Arena's comments about foreign born players were taken out of context and then blown up beyond all perspective. He's also walked them back on more than one occasion. It is time to give this one a rest.
USMNT Talk
- Thread starter MyBoyVilla
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Arena's comments about foreign born players were taken out of context and then blown up beyond all perspective. He's also walked them back on more than one occasion. It is time to give this one a rest.
So you don't see the irony of inviting players that aren't American citizens to the MNT camp?
Those that run as far or farther: Harrison, Iraola, Mata, Shelton (when playing a full game and not as sub), RJ.
Those that don't: Villa, Pirlo, Lampard, Brillant, Chanot, Saunders.
Dude, those were taken out of context. He even addressed it specificallly.
Fuck. I hate you making me defend Arena. I am just glad we'll now qualify.
There's no irony because it was only an issue how it was presented.
What he was meaning was that it is a problem because that means our youth dev still lags. Hell, that's how I read it from the beginning. He's saying it's a problem to rely on other dev systems. It was a criticism of American based development, not foreign born Americans.
Man, you are totally misconstruing how FIFA's WC revenue gets split. This isn't the Premier League, where something like 95% of league revenue gets distributed to the clubs as prize money and the rest goes lower down the league in various solidarity payments. FIFA has a set prize money pot for World Cups, which - from the details I've found via a brief Google search - has been at about $700m recently. By contrast, you've already quoted the amount that they earn per WC. FIFA evidently spend something like $2.5b on set-up costs alone, plus nearly $400m in TV production costs (I have no idea how something that should be paid for by the TV companies costs FIFA so much).
There's various other costs, but the long and the short of it is that every WC FIFA pockets a significant chunk of the remainder as personal profit. That's not money it plans on recycling, it's just profit for itself. The kind of money that goes to, say, paying Blatter's $3m salary (before he left, obv), or...well...stuff like this...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Passions#Box_office
So yeah. The prize money is certainly going to leap up to go with the increase in teams, so I doubt any team is going to end up getting less cash, but let's not pretend like FIFA won't be keeping most of the money for itself because it totally will.
I do admit, I know nothing about how WC revenue gets split and I really didn't do any research to try and understand it before my post, I probably didn't caveat this enough.
But the main point that I wanted to make is that for the amount of teams that would be added, there isn't a whole ton of additional revenue (and that is top-line, I know they expect a somewhat decent rise in operating costs as well).
ETA: I did assume that each individual federation received a certain amount of revenue from TV dollars or whatever (again, have not fact-checked this at all). I would be under the assumption that that money would decrease per federation.
Not a lot of ad revenue, relatively speaking, for adding spots for third world joker federations who regularly fix matches and elections.
But lots of votes in it.
Send Loretta!
Yes, this is entirely correct, and has been clear and in public for months, but why bother paying attention to something exonerating when all it does is remove a person's right to criticize and complain.
Are you reading what I'm criticizing, or just throwing jabs to look erudite and tough?
There is zero reason that non-American players should be brought into an American team training camp. Zero. Frei is not American. He can't play for the team. He has no reason to be there.
Feel free to again fire back without tagging me.
Dude, I don't think Gotham was specifically talking about you. This is a generic criticism that is also outside this board.
Additionally, I'm pretty sure Frei is an American citizen. He does not occupy an international spot on Seattle's roster and has not been capped by the Swiss National Team. So I'm pretty sure he's fine to be there from that perspective.
While Frei has a green card, he is a Swiss citizen. Until he's an American Citizen, or in position to make a 1-time switch, he has no reason to be in camp.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Frei
and I didn't take it as generic criticism because he made the same argument at the top of the page to me and then later rehashed it with a generic snide comment about paying attention removes a person's right to criticize/complain.
Neither Frei nor Manneh are citizens yet but are in the process and could be eligible within a reasonable time if all goes well which is why they are in camp:
According to US Soccer
- Manneh (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) and Frei (Seattle Sounders FC) are both in the process of completing their eligibility requirements to represent the United States. While that process is ongoing, they are clear to participate in the training camp.
If all you are saying is that we shouldn't waste time inviting non-citizens to camp, then my comment was not directed at you.
However, I (and Midas) thought your use of the word "irony" could be intended to refer to Arena - in particular that he of all people shouldn't be inviting non-citizens because of his supposed statements that foreign-born players shouldn't play for the USMNT. My point is that he didn't say that, and yet the image persists because people enjoy bringing it up.
Again, if that's not what you were getting at, then please don't take offense (there are others on here and elsewhere who have said as much, however, and to you guys, my criticism still stands).
Apology accepted.
The use of "irony" was because there had been a characterization/flap of him saying what he was construed to say, whether in context or out of, only to be followed months later by inviting players that don't even achieve what he was maligned for (foreign-born Americans), but not even being American citizens. I just wish he'd have waited to call in these guys until after they became eligible to represent the stars and stripes..... because until then, it's just proverbial masturbation including them in practice.
Frankly, Arena capped one of the best naturalized-American Defenders ever in Llamosa, and that was a genius move.
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I saw on Twitter that manneh just got his citizenship... But will not be able to play until he's 23 in December.
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