Real Madrid are at war with Spain’s referees. The president of Marseille is crying corruption. Turkey had to bring in a foreign ref to do a game. Feels like we’ve reached a watershed in football’s conspiracist tendency, and it is now genuinely dangerous. - ThreadSky

rorysmith.bsky.social • 4 days ago

Real Madrid are at war with Spain’s referees. The president of Marseille is crying corruption. Turkey had to bring in a foreign ref to do a game. Feels like we’ve reached a watershed in football’s conspiracist tendency, and it is now genuinely dangerous.

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kittenofbalnain.bsky.social•4 days ago

RMTV fueling the fire already led to refs being abused online and offline, their families threatened, their addresses leaked. It will escalate further. And the league offers its thoughts and prayers.

Pablo Longoria got a 15 match ban.
Florentino Perez gets criticised by Tebas in interviews.

tinhatjanssen.bsky.social•4 days ago

My account was made for this content

baselgooner.bsky.social•3 days ago

It's not going to be helped when the State sponsored teams are involved. These regimes are not exactly renowned for their acceptance of any criticism or failings etc... See current Saudi chief and FIA - citing NDAs, banning any disagreements and all transparency.. the clubs are their playthings

joshgalster.bsky.social•4 days ago

Always happy to see a new Rory Smith article appear!

pudsey68.bsky.social•4 days ago

Football is becoming a really loathsome game, isn't it? Or more accurately, it's full of loathsome people, including those st the top!

chrhuse.bsky.social•4 days ago

straight out of the oligarchs playbook this from Real

tmdaines.bsky.social•4 days ago

How long until this arrives on our shores?

rorysmith.bsky.social•4 days ago

There's a significant difference, to me, in *fans* thinking there is some grand conspiracy against their team and actual executives/presidents/clubs claiming they're being persecuted. The first isn't ideal, but it's probably natural enough. The second is deeply irresponsible.

rorysmith.bsky.social•4 days ago

What we've seen in Spain, France, Italy and Turkey isn't the same as Arsenal fans doubting PGMOL's honour. And it isn't the same as worrying that refereeing standards aren't great or that VAR has suffered from mission creep or that it's all a bit of a mess.

rorysmith.bsky.social•4 days ago

It's the deliberate weaponisation of that emotion to create a narrative on the flimsiest, and most self-serving, of evidence. It's the same sort of self-radicalisation that we see in what we'll call, because of NYT comment policy, "other spheres." They may even believe it now.

dunkarpamedorsa.bsky.social•4 days ago

The trumpification of football

rorysmith.bsky.social•4 days ago

But the end game is that fans - as they have in Turkey - stop believing that the league table is legitimate. People start to question whether what they're seeing is real. And at that point you have a sort of existential crisis, because if you don't believe any of it counts, why would you watch?

drumphiljordan.bsky.social•4 days ago

I feel like I watch match of the day and there’s as much analysis of the refereeing decisions as there is the actual game. Even soccer Saturday has a VAR expert now. I wonder how much this emphasis is influencing the fans attitudes

rorysmith.bsky.social•4 days ago

There’s also a very troubling trend in presenting all VAR decisions - even the ones where it gets the correct conclusion - as somehow controversial. You’re not denied a penalty by VAR. you’re denied a penalty by the rules.

markcoale.bsky.social•3 days ago

When futbol becomes wrestling

countrywol.bsky.social•1 day ago

When a ref gets stabbed, will it be too late? What happens when someone dies?

Also, this would make a great book: footballing conspiracies.

mattlorenzo24.bsky.social•4 days ago

As a couple have already commented here, this feels like the result of the saturation news cycle surrounding the game as much as anything.

The need to fill column inches, and 24/7 radio/TV, creates fertile ground for this kind of thing to flourish IMO.

theoilluminati.bsky.social•4 days ago

Man City getting away with financial fair play kind of doesn’t help the conspiratorial vibe in the air

andfy.bsky.social•4 days ago

we talk far more football than ever before. Most of say the BBC Football pages are now opinion based than facts. I saw one match report that said a penalty was given after the referee adjudged that a foul was committed. Too much opinion replacing facts and people moaning bias when they don’t agree

gdc27.bsky.social•4 days ago

I get the sense that some pundits feel the need to be controversial or to indulge in hyperbole just to remain relevant. Primarily in the hope of being asked back next week. And VAR and refs provide that opportunity.

thekidscallmehoju.bsky.social•4 days ago

Whilst fans/clubs promoting a conspiracy against them is orders of magnitude different.
But clubs promote this kind of thinking amongst their fans through manager interviews & its incredibly dangerous.
One day, something really terrible is going to happen. Then where will be?

eamxnn.bsky.social•3 days ago

Hi Rory, you couldn't have been more wrong on SC pod last night re Barca levers. Signed 3 starters for €150M. Won LaLiga that season (not third).

Gundo signed on a free, their best player last season.

People already blame them for overusing young players, they had to sign mid 20s players.

danogunshakin.bsky.social•4 days ago

After hearing you talk about this on the Totally Football Show European edition, I'm really looking forward to reading this, Rory.

jwkaumeyer.bsky.social•4 days ago

This is a great listen to add to the article :: https://bsky.app/profile/9320pod.bsky.social/post/3lioxrfgchk2l

wmrine.bsky.social•3 days ago

Great piece Rory. All through I couldn’t help thinking about the similarities to here in the US, when politicians across one of our political parties started repeating wacko conspiracy stories and claiming persecution. The result has been as ugly as I fear this is going.

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