t'premier leeg.

[Man Called Sun]

the stoke's and wigan's

Fucking hell, don't let the punctuation mafia see that.

At the risk of a lot of flack, I don't see the problem? Both are names, and I thought I'd used the correct level of punctuation if I'm honest.

So, go on then, enlighten me to the error of my ways....

Apostrophe for a plural?

[Phil LUFC]

Ok, yeah, I see it now, but fuck it, I'm no professional writer

[Ponte]

Another prem 'star'

Black man takes drugs and rapes woman

[MightyWhite]

Another prem 'star'

Black man takes drugs and rapes woman

Hasn't he been accused of similar before?

Edit: Thought so

Almost exactly 1 year ago Beeb even using same stock photo

[Blackwhite]

Anyone watching him play knew he had the touch of a rapist / hope he's not defending himself / were they performance degrading drugs etfc.

When was the last time a football player in a sexual assault case actually went to court (I know rates are low for these offences anyway, but still...)?

Anyone heard what the drug was? Presume coke but am suspecting some sort of heavy tranquiliser having watched him (return to top)

[Ponte]

When was the last time a football player in a sexual assault case actually went to court (I know rates are low for these offences anyway, but still...)?

Marlon King?

[Blackwhite]

When was the last time a football player in a sexual assault case actually went to court (I know rates are low for these offences anyway, but still...)?

Marlon King?

A good shout, think you're probably right. Would be surprised if accusatory stories:court cases is anything less than 10:1 though.

[Ponte]

When was the last time a football player in a sexual assault case actually went to court (I know rates are low for these offences anyway, but still...)?

Marlon King?

A good shout, think you're probably right. Would be surprised if accusatory stories:court cases is anything less than 10:1 though.

I would be surprised if it was anywhere near as low as 10:1 to be honest.

[Blackwhite]

Apparently (well, according to the Heil) this one may be different, as there was a witness: the guy driving the cab he assaulted her in. Whoops. Think I've changed my drug guess to "MDMA" (word to the wise Titus, try to sit on your hands or something if she's not making it obvious; might seem affectionate to you as cunted as you are, but it really probably ain't).

EDIT to add: Grab-a-granny night in Yarm.
EDIT2: aah, powder... somehow I just doubt Titus knows anyone who gets good powder MDMA so back to coke it goes...

[SimonB]

EDIT to add: Grab-a-granny night in Yarm.

To be fair they could be under 30 years old

[Man Called Sun]

Boring as it is, this story about Rio might well be up for discussion. I wasn't aware of this one at the time, I'd have expected it to cause a bit of a moral landslide if it was around the time of the Terry circus.

[Rob]

Boring as it is, this story about Rio might well be up for discussion. I wasn't aware of this one at the time, I'd have expected it to cause a bit of a moral landslide if it was around the time of the Terry circus.

And 500k costs + not allowed to appeal - hahahahahahahah

[Mustafaster]

Murdoch loses exclusivity, he must be spitting blood. If this is upheld that's his business model blown out of the water.

[eric olthwaite]

Murdoch loses exclusivity, he must be spitting blood. If this is upheld that's his business model blown out of the water.

Interesting judgement. The pub landlady who brought the case lost, but sort of changed the rules entirely. Not sure if this will turn out to be Bosman-esque or summat / nowt.

I'm inclined to think that anything which has the potential to downscale corporate revenue in football must be good in the long run.

[alienbumnote]

anyone got a link?

[eric olthwaite]

anyone got a link?

No

[Son of Leeds]

Some confusion over who won.

A pub landlady has won the latest stage of her fight to air Premier League games using a foreign TV decoder.

Karen Murphy had to pay nearly £8,000 in fines and costs for using a cheaper Greek decoder in her Portsmouth pub to bypass controls over match screening.

But she took her case to the European Court of Justice.

The ECJ now says national laws which prohibit the import, sale or use of foreign decoder cards are contrary to the freedom to provide services.
'Relief'

It said national legislation, which banned the use of overseas decoders, could not "be justified either in light of the objective of protecting intellectual property rights or by the objective of encouraging the public to attend football stadiums".

"I'm relieved, very relieved," Mrs Murphy told BBC Radio 5 live.

"It has been a rollercoaster, highs and lows, nerves... It has been a strange time and I am glad it is coming to an end."
Karen Murphy in the Red, White and Blue pub in Portsmouth Karen Murphy used the Greek firm Nova to show Premier League games

She added: "I feel I have taken on the Premier League and Sky."

Mrs Murphy said she no longer had a decoder box in her Red, White and Blue pub and would wait for the "stamp of approval" from the High Court before reinstating it.

The ECJ findings will now go to the High Court in London, which had sent the matter to the ECJ for guidance, for a final ruling.

However, it is unusual for a member state High Court to pass a different judgement from one provided by the ECJ.
'Contingency plans'

The decision could trigger a major shake-up for the Premier League and its current exclusive agreements with Sky Sports and ESPN, and pave the way to cheaper viewing of foreign broadcasts for fans of top-flight English games.

"In practical terms, the Premier League will now have to decide how it wishes to re-tender its rights," said sports media lawyer Daniel Geey of Field Fisher Waterhouse solicitors.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

On the face of it, it looks like a blow for the Premier League and... broadcasters Sky and ESPN”

David Bond BBC sport editor

"There can be little doubt it will have contingency plans ready to go and has various options available.

"Be it a pan-EU tender, selling in only certain EU member states or devising a plan to start its own channel, they will be deciding how best to maximise the value of their product to ensure any revenue shortfall is minimised."

The judges said the Premier League could not claim copyright over Premier League matches as they could not considered to be an author's own "intellectual creation" and, therefore, to be "works" for the purposes of EU copyright law.

However, the ECJ did add that while live matches were not protected by copyright, any surrounding media, such as any opening video sequence, the Premier League anthem, pre-recorded films showing highlights of recent Premier League matches and various graphics, were "works" protected by copyright.

To use any of these parts of a broadcast, a pub would need the permission of the Premier League.

It remains to be seen whether the Premier League could, in future, prevent these pub broadcasts by ensuring its logo was always on screen.
'Resilient'

"It's not a decision that the Premier League or its clubs wanted," Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey told BBC Radio WM after the ECJ ruling was made.
Wolves v Newcastle in the Premier League The way games featuring PL teams such as Wolves and Newcastle are broadcast could be set to change

"The Premier League have been aware of the situation and the possibility of the judgement going against them for some time now and have been assessing how it will sell TV rights going forward.

"Football has shown itself to be a resilient business."

He said the Premier's League's financial model had been challenged by the ECJ ruling, and any future sales would need to take the court's decision into account.
'Major blow'

"On the face of it, it looks like a blow for the Premier League and... broadcasters Sky and ESPN," said BBC sport editor David Bond.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

In practical terms, the Premier League will now have to decide how it wishes to re-tender its rights”

Daniel Geey Field Fisher Waterhouse

He said the Premier League had faced many regulatory challenges in the past and would find ways to get round the new situation.

Sky has pumped billions into top flight English football since the league was founded in 1992, with the money given to clubs allowing them to buy some of the top names in the world.

Our correspondent said that would not necessarily change, given the huge value of other deals.

The Premier League's television income from mainland Europe is about £130m, less than 10% of their total £1.4bn overseas rights deal.

Most clubs will expect to overcome the problem but with the massive debts incurred by many might there be a ripple of nervousness in some boardrooms?

[gazurtoids]

Greedy twats, the lot of 'em

I can only hope the rest of the PL tell them to get fucked, unlike the Spanish clubs.

Honestly, the concept of a league and the idea that the health of their fellow competitor is of direct relevance seems to be completely alien to these "big four" fuckwits.

[Man Called Sun]

Greedy twats, the lot of 'em

I can only hope the rest of the PL tell them to get fucked, unlike the Spanish clubs.

Honestly, the concept of a league and the idea that the health of their fellow competitor is of direct relevance seems to be completely alien to these "big four" fuckwits.

I've just been reading this. It was inevitable that they'd have a go, wasn't it?

What's most depressing is that these people don't study the effects that this approach has already had in other countries. The Spanish league is a two horse race, as a direct result of individual negotiation, which has most of the country up in arms. That's healthy for no one. If some chump like me with a passing interest knows that then surely they do?

I read summat the other day about German clubs pushing to abolish the 50+1 rule of club ownership in order to embrace the foreign billions, citing the Premiership as an example of what can be 'achieved'. Fucking morons.

[Mustafaster]

Greedy twats, the lot of 'em

I can only hope the rest of the PL tell them to get fucked, unlike the Spanish clubs.

Honestly, the concept of a league and the idea that the health of their fellow competitor is of direct relevance seems to be completely alien to these "big four" fuckwits.

I've just been reading this. It was inevitable that they'd have a go, wasn't it?

What's most depressing is that these people don't study the effects that this approach has already had in other countries. The Spanish league is a two horse race, as a direct result of individual negotiation, which has most of the country up in arms. That's healthy for no one. If some chump like me with a passing interest knows that then surely they do?

I read summat the other day about German clubs pushing to abolish the 50+1 rule of club ownership in order to embrace the foreign billions, citing the Premiership as an example of what can be 'achieved'. Fucking morons.

<la Liga is a two horse race and has been for as long as I can remember, with only Deportivo breaking the duopoly once a few years back when Lendoiro and Arsenio Iglesias managed to assemble just about the best team in Europe for a year or two when RM and Barca were rebuiding their teams.
The reason is not individual media rights though. In Barca's case it has been the result of a 20 year plan instigated by Cruyff to produce the team we see today. In RM's case it is just money thrown at players, yes a lot of the money comes from the media, but even before the massive media deals they were the richest club in the world from marketing activities and rich presidents.
<Not defending it for a minute, and I think everyone will breathe a sigh of relief when UEFA finally gets its act together (what the fuck are they waiting for?) and forms a superleague, and they can all fuck off into their inflated money bubble and leave the rest of us to enjoy competitive leagues again.