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A term used by rival fans to describe Manchester City in the wake of the guilty verdict of financial doping in 114 of 115 charges between 2009-2018. The term ‘sham contract’ was used in the verdict, a legal description from the 1960s. In this case, Manchester City are deemed to have used sham contracts to pump money into the club disguised as sponsorship deals, hugely inflating revenue to circumvent FFP rules. It meant they could throw money at the best players and the best manager of his generation (Pep Guardiola), winning countless titles, as a result. The punishment is yet to be dished out, but could be anything from titles stripped to expulsion from the Premier League.
The day the verdict was confirmed by the Premier League, reporter Rob Harris approached Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano at the European Football Clubs board meeting. Amongst other things he asked Soriano if he would apologise to fans, and if this meant that City were not a sham club Sham FC was born as a nickname.
The international break is the time when club football around the world pauses and players are handed over to their respective international coaches for a period of two to three weeks at a time. Four times a year, countries play qualifying matches for confederation tournaments and the World Cup, alongside the Nations League and friendly matches. During international tournaments like the World Cup, Copa America, Euros and African Cup of Nations, players are with their countries for up to 6 weeks at a time. The international break is fantastic for national coaches and fans who love watching their country. For club managers, owners, and fans, it can be a long wait to see if players come back to the club game fit or injured.
This new International break at the start of the 26/27 season is so long! Most countries are playing 4 matches over 3 weeks, which is almost as long as the World Cup. I guess it’s now only two international breaks instead of three before Christmas though.
The Nations League was brought in by UEFA in 2018 to replace friendly fixtures during international breaks and fills the gap between a summer tournament ending and the following qualifiers beginning. Unlike traditional qualifying where countries play against teams ranked in different coefficient pots, the Nations League is designed for countries at a similar standard to play against each other. There are four leagues (A, B. C, D), each with 16 teams divided into four groups (apart from League D which has six teams split into two groups of three). There is promotion and relegation between the leagues, with the League A winners and runners-up advancing into the quarter-finals for the chance to win the Nations League trophy after three rounds. Performance in the Nations League can benefit countries in qualifying for the World Cup and Euros, a second chance. CONCACAF also has a Nations League and AFC plan to start a Nations League in 2028.
The Nations League might be seen as a little halfway house, not quite a full competitive match but more than a friendly but it’s helped lower-ranked nations to build confidence over time. The extra qualifying spot has led to countries like Georgia and North Macedonia qualifying for European Championships through the playoffs designated to the lower ranked Nations League placings.
The Europa League is the 2nd competition in European football, organised by UEFA. Originally called the UEFA Cup from 1971 until 2009 when it was rebranded as the Europa League, team below the Champions League places in European domestic leagues qualify. Games are played on Thursday nights, and often feature teams on the up that are not quite ready for the Champions League or big teams who haven't quite made the grade in the previous season. The winners of the Europa League qualify for the following season's Champions League and also the European Super Cup which is the pre-season showcase against the previous season's Champions League winners.
Unai Emery is the master of the Europa League. He's won the trophy five times during spells as manager of Sevilla, Villarreal, and Aston Villa.
A legendary phrase forever associated with Brazil and the Brazilian footballing life. Joga Bonito is Portuguese for ‘Play Beautifully’. There is a focus not only on winning, but winning with style, scoring outrageous goals and taking the street football skills of the Favela and the beach football style to the international stage. It’s about beauty, style, and individual brilliance, only passing to another player in a good position, not just keeping the ball for the sake of it.
The beautiful game as most of us know it was brought to life and full colour by the great Brazilian national teams from the Pele era in the late 1950s to the 1970s through to Zico and Socrates in the 1980s, and onto Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaka in the 1990s and 2000s. It's why there is a famous global chant "it's just like watching Brazil" when any team plays nice football.