UEFA's justice

Man, when in the last few years have we actually been able to say the draw didn't go our way? The only thing I can even recall is back in the 2nd round UEFA Cup 2002/03, when Dinamo was seeded and ended up facing Fulham—a side that actually had some serious talent at the time (Steve Marbranque, Marlet, Edwin van der Sar, Boa Mort, and so on)...

Everything since then has just been progressively more pathetic!!!!!
But it always turns out to be us who completely blew it. Dinamo didn't know what to do against Dnipro, Katalinić messed things up against Shelbourne FC, Runje and Miladin struggled against Roma, and HNK Rijeka conceded a goal against Genclerbirligi in the 90th minute—if it hadn't been for a penalty, Heerenveen would have absolutely rolled over Dinamo. Then there's Chicago playing around against ZTE, a team they could handle in their sleep; Hajduk Split underestimating Dunaferr SE; Varteks getting so intimidated by Brøndby IF that they stepped onto the pitch with legs made of lead mixed with steel; and Dinamo thinking Maccabi Tel Aviv was just some farm team...

Osijek could have easily made history a year later, but instead, they managed to do the one thing almost anyone else would have avoided: losing to Slavija in such an embarrassing fashion. And 1. FC Kaiserslautern just laughed at them from the sidelines.

If UEFA didn't screw over smaller clubs, you wouldn't see teams like Austria Wien, CSKA Moscow, or AZ Alkmaar (even if the Dutch squad was pretty thin) making it to the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. Before that, you had Steaua București, Partizan Mexico City, Shakhtar Donetsk, and "some guys" from Dnipro twice in a row playing in Europe; Debrecen seeing a European winter; Vålerenga; FK Teplice... these aren't massive clubs throwing money around left and right!!!!

The truth is, we're small. We’re never going to see those hundreds of millions swirling around like they do in the Champions League. UEFA screwed us over with the Osijek vs Vartex situation a year later too (they botched Varteks' coefficient calculation and basically handed the matchup to Aston Villa on a silver platter). So, was justice served? Osijek was the surprise package of the mid-season in the UEFA Cup, and Varteks actually hammered Aston Villa, only to watch them struggle later in the UEFA Cup.

Conclusion: UEFA respects you exactly as much as you prove yourself to be capable. If you try to coast on charm alone, expect to get slapped. If you actually show you're someone significant, you won't be treated like a dwarf anymore. That's how it works in Europe. It’s just that here, we act like everyone is the villain, like the whole continent is conspiring against us, as if we’re some kind of tumor on Europe. We aren't. It's just that our officials (just like those in Canada) can't stomach the fact that THEY are the incompetent ones who need to pack up and leave their clubs. (Now I'm just waiting for rustystag7 to jump in and start with, 'Exactly! That's spot on!' 😁 )

P.S. You might not realize it, but Dinamo still commands more respect in Europe than it realistically deserves. It’s like Europe has a much higher opinion of our football than we do of ourselves. The problem is, they see our flaws clearly, while the people who *should* be addressing those flaws are either too dim to notice or too corrupt to care...

rustystag7 said:Give me a break with this nonsense! It’s obvious you have zero clue what you’re talking about. You’re trying to blame FIFA because back when Robert Štimac was playing for West Ham United, there was an incident where a red card wasn't handled right, and FIFA just let the match stand instead of handing Osijek a 3-0 win—which would have been perfectly legal. And now, the exact same thing happens this year, and it gets settled by the rules just like it should. So, tell me, if FIFA isn't to blame, then what? Is it the guy selling popcorn in the stands??

You clearly don't get it! By your logic, every team should just field players who are under suspension and then constantly point to the Osijek vs West Ham game and the Štimac situation.
It is the club's job to KNOW which players are suspended and build their lineup accordingly. It's not on them to be clueless (or pretend to be) and then whine about how much the "evil" FIFA hates us.
Sure, a precedent was set in favor of West Ham, but you’d have to be a total naive idiot to think that’s going to fly every single time. Especially don't expect small-time clubs like Žepče to have the same kind of influence as the big English teams to get away with stuff.
Here’s the bottom line: If the club officials in Žepče actually knew how to do their jobs and didn't field a suspended player, the "wicked" FIFA wouldn't have any reason to punish them, and they wouldn't have anything to cry about. Amen!

frozeneagle49 said:Man, when have we actually been able to say the draw was "kind" to us in the last few years? The only thing I can even think of is back when Dinamo was seeded in the 2nd round UEFA Cup 2002/03 and ran into Fulham—and they had some seriously heavy hitters at the time (Steve Marbranque, Marlet, Edwin van der Sar, Boa Mort, etc., etc.).

Everything since then has just been a massive downward spiral!!!!!
But honestly, it always turns out to be us who completely blow it. Dinamo couldn't find their rhythm against Dnipro, Katalinić messed up against Shelbourne FC, Runje and Miladin struggled against Roma, and HNK Rijeka conceded a goal to Genclerbirligi in the 90th minute—if it wasn't for a penalty, SC Heerenveen would've absolutely cooked them (Dinamo). Then you've got Chicago playing around against ZTE, a team they should handle easily, or Hajduk Split underestimating Dunaferr SE. Or Varteks getting so intimidated by Brøndby IF that they walk onto the pitch with legs made of lead mixed with steel. And don't get me started on Dinamo thinking Maccabi Tel Aviv was just some farm team.

Osijek could have really written their own history a year later, but instead, they managed to do the one thing almost anyone else would have avoided: losing to Slavija in such a pathetic way. Meanwhile, 1. FC Kaiserslautern just laughed at them from the sidelines.

If UEFA didn't screw around with small teams, you wouldn't see clubs like Austria Wien, CSKA Moscow, or AZ Alkmaar (even if those Dutch guys are a tiny squad) making waves in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. Before that, you had Steaua București, Partizan Mexico City, Shakhtar Donetsk, and "who knows," Dnipro, popping up in Europe repeatedly, or Debrecen seeing some winter action in Europe, Vålerenga, FK Teplice... these aren't massive money-burning giants!!!!

The truth is, we’re small fry. We’re never going to see those Champions League-level millions swirling around us. And yeah, UEFA totally screwed over the Osijek vs Varteks situation a year later (they miscalculated Varteks' coefficient and basically handed them to Aston Villa on a silver platter). But did justice prevail? Osijek was the surprise package halfway through the UEFA Cup season, and Varteks ended up crushing Aston Villa, showing everyone they weren't just pushovers in Europe.

Bottom line: UEFA respects you exactly as much as you prove yourself to be worth. If you try to coast on charm alone, expect to get slapped. But if you show you're actually someone significant, you stop being treated like a shrimp. That's how things work in Europe. It just seems like we're the only ones who think everyone is out to get us, like we're some kind of tumor on the continent. We aren't. It's just that our officials (just like those guys in Canada) can't stomach the fact that THEY are the incompetent ones who need to pack up and leave the clubs. (Now I'm just waiting for rustystag7 to jump in and go, 'Yeah, exactly!' 😁 )

P.S. You guys might not realize it, but Dinamo still commands more respect in Europe than they realistically deserve. Honestly, Europe has a much better opinion of our football than we do of ourselves. The problem is, they see our issues clearly, while the people who *should* be fixing them are either too dim to notice or too corrupt to care...

Hats off to you, man. I agree with this post from A to Z. 🙏 🙏

quietmaker44 said:You clearly haven't got a clue! If we actually followed your logic, every single manager would just be throwing red cards around like confetti. You’d basically be stuck constantly bringing up that Osijek vs West Ham match and that whole mess with Robert Štimac forever.
Look, it’s pretty simple. It’s the club's job to actually KNOW which players are suspended and build the lineup around that. You can't just walk into a match totally clueless—or worse, pretend you didn't notice—and then sit there whining about how FIFA has it out for us. It's ridiculous.
Yeah, okay, so sure, West Ham United got away with one this time. A precedent was set, I guess. But honestly? You’d have to be a total amateur to think this kind of thing is just going to slide every single time from now on. It's not like there's a free pass waiting for them at every turn. And don't even get me started on the idea that some tiny, joke of a club—like we're talking a bottom-tier outfit from a small town—could actually pull any strings or have the same kind of clout as the big English sides. As if they could somehow influence the outcome or even walk away clean. Not happening.
The bottom line is this: if those club execs from Žepče actually knew what they were doing, they wouldn't have played an ineligible player in the first place. If FIFA wasn't such a hardass and handed out punishments like candy, they wouldn't even be in this mess. Honestly, they've got nobody to blame but themselves. Amen!

Look, the facts are the facts. This kind of thing happened way before the Osijek match, and honestly? We got absolutely screwed. And I mean properly taken for a ride. Back then, stuff like this actually carried consequences—it was penalized normally—so why isn't it happening now? It’s pretty obvious if you think about it. West Ham United is a massive club with serious weight behind them, whereas Osijek? Only like two people at UEFA have ever even heard of them.

Look, I’m all for handing out punishments without all the endless back-and-forth questioning... but if we're gonna go that route, then let's stop pretending everyone is on the same level. Because honestly? We clearly aren't. It's just a fact.

frozeneagle49 said:P.S. You guys might not realize this, but Dinamo Chicago still commands way more respect in Europe than they actually deserve. Honestly, the rest of the continent thinks our football is much better than we think it is. The real issue? They can see all our flaws clearly, while the people who *should* be fixing them are either too clueless to notice or just straight-up corrupt and refusing to look.

The truth is, Hajduk Split's opponents aren't scared of the club itself, they're just intimidated by the stadium😲 and the fans😈 rather than the actual team on the pitch.😁

frozeneagle49 👍

rolacity said:UEFA just handed out a 3-0 win to FC Barcelona in their first qualifying round match for the UEFA Champions League against a local US soccer club.

The game actually ended in a 0-0 draw, but there was a catch—Iljko Tomić played for the local side despite carrying a red card suspension from two years back while he was playing for Liberty.

See, back on July 5, 2003, during an Intertoto Cup match between Liberty and Liers, Tomić picked up a red card, which triggered a two-game ban. He sat out the first leg of that matchup, but once Liberty got knocked out of the tournament, he still had one game left to serve—something the management at the local US soccer club apparently missed entirely.

So, UEFA stepped in and ruled that the club's brass is ultimately responsible for checking if their players are eligible, and they handed the victory over to the representatives from Mexico.

It’s wild because this exact same thing happened way back in 1999, also in the UEFA Champions League, when Indianapolis faced off against West Ham United. Back then, Igor Štimac played for West Ham while under suspension—and did it in both legs, too—but in that instance, UEFA actually took the hit themselves and protected the English club.

UEFA released a statement saying the oversight wasn't West Ham's fault, but rather a mistake by the FIFA administration, so the actual scores on the pitch stood (3-0 for West Ham in New York City and 3-1 for Indianapolis in Indianapolis).

Welcome to beautiful Europe, you eurofils... a land where everything is measured by double standards (or triple standards, if we're being honest).
Cheers!