sponsorship?

{Ed014's Note - no one of power or money around the world are more than likely guilty of doing wrong and every case is without doubt a worthy one for those suffering at the hands of which every particular idiot is who brings despair to their lives.

Trouble is none of them have a massive nuclear arsenal behind them.


7.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 14:44:51
Come on Ed14, Roman is not a criminal. You are acting like he is Saddam Hussein or Hitler in disguise. It's absolutely baffling how some people react to this whole situation.

{Ed014's Note - do me a favour, point out where I said he was a gangster ffs!

My point is all these Oligarchs should be hammered to the max because very very rich men have power and jointly they should get together and put pressure on the clown to stop his and only his ridiculous war.

Why they are not doing so begs a whole other question!


8.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 15:01:43
Respectfully Ed014.

What does ruining a Football Club and it's employees do for Conflict in Ukraine, Putin, etc.

It's about as effective as posting Ukrainian Flags on social media to show solidarity.

So other than a deep seated envy of Chelsea (which I understand I hate Spurs and Pool pathologically Myself for no good reason) and a need to feel good about Yourself with constant pointless virtue signalling. What point are You trying to make?

I mean no offense, You do a great job but You don't half talk some crap.

But if You can be bothered to kindly explain what all these riddles are You keep waffling on about I would be fascinated to hear.

Thank You in advance.

KTBFFH!

{Ed014's Note - I talk crap, ffs sake how thick are you, I don’t give a flying phuck about Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool or any other rival you.

I care about a lunatic threatening world peace and if that means sanctioning your owner or ours if he was an Oligarch then I’m all for it.

How simple do you want me to make it instead of bringing all this club rivalry shite into it.

I couldn’t care less that you have been financially doped by RA or that City are by their owners.

I care about what is going on in the world and this idiot pales every other poxy despot around the world into insignificance because in case you missed it he has a shit load of nuclear weapons and would seem more than happy to use them.

So to put it politely jtfo!


9.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 15:45:19
Ed014 Have you looked at the record of the Rwandan government - especially how it dsposes of political opponents - and that currently sponsors AFC shirts>

Point is that I am agreeing with you that CFC should have grown a conscience, but so should have all football fans. We collectively have seldom if ever questioned where the money has come from that is invested in their club through ownership, part-ownership via shares, or sponsorships. Surely what has happened at CFC should ensure that it's time we all did rather than pretending that it's a problem with only one club.

{Ed014's Note - Rwanda has as far back as I can remember had a hideous reputation of wrong doing and it’s piss poor that Arsenal have them on board as sponsors.

But my one simple point here is that an idiot is trying to drag us into a world war of the nuclear kind.

There are no winners to that shit so I simply say sanction the country, sanction their rich, bring them all to their knees so they back off and end this stupidity.


10.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 15:55:31
PS I agree that CFC supporters should not be chanting RA's name now as it could be seen to be seen at worst as callous support for the obscene Russian invasion of Ukraine, or at best insensitive and misplaced given current context.

{Ed014's Note - ??


11.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 16:14:14
The problem is that it won't work Ed, Putin won't listen to the oligarchs indeed to a very few abr an extremly tight inner circle. He doesn't trust even most of his security chiefs. What might help is EITHER complete ban on Russian energy use in the West, but most of Europe including the UK not ready to do this. Or far more military assistance to the Ukraine. Or to play high risk oker and get Nato planes enforcing a no-fly zone. Biden should surely not have openly taken use of US forces out of play and seemingly given Putin no cause for concern on that count.

Other actions/ sanctions should btried perhaps, but unlikely to help any time soon. And certainly not soon enough for Ukraine.

The worry is that we may be dealing with an increasingly unhinged madman with a Hitlerian tendency.

{Ed014's Note - in reality you’re probably right but it has to be tried, as painful financially as it will be for some. Even if they spoke out, powerful men saying it was wrong and it should stop, but sadly they’re not.

NATO and the US know that any military involvement will give the idiot a green light to make things worse.

It’s a lose, lose situation whilst we just sit and wait. I know the West are now talking of moving away from Russian gas and oil by 2027 so ultimately he’s killing his own country but sadly doesn’t seem to care, and for what.

No one has threatened him or Russia, people were living in relative peace, not even posturing or a single implication that the west wanted to take over the east.


12.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 17:34:30
None of this should be a surprise to anyone, Putin hasn’t just suddenly turned into a mad power crazed dictator; he always has been but Western Europe closed its eyes to it to cut defence spending and pander to woke projects like zero net carbon. Even though the signs were there Georgia 2008 and Crimea in 2014.Putin perceived weakness and took his opportunity. As for Ukraine whatever happens even if they have their country free of Russians, they will never be allowed to join NATO or the EU and are destined to remain a buffer zone.


13.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 18:02:33
If am honest ed014 I totally agree with what you are saying. And feel for our whole chelsea family. But if I was RA I don't think I would dare speak out against this mad man. I believe if he did, he would be a dead man in no time at all.

{Ed014's Note - I understand that too mate, the reality with Putin is he could literally do anything and my thoughts are maybe as a group of very rich people who must know and have spoken to him to get where they are could have more sway.

We’re kind of grasping at miracles here though as he’s hell bent no matter what and doesn’t care who is effected by this war.


14.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 19:00:29
Your not kidding asking for miracles.
Let's just hope the sanctions work for the poor ?? sake and it also stays away from our doorstep.

As it won't just be one or two football clubs we lose. Could be even more lives we lose.

{Ed014's Note - I know mate, but we have little else if these sanctions don’t start to have even more of a crippling effect on his economy!


15.) 12 Mar 2022
12 Mar 2022 20:27:28
I completely understand what ED14 is saying. however being Canadian the US is our closet neighbour. The have many many billionairs and if the US government was doing what the Russian government was doing the US government would not listen to the the rich at all if they were to try and talk. I believe if the Russian Rich were funding this unjust war against the brave Ukraine people I say sanction away. If they are not helping finically in anyway I don't see how it's legal to freeze someone's assets. wether the believe In the war or not. I must admit I do not know anything about English law so I don't want to even attempt to say it's illegal or unjust. I don't want to sound like I only care about the club because I put human lives above sport everytime. I liked RA as the owner but tbh after the English government removed his work visa he should of sold the club then. Anyway I pray for a resolution to the war and hopefully its a peaceful one. My heart and prayers goes out to all affected by this clown.