Aston_Villan4

Traore was a big part of it: https://www.espn.com/soccer/blog/marcottis-musings/62/post/3781639/chelseas-transfer-ban-explained-what-did-they-do-wrong-and-how-will-the-punishment-play-out Q: What exactly were they found guilty of? A: It's basically two things. Article 19 concerns the registration of minors. Chelsea are accused of having played youngsters -- most of them kids on trial -- in their youth teams without registering them. FIFA rules state that they need to have the requisite paperwork, even though the football association, which not coincidentally has also been found to be in breach, have rather more relaxed rules, which is why they are likely to join Chelsea in their appeal. One of the most high-profile examples is Bertrand Traore. He's a Burkina Faso international (he made his debut for them at just 15) who was at Auxerre but moved to London at age 15. Chelsea could not legally sign him because minors from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) can't move to clubs abroad except if it's for "non-footballing reasons" (or if the club is less than 60 miles from the border). Instead, Chelsea paid to send him to a private boarding school. He appeared in a few friendlies for the youth team as a trial and eventually signed when he turned 18. Q: And the other? A: This concerns article 18b, which relates to "third-party influence." That's the practice, which used to be legal until 2017 but no longer is, of entering into agreements with outside parties (usually agents) that influence how another club operates in employment and transfer-related matters. FIFA haven't gone into specifics on this, but such cases in the past might have involved players or their agents and family members being paid to breach their contracts. Chelsea have been charged for this in the past, notably with Gael Kakuta and John Obi Mikel. In both cases, they agreed to compensation subsequently, and the charges were dropped.

I think their issue was shady behind-closed-doors dealings with agents and playing youth players without properly registering them.

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/19433272.ajani-burchall-completes-villa-switch-leaving-cherries/ Another one for a "substantial fee." Oh and apparently we beat Arsenal for his signature.

Yeah, so we are essentially in agreement. It's always fun doing that, debating something only to realize your view points are pretty much the same.

Are you a Farley over Candy kinda guy?

Where are the mods to get this thing back on track? I want to see more Grealish to Man City fights.

I agree. I have no issue with criticizing Southgate for his chosen style of play. I myself was quite wary after the group stage and still bemoan his wasting of England's attacking potential. But there is a difference between being critical while still being able to enjoy a victory and being critical as well as complaining that the win wasn't earned the right way.

Oh boy. Well if we’re going down that road then why continue engaging in the chat? Just leave it instead of doing the whole roundabout of “well you’re just as bad as them” nonsense.

You have to admit though. It is a rather bizarre and frustrating for fans of a winning team to pout and moan about not winning the way they want. It does make said fans come across as horribly bratty.

I thought it was well known that one of the goals in this new era of Villa football was to bring in younger players at low cost and develop them so that if the need to sell came about we’d be making a very large return on the purchase?

Come on now, which one of you on here is George??

I talk to a solid group of Premier League fans online on another forum. Mostly fans of the big boy clubs but my word, the amount of vitriol yesterday rivaled that of folks on here. The key factor though is they are American so they won't have any loyalty to the national team.

Which needs to stop. Not a lot of satire in what was posted last night either. It’s truly unbearable trying to engage in debate about the match when most people are fuming irrationally.

Lol no. Not at all. It’s a competition. Winning comes first.

I guess my confusion over that comment is what does Raheem’s speed have over Grealishs ability to retain possession, win free kicks and move the ball forward? If a team is attacking wouldn’t what Grealish offers be way more beneficial?

Yeah it has to be this^ As disappointing as aspects of it can be, at the end of the day it's still a win. A dirty feeling one at that but England are playing for a Euro Final for the first time in over 50 years. That needs to be celebrated more than raging about a Grealish sub or weak penalty being given.

That seems incredibly counterintuitive. Sterling is a massive liability with possession. Grealish is exactly the kind of player you'd want on in that situation.

Barf.. Has Southgate not said why he brought Grealish off yet?

During the Pen? I was wondering why the ref went the UEFA guy on the sideline but I thought that happened prior to the pen? Edit. nvm. Just saw the picture.

I thought I saw an extra ball on the pitch. Although I couldn’t tell if it was a ball or just a bag of trash.

I agree! A dirty win but still exciting for them to be in the Finals!

Classic Sterling. Sprint into 4 defenders, losing the ball on the way through.

Nm