Part of the job I do here is to combat disinformation in the media, and to call outright bollocks exactly what it is, and tonight there is a sterling example of it doing the rounds on the websites of not only the mainstream press but the clickbait blogs.
The story suggests that Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out Celtic, Liverpool and other clubs being crowned title winners if the leagues are unable to complete their schedules before the UEFA deadline expires.
I understand that it suits some people to push this dishonest narrative, and that it makes others feel good to believe it, but let’s get real.
Cerefin was responding to reports that UEFA had told leagues that they would have to take that action in the event games were not completed; Cerefin was shooting down the rumour, not taking a policy stance.
Calling those reports “fake news” he went on to say, “I can say that it’s not true. Our goal is to finish the leagues and we didn’t recommend anything like that to any association or any league.”
But nowhere in that statement did he indicate that UEFA would not allow such an outcome, merely that UEFA made no specific recommendation.
Those who are trying to find meaning in those words are welcome to do so as they see fit, but it is dishonest to manufacture comments which never were or to draw such an inference from those which were made. This is mischief making, pure and simple.
I’ll tell you right now, if leagues decide to award titles and places on an as-is basis, UEFA will be behind that. It protects their competitions. What UEFA is going to have a serious problem with are those who want to declare seasons null and void, because that will plunge their tournaments into chaos.
They will be facing a CAS backlog lasting years and open themselves up to compensation claims in the hundreds of millions from clubs denied their prizes.
UEFA’s concern is that the games should be played where possible; do not expect UEFA to set out a policy until it becomes clear that either the matches will take place or that they will not. Whilst there is the remotest possibility of seasons being completed, that will be UEFA’s preferred option and they will not say or do anything to make that harder to accomplish.
Ignore the nonsense here … this is up there with Beale asking for the league to set aside a bunch of games but keep the rest, with Rae’s stupid horse racing metaphor, with Sevco’s “80 minute league table” pish from last season.
Contemptible rubbish, all of it.