El fútbol europeo debe 6300 millones.

No sorprende encontrar sitios deportivos que no descansan en bienadjetivar el devenir de la Premier League o, en menor medida, el de la Liga española. 

No es para menos. Las presentaciones mediáticas, los distinguidos estadios, notables céspedes, admiradas indumentarias, correctísimo (y sentado) público, deslumbrantes técnicas, brillantes nombres y desiguales partidos estimulan, diría Baudrillard, la química de la seducción aumentada por el contraste.

En la misma tónica y dentro de un marco regenerativo, la UEFA acaba de dar a publicación el informe We Care About Football, un reporte financiero del año 2008 de 80 páginas que recorre la situación financiera de los más de 1300 clubes (53 federaciones) de las ligas europeas, bajo el lema juego financiero limpio, con intenciones de que los clubes bien administrados no sucumban ante los gigantes.

De los € 6300 millones de deuda total el 56% corresponde a la Premier League (€ 4000 millones), el 14% a la Liga española (€ 1000) y el 7% al Calcio (€ 500). Se distingue ostensiblemente una diferencia en el Calcio, donde los estadios son de propiedad comunal (municipales), con Inglaterra y España, donde los estadios, propiedad de los clubes, funcionan como garantía bancaria de préstamos.

Los datos de la temporada 2007-2008 muestran que sufrió pérdidas el 54% de los 732 clubes de las máximas divisiones europeas y los actuales aumentos salariales por sobre los ingresos no muestran buenas perspectivas.

Los gastos de los clubes sumaron €12.100 millones. El 60% lo componen salarios (incrementados 18% respecto a la temporada anterior). Y los ingresos sumaron € 11.500 millones. La pérdida (€ 600 millones) fue atenuada por el 10,6% de incremento anual de los nuevos contratos televisivos de Inglaterra e Italia.

La desigualdad y el desequilibrio es más que notable: las cinco ligas principales (Alemania, Inglaterra, España, Italia y Francia), únicas con más de 20.000 espectadores de media por partido, acaparan el 88% de los € 4.100 millones de los ingresos televisivos, la suma total de los 10 clubes que más gastaron duplica el de los 10 siguientes: € 1.820 millones sobre 950 y la mitad de los campeones de Liga (07-08) fueron los clubes económicamente más potentes de cada país. 

Sin embargo, otro dato del estudio refleja la otra cara de la moneda: entre Inglaterra y España se gastaron € 385 millones en fichajes y paralelamente, los clubes franceses y holandeses lograron unos ingresos netos por traspasos de € 185 millones.

Lo estamos viendo por televisión. Pero todos estos datos, que no significan necesariamente acción deliberada contra la tendencia, sugieren acaso una erosión al optimismo argentino en cuanto a la esperanza de que los nuevos fondos devengados de la televisación vinieron a mejorar la calidad institucional y deportiva de nuestro fútbol.

FUTTV: el mundial por celular.

Matrimonios empresariales, terminales vistosas (con tendencia mini) y sistemas operativos en desarrollo se vieron en el Mobile World Congress 2010 realizado en Barcelona por estos días.

No demasiadas novedades en lo que respecta a la princesa, Google, que sigue trabajando en la fase de traducción; nuevos HTC - sin descuidar su relación con Microsoft -, la versión mini de Sony Ericsson, cosas de Motorola, el Windows Phone 7 Series, Nokia y su Meego (sistema operativo hecho junto a Intel), Samsung y su sistema bada, fueron convocantes.

No lo fue tanto el Avvio 505 con su sistema FUTTV, resultado del matrimonio empresarial Telegem Systems + Brighstar, de baja gama y que va dirigido a un público diferente. Porque la particularidad de este celular es un receptor analógico (Telegent) que permitirá a los consumidores asistir a todos los partidos de la Copa del Mundo en cualquier lugar y a toda hora.

“El Avvio 505, fue diseñado para ser un teléfono que atraiga a los amantes del deporte en los continentes latino- americano y africano - dicen los ideólogos de Brighstar -  la combinación de voz e imágenes en directo en un aparato de bajo costo es muy atrayente para quien quiera seguir los juegos en tiempo real, sea en el trabajo o mientras se mueve a algún otro lugar.”

En 10 x 4 cms, voz, SMS, radio FM, pantalla de 5,8 cm, 240 minutos de conversación continua sin recarga de batería, un solo botón para conectar a TV en tiempo real y los colores de carcasa de los países participantes en Sudáfrica 2010.

Será vendido a través de operadoras y minoristas en América Latina y África antes de la Copa del Mundo.

Headquarter Uproars

Rumblings on the 5th Floor of HQ:

• Patrol was a buzz today with stories of in fighting from the Supt's office. It seems that IAD personnel are none to happy about Masters giving an audience to a disgruntled IAD employee and then looking to IAD for answers to her complaints. Even though everybody if asked before hand would of told him not to take the meeting because she is crazy and disgruntled. But Masters have proved consistently that he is smarter than everyone and so the bad advice keeps coming. So with this latest scenerio, IAD as a whole is now disgruntled.
  
  So with this news, comes this tidbit - the Supt asked IAD to run a legit investigation on Wedster. So IAD complies and is seeking to seperate. Masters finds out at tells IAD to change their recommendation. IAD explains that the Supt doesn't have to agree but Masters insist because he doesn't want the Supt to be the bad guy. Only at CPD!!

Well, we're sure Masters doesn't want Brust being dragged through the meat grinder either - after all, he accepted the concert tickets. So much for "Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity." All oaths go out the window in Chicago it seems.

And then there's this:

• looks like Blinky tried to dump a certain Lt who she thinks is the leak. Blinky was told to drop it he's retiring soon.

We're assuming this is the boss quoted about Sgt. Haymaker's car being ready "to be put out to pasture." And "Blinky" is the other nickname for Aunt "the bartender" Bea. How very like the top brass to attempt to attack the leak rather than the actual problem. Of course, that's exactly what J-Fed did when he attempted to use the FBI Disciplinary process to fire Agent Robert Wright - remember this?

• A Chicago FBI agent who has complained to the media and Congress that the bureau bungled terrorism investigations had been targeted for firing by supervisors who vowed to "take him out," according to a memo written by a former high-ranking official in the FBI's disciplinary office.
  
  The FBI opened an internal investigation against Agent Robert G. Wright Jr. in 2003 just days after his appearance at a news conference and on a national television news program, according to the memo obtained by the Tribune.
  
  The top two agents in the FBI's disciplinary office at the time, Robert J. Jordan and J.P. "Jody" Weis, ordered an investigation into Wright for insubordination and had already made up their minds to have him fired, according to the memo.

And we get our own warnings via e-mail and unpublished comments:

• ...word is the SOUP is super pissed at the blog and swearing revenge. He doesn't like the blame being placed on the crappy pool vehicles and icy unsalted streets. Look out...

We're pretty sure that J-Fed has enough on his plate without conducting investigations regarding a blog he has called "insignificant" on a number of occasions. We mean, there's no possible way he would ever let an unauthorized and illegal First Amendment investigation into protected speech occur on his watch by an overzealous lieutenant in the Internal Affairs Division in the face of Consent Decrees, judicial findings and outright bans of "Red Squad" type activities. That would be ridiculous.

Wouldn't it Barb?

Densey Cole Honeymoon

How about it readers? We're sure we can get Densey and Mary a few hundred votes:

• scc, Im sure your familiar with officer densey coles story. when he woke up from his coma he and his fiance were married in the hospital. They have been going through some tough times since then with mounting medical bills. They once dreamed of a proper wedding and a dream honeymoon. Due to the bills they cant afford it. They have registered at crate and barrel in the "ultimate wedding contest." If they get the most amount of votes, they will get the dream honeymoon that they had been planning for. If possible, can you post a thread supporting densey and his new wife. I really think that If he and his wife can win this it would really lift his spirits. After all he has been through I really think this would be an awesome thing to help him out with. Hopefully you can be a big part of this contest in getting them to the finish line.

Voting takes place at this link here.

Bipolar Media Coverage

They don't know which way to turn.

• Fox-32: FOX Chicago News has learned Streets and Sanitation workers were ordered to stop salting Lake Shore Drive around 4 a.m. Monday, about an hour before the fatal accident that killed Chicago Police Sgt. Alan Haymaker. Haymaker was driving southbound on Lake Shore Drive, exiting at Irving Park Road, when his vehicle went off the ramp and into a tree.
  
  
• Channel 7: Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis says it's time to stop placing blame for the crash that killed Sergeant Alan Haymaker. Since Monday, accusations have flown about what caused the one-car crash. Sgt. Haymaker was on his way to a burglary-in-progress call when he lost control of his squad car and crashed on Lake Shore Drive near Irving Park early Monday morning.
  
  
• Channel 5: Supt. Jody Weis on Wednesday denied allegations that a poorly repaired squad car played a role in the one-car crash Monday morning that took the life of a police sergeant. "The car was recently serviced. It had 1,000 miles on it since the service and there were no indicators that there were any complaints about that particular vehicle, so based upon what I know at this time, I would have to say that the vehicle was functioning properly," Weis said.
  
  
• Channel 2: Weis also responded angrily to persistent questions about the safety of the squad car involved in the crash. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot talked with police sources who have similar concerns about vehicles used by officers. While Weis calls one post about retreaded tires being used on squad cars, "an outrageous claim", police sources we spoke to off camera said retreaded tires ARE used on police cars; and the older fleet, known as pool cars, are not maintained on a regular basis.

They know there's a story here, a big one, but they aren't sure where to approach it from.

• They have off-camera quotes from a CPD boss that the car was in no condition to be on the street.
  
• They have at least two Streets and San drivers on deep background saying the order to stop salting came from very high up.
  
• They have photographic evidence from a couple of local blogs that show Sgt. Haymaker's car went in a straight line off of LSD and hit a tree meaning this part of the Drive was probably a sheet of ice in the early morning hours.
  
• They have a wounded political Machine run by a weakened mayor who everyone knows (knows!!!) has been not salting major arterial streets because of his precious planter boxes.

Our biggest worry here is a Three Stooges scenario where all this information tries to get through the door and in the end, nothing gets accomplished. We have a feeling that this scenario is someone else's biggest hope.

Task Force Applications

You didn't really believe that stuff, did you?

• OT...rumor has it that there is a new PO assigned to a Federal Task Force out of the DOC working with Immigration Customs Enforcement. Wow I didn't even see the announcement. Way to stay legit.

Anyone see the announcement for the spot? Or is this one of those, "we had the application on file previously, so this isn't really an example of us circumventing the process" deals? If someone can dig up the notice, we'll retract the criticisms.

E&RPS Unsecure

Imagine a building filled with many hundreds of weapons and millions in illegal narcotics, much of it evidence in countless trials yet to be held.

• How about a building that has millions of dollars in narcotics, hundreds of guns and can't even lock but it does Have ONE officer to keep secure and who can't leave the desk because the phone has to be answered, check erps and forensic services front door. We have asked to have the front door lock fixed for YEARS we are told "parts on order". Now how safe is that?

  2/24/2010 01:47:00 AM

And this is just a doorway. Just like all those doorways they blamed city-wide when the juvenile police impersonator had his ride-along adventure.

Does anyone really think the vehicle fleet is maintained any better?