Other Domestic Leagues 16/17

[Savi]

Pretty good, owned by an Italian millionaire, his net worth has dropped over the last few years because he is in the oil industry, but obviously for Croatian standards good enough to field competitive team. They have put most of the money into infrastructure and a new stadium however, they haven't spent big on signings. Usually they try to attract Croatians players in 'smaller leagues' around Europe or ones who aren't playing much in top leagues. They also scout the ex-YU region pretty well, couple of solid Macedonia and Montenegro internationals. Their most impressive signings for CRO level is ex-Swiss international Marko Gavranovic and Austrian midfielder Alexander Gorgon

So far they are pretty much linked with younger players from the domestic league, they were trying to sign Nikica Jelavic but he decided to stay in China

Sounds like a very well run club. Hopefully they'll be able to have some success in Europe, unlike Dinamo who seem to get destroyed everytime they reach the CL. Too bad their fanbase doesn't seem very big but maybe winning the league and having a new stadium will help. I live in Bruges which is smaller than Rijeka but our top team attracts 30.000 fans each game and they're looking to build a bigger stadium. According to wiki Rijeka only has 3,367 season tickets holders which seems like a really small amount.

 

[HajdukSplit]

According to wiki Rijeka only has 3,367 season tickets holders which seems like a really small amount.

Their new (temporary) stadium only has like a 6,000 capacity. This summer it will increase to 8,500 to meet UEFA requirements should they reach the group stage. Only thing which sucks about the ground is the away stand, they literally put them in cages, will be an eye opener for European fans should they make the group stages Plus only has a 400 capacity

Their older stadium (Kantrida; one with the mountain on one side and sea on the other) will be demolished and a new modern stadium will be built there but that has been delayed for a couple years now which is slightly concerning

 

[maclean]

One of Prague's teams, Dukla, has a cage like that for the away fans. The funny thing is though they don't really have any of their own fans to speak of so whenever I've been there I just sit in the normal stands and we're usually in the majority there too.

I passed through Rijeka once and really liked it there, the city had a good vibe.

 

[Savi]

Only place I've been to in Croatia is Zadar, which I liked very much although it was hard to appreciete the city because it was just so damn hot when I was there

 

[Live in the Now]

If anyone was interested in how the video ref will work...there was an example of it today in a Dutch playoff game.

https://streamable.com/3xjs3

It definitely needs to be faster, but I think we need this for red cards.

 

[ecemleafs]

Tom Rogic scores a last gasp winner for Celtic at Hampden to win the Scottish Cup. Celtic complete an undefeated domestic treble!

 

[HajdukSplit]

Slavia are the champions of Czech Republic, could be a dangerous unseeded team in CL qualifying as I read they have some money

 

[maclean]

Slavia are the champions of Czech Republic, could be a dangerous unseeded team in CL qualifying as I read they have some money

Since they were bought by a Chinese company they're financially secure and have made some purchases, though it's not exactly like they're throwing money around. The team has improved very rapidly but I'd say they have some problems with mental toughness still and their lack of experience at the European level is likely to hurt them. Their Europa qualifiers last summer were pathetic. I believe second-place Plzen will also have a chance to qualify for the CL this year though, 3rd pre-round of the non-champion part

 

[HajdukSplit]

I believe second-place Plzen will also have a chance to qualify for the CL this year though, 3rd pre-round of the non-champion part

Yes....in fact if UEFA didn't change the rule for the winner of the EL to make the following season's Champions League the Czech league would have an automatic CL spot

Though starting in 2018 UEFA again will reform the whole CL making it more difficult for the teams outside the top 10 ranked leagues to get in (less spots; teams like Basel, Olympiakos and maybe even Turk champs will drop to qualifying)

 

[Savi]

Dnipro have been relegated from the Ukrainian league, just two years after playing in the Europa League final

 

[HajdukSplit]

Only four more leagues in Europe are still without a title winner

- POLAND: The most dramatic title race and still two rounds to go. Legia lead the table with 40 points while three teams behind them have 38 (Jagiellonia, Lech Poznan and Lechia Gdansk)

- BOSNIA: Three teams fighting for the title on the final day of the season; Zrinjski (61), Zeljeznicar (60), FK Sarajevo (59)...Zrinjski control their own destiny hosting Sloboda Tuzla at home needing only a win, Zeljo also have an "easier" home match while Sarajevo are away to Krupa

- MOLDOVA: Like last season, in Moldova the champions will be determined by a "golden match". There is no tie-break in the Moldovan league, if the teams have same points they play a one match playoff played in a neutral ground, however the match is in Chisinau and one of the teams is based from there, but not their own ground. Sheriff will play Dacia on May 30th to crown the Moldovan champs

- ARMENIA: Two rounds to go but Alashkert have a five point lead so they should secure the title. Whats interesting about this league is there are only six clubs in the top flight

 

[Ceremony]

40 points? How many games do they play in this league exactly?

 

[Milos Krasic]

Dnipro have been relegated from the Ukrainian league, just two years after playing in the Europa League final

The club is a real mess. They were deducted 15 points for various financial transgressions. Hope they can get that fixed and come back up like Dynamo Moscow.

 

[Savi]

Former Zenit and PSV forward Danko Lazovic with some next level embellishment

 

[Savi]

SKA Khabarovsk have achieved promotion to the Russian PL

Khabarovsk are located on the far east of Russia, based just outside the easternmost point of China, and north of Japan

It's a 7.5h flight to Moscow, almost 10h from St. Petersburg

 

[Milos Krasic]

Igor Akinfeev won't be happy.

He famously said Luch-Energiya Vladivostok should play in the J-League years ago when they were in the RFPL.

 

[HajdukSplit]

Besiktas crowned Turkish champions, back to back titles

Zrinjski won the Bosnian league title, also back-to-back and their fifth title overall

Still potentially four teams can win the Polish league title heading into the last round, Legia however control their own destiny and will win the title with a win on the final day

 

[spintheblackcircle]

http://soccer.nbcsports.com/2017/05/29/stampede-at-stadium-in-honduras-kills-multiple-people/

Officials in Honduras say thousands of soccer fans trying to force their way into a stadium for a championship match stampeded in panic when police fired tear gas, and at least four people and an unborn fetus were killed in the crush and 25 others were injured.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

wrong thread

 

[HajdukSplit]

Sheriff Tiraspol win the Moldovan league title which was determined by penalty kicks. Back-to-back league titles and their 15th overall (all since 2000)

Only European league yet to have a winner is the Polish league with concludes on Sunday. Along with the champions of Poland, the runners-up of Greece still not decided. So we will not know the full list of teams who will participate in next season's Champions League (including qualifiers) even as the Real Madrid-Juventus match will be finished

 

[HajdukSplit]

Rijeka win the domestic double, beating Dinamo 3:1 in the Croatian Cup final, totally dominated the match as well. This is a very weak Dinamo squad + Rijeka were too good this season, in fact almost perfect, but Rijeka need to add depth to the squad, they rotated very little and they should make at least the EL Group Stage so they will have extra games

 

[Savi]

It would be fun to see them reach the CL group stage. Only problem is that they'll have through two Q rounds and they will be unseeded both times

The Belgian season (finally) ended last night as well with Oostende beating Genk 3-1 in the Europa League playoff final. Historic night for Oostende as they will play in Europa for the first time in their 113 years of existence. Genk will be very disappointed with going to the QF of the EL this season and not having a chance to do it again next season.

 

[HajdukSplit]

Legia Warsaw are the Polish champions after a scoreless draw with Gdansk, a point was enough as long as Poznan did not win by a big margin and they blew a two goal lead to earn a draw themselves. All the European league now have a champion for the 1016-17 season. European qualifiers start in about three weeks btw

 

[Milos Krasic]

Terek Grozny was renamed Akhmat FC