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The Omantel Professional League (Oman)

Recently, on the main FPL page there has been a bit of edit warring over the inclusion of the Omani League in the list of fully-pro leagues and with this source being used to prove professionalism. Now, looking at the article, there are some very good points. First of all, this source can be consider reliable and second, it does bring up some good points about the professionalism of the league:

• "the 14-club League, which will be held as per the criteria set down by the Asian Football Confederation" - To me, this quote is proof that the league is professional. Does not make it fully-pro but it can be considered professional at least if they are following the criteria set out by the continental federation.
• "Excitingly, it will also see Omani teams taking part in the Asian Champions League next march." - Well, actually their one rep is already out but regardless, this again shows professionalism as that is the only way to even get a team in the Champions League in Asia but it does not prove full-professionalism as the league barely qualified.

There are many other quotes but these two sticked out most to me. To me, this league is not fully-pro yet, it is professional but a lot more is needed before it can be considered fully-pro. --ArsenalFan700 (talk) 20:11, 15 February 2014 (UTC)

I'm inclined to say that it does confirm full professionalism. Assuming they haven't changed significantly in the six year since this was published, the AFC rules the article probably refers to are pretty comprehensive, requiring all sorts of business and infrastructure standards, including a minimum of 20 players per club signed under professional contracts. Of course, there is a possibility that rules have changed, or that the article is referring to a completely different set of rules altogether, but, at first glance anyways, it seems okay. Sir Sputnik (talk) 21:13, 15 February 2014 (UTC)

• I would support that, if they had something like a minimum wage, and one that was enough to support living off. 20 players at the club could be signed under pro contracts, but still be semi-pro. Lukeno94 (tell Luke off here) 00:08, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

• There's discussion in this newspaper in Muscat (a large city in Oman) that "On June 22, the OFA will hold a meeting on this issue. On that day, the upper and lower limits of the salaries for the players will be discussed and could even be finalised, if required." [1]. If that was actually done, then this would be useful information. Nfitz (talk) 00:28, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

• Oppose inclusion. Sir Sputnik mentions the indeed comprehensive AFC rules, but, if you have a look at 2014 AFC Champions League and its various cites, you'll see that Oman was granted a single playoff entry only, as it was assessed at only 390 out of a possible 1000 points, falling well short of the 600-point minimum required for automatic inclusion. It seems the organizers have just expanded the competition, and there were simply not enough national federations meeting the minimum. The cite mentioned by ArsenalFan700 is essentially a warmed-over press release that speaks more about the league's aspirations, rather than what it is now. --Hobbes Goodyear (talk) 01:02, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

That's not relevant though, isn't it? The claim is that the league is professional starting only with the 2013-2014 season. Qualification for the 2014 Champions League is based on the 2012–13 Omani League according to 2014_AFC_Champions_League#Allocation_of_entries_per_association. Nfitz (talk) 02:01, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

The representatives were based on that season but the number of teams and format were confirmed around November 2013... after the 2013–14 season began. --ArsenalFan700 (talk) 12:14, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

• Seems to me that 1) there's no consensus for removal, with only one editor (Hobbes Goodyear, the same who removed the league from the main page) in favour; 2) a reliable source is present to verify the claim; 3) adding extra criteria is not how PFL works. The list is for fully professional leagues, without caveats. I suggest, Hobbes Goodyear, you seek consensus before you remove the league from the list again, and not the other way round. Thanks, C679 11:10, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Actually, I also disagree about the league inclusion. Mainly due to the fact that only that source backs of the professional approach. Not much else is out there to confirm it and even though they are in the Champions League, they are only in it due to an increase in the number of teams... however, you could say the same for India which is a FPL so I guess you could say is now, what I am looking for, is confirmation of salaries and stuff like that. If that can be found then I find no reason not to include the league. Cheers. --ArsenalFan700 (talk) 11:34, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

• So basically, for some editors, being described as fully professional is not enough to be on the list of fully professional leagues. This is really something… C679 12:03, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Please don't be silly mate, I just want a bit more before adding it, the article does not say fully-pro, it says pro and for all we bloody know it could be biased. Who knows what pro is to Omani media? So you can't blame me for wanting some more information before adding the league into a list which honestly is to big already. --ArsenalFan700 (talk) 12:05, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

• I also have my issues with the source, but only that it is not explicit enough in confirming full professionalism. GiantSnowman 13:10, 18 February 2014 (UTC)
• My major issue is that I want to see some kind of "minimum wage", or at least a number for an average wage, and that needs to be compared to a "living wage" for Omanis generally, before I'm happy with this being included. Lukeno94 (tell Luke off here) 13:18, 18 February 2014 (UTC)
• It was previously recognised as non-fully professional [2] despite having a three-year sponsorship deal worth 2.3 million dollars. In September 2013 it was announced that it had turned fully pro [3] [4] [5]. I really cannot understand why editors are opposing this addition. Many of the listed countries at FPL do not even have a source confirming they are fully professional, but any attempt to add a new league with accurate sourcing is met by reactions that other things need to be done to "confirm" this. I don't think so. We have RS confirming it's fully pro. These "extra requirements" are not part of FPL at all. "Reading between the lines" is WP:OR. Whether or not a league is "fully professional" should be an objective judgement based on sources, not an inconsistent subjective approach where we demand different stringency for countries which we are not familiar with. C679 15:01, 18 February 2014 (UTC)
• Is Azerbaijan fully pro? Nothing in the reference says so. How about Bulgaria? EPFL has been rejected in support of other leagues, so let's discount that here too. The other source (in Bulgarian through Google Translate) says not "fully professional", just that there are 39 clubs with professional status. Shall we strike these two leagues until we get sources with clearer wording, or additional support from WP:RS connected to the minimum wages in these countries? I have no problem with the approach being suggested, but I do not agree with the inconsistency. Let's go through the whole list, then. C679 15:01, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Listen mate, I respect you on here on wiki but for gods sake you are acting like a child now... we just want to finally confirm that this league is fully-pro, meaning that the main core of players are full-time pros and that the league is also fully-pro. We want a few more sources confirming this and once that is done we can add it... talking about other countries, I will go through them and we will start a new section so to bring them to attention, like Colombia which you pre-maturally took down. Okay. Cool. --ArsenalFan700 (talk) 15:07, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Let's see. The source says fully pro and then "ArsenalFan on the talk page" decides that the league is "not fully pro yet". Hmmm. C679 15:10, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Where does it say fully-pro... all it says is pro and we do not even know what the hell "professional" is to Omani media. For example, in Indian hockey, the Hockey India League is considered "professional" by the media even though many of the players are still government or corporate workers after the 1-month long tournament. We just want a bit more verification, okay. Sure, we have never done this before when it comes to other leagues and that is our fault but now we are trying to be thorough when it comes to these leagues. As for the other leagues you mentioned in the past, I am currently going through every league on the list and the source and will post the ones I find dubious or non-extistant here. I think that is a massive need anyway. --ArsenalFan700 (talk) 15:23, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

"Football is the number one passion for youth in this country and by transforming this game to a fully professional set-up along with the wealth of talented players we have, I am very confident about that," Sayyid Khalid noted., same reference that you quoted in the original post at this page. C679 18:41, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

I can also find you a source from an I-League 2nd Division team or Afghan Premier League team that says the league is fully-pro when it is not. Again, that quote has come from President of the Omani Football Fed... how do I know that he is not just saying that? I need more secondary proof before making a decision. --ArsenalFan700 (talk) 03:35, 26 February 2014 (UTC)

So do we have consensus? I'd think so reading this, but then others are not recognizing this at the current AFD - Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Fahad Ba-Masilah Nfitz (talk) 03:17, 26 February 2014 (UTC)

Give it a few more days, I did not realize that Cloudz replied. --ArsenalFan700 (talk) 03:35, 26 February 2014 (UTC)

So where are we at? I think we have consensus to list. Nfitz (talk) 01:32, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Disagree that there is consensus to list. I oppose, and other editors who've posted here still seem to be looking for sourcing that is more specific or substantive. Editors who support seem in the main to be relying on a vague press release regurgitated on a couple of sites. If you feel that discussion has run its course and want closure, please request it at WP:Administrators' noticeboard/Requests for closure. --Hobbes Goodyear (talk) 02:00, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Only a vague press release? There's been a fair amount of media coverage:

- British Ambassador congratulates on the launch of the new Omantel Professional Football League

- Oman launches professional football league

- Super Cup: A giant leap for Omani football

- Oman football to enter a new phase tomorrow. Nfitz (talk) 03:00, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Leaving aside the diplomat's sycophantic pablum ("The continued investment in sport in this country demonstrates, as many commentators have already pointed out, His Majesty the Sultan's care for his people"), I quote from your sources:

Billed as the first major step towards 'professionalising' football in the Sultanate...

"This is just a beginning in our quest to completely professionalise all aspects of the game." - Sayyid Khalid

As long as everything goes well, the coming season can be an important milestone for Omani football...

OFA chairman Sayyid Khalid Al Busaidi said:..."Full professionalisation will come in time, but this is one of the first steps..."

It seems that even the league chairman does not think that the league is yet fully professional. --Hobbes Goodyear (talk) 08:59, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Ah, that is a troublesome quote. One wonders exactly what he meant by that ... was he saying that it's not yet fully professional, or that the league had more growth needed. Let's stick a pin in the discussion then, and see what transpires. Nfitz (talk) 01:48, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

New Zealand

New Zealand was added to the list of FPL without any discussion. My main issue is that one Kiwi team - Wellington12:09, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

Why would we need that? It is always and has always been the league/leagues next to the country that is proffessional. If there is one league than it is that league. Do you want to add "only" to all of the other nations with one league as well? Seems very uneccesary. QED 237 (talk) 12:33, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

Phoenix will play in the A-League and all other teams are not fully professional, so to say New Zealand is fully pro is misleading. JMHamo (talk) 11:36, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

It quite clearly says next to New Zealand that the league in question is the A-League. I'm not sure how this is misleading at all. Number 57 12:02, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

OK, fair enough. Hopefully we won't have situations were other New Zealand teams not playing in the A-League will be assumed as Fully Pro. Maybe adding "A-League only" is clearer? JMHamo (talk)

• I flat-out fail to see why we should be including either the A-League under New Zealand, or the two US leagues under Canada. To do this suggests that these leagues are run by these nations, when they clearly are not. We do not include Ligue 1 under Monaco, the English Football League/Premier League under Wales, the Italian league system under San Marino... so doing this with New Zealand and Canada, to be blunt, is ridiculous. Lukeno94 (tell Luke off here) 12:43, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

I agree with Luke here, adding "New Zealand" to the list implies there is a country FPL, when in fact one team plays their football in Australia. Maybe adding a note to Australia would be more logical? JMHamo (talk) 12:51, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

• I wouldn't be opposed to a note that says "this list is defined by the nationality of the league, not necessarily the nationality of the teams who play in the league", or something like that. Lukeno94 (tell Luke off here) 12:52, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

• What aboiut those leagues that dont have a nationality? There could be leagues in several nations I think. QED237 (talk) 13:20, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

• Are there any leagues in the list that don't have a nationality? I'm not really aware of any proper league (Europa League/Champions League et al do not count) that doesn't have a nationality. Lukeno94 (tell Luke off here) 15:06, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

• Not that I can remember right now but there could be and definately can be in the future that there are league with several nations. QED237 (talk) 15:17, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

• That's crystal ball territory then, so we can worry about that if it happens. Lukeno94 (tell Luke off here) 15:20, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

• Lukeno94 commented "I flat-out fail to see why we should be including either the A-League under New Zealand, or the two US leagues under Canada. To do this suggests that these leagues are run by these nations"

There's a simple reason. The CSA in Canada have sanctioned MLS, NASL, and the USL PDL, see the Canadian soccer pyramid. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought New Zealand Football had sanctioned (or at least not objected to) the two NZ teams in A-League. This differs from the Welsh teams in the Premier League, which have not been sanctioned, and have been fought against for years. Nfitz (talk) 01:28, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

• In the case of the MLS at least, it doesn't really fit any kind of pyramid, because there is no promotion/relegation; equally, that section of the Canadian soccer pyramid is also unsourced, and the citation used to show the CSL as being third-tier doesn't back up the assertion of it being a third-tier. So that makes it highly dubious. I also strongly doubt that New Zealand Football officially sanction the A-League, given that the foreign player cap regards New Zealand players as being foreign for the Australian clubs. Neither of these leagues should be in this list under the incorrect nationality; at most, a note about foreign clubs playing in them should be there. Lukeno94 (tell Luke off here) 18:46, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

• Surely the issue of promotion and the use of the word pyramid on a particular Wikipedia page is irrelevent to this discussion. There's no end of documents on the Canadian Soccer Association's website past and present discussing the sanctioning of the Canadian MLS and NASL clubs. And in particular the sanctioning, and impending de-sanctioning of the CSL. Nfitz (talk) 01:41, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

• When you present it as evidence for your case, then it does indeed matter. And whether they sanction it or not is still irrelevant, because it should be the primary nationality of the league that counts. The MLS is not Canadian, and there are almost as many, if not more, Welsh teams in the English Football League than there are Canadian teams in professional American leagues. Lukeno94 (tell Luke off here) 07:44, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

• I think we're kind of missing the point of the list here, namely for use conjunction with WP:NFOOTBALL. This guideline doesn't care where a league is or who sanctions it, only whether or not it is fully pro. Leagues are listed by country, not because knowing the nationality of a league is necessary for proper use of this list, but because most FPL's are also national leagues. It is simply a matter of convenience. Once we've determined that a league is fully pro, how to list the should be strictly a question of form. As such, where a league is listed should be based not on technicalities, but on rational expectations. If you could reasonably expect to find the A-League listed under New Zealand, and the fact that someone has tried to add it there shows pretty clearly that you can, then it should be listed there. Sir Sputnik (talk) 08:35, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

Latvia

Does the Latvian Higher League qualify? Tx.--Epeefleche (talk) 06:29, 27 March 2014 (UTC)

Not without reliable sources. Sir Sputnik (talk) 06:30, 27 March 2014 (UTC)

Gabon D1

Fr.wikipedia.org says that the Championnat du Gabon de football is f. professional:

Le premier championnat professionnel du Gabon débute le vendredi 19 octobre 2012 à Libreville avec 14 équipes en lice. Certains clubs ont sollicité l’appui des techniciens de niveau très relevé. C’est Raymond Ndong Sima, Premier ministre gabonais qui a donné le coup d’envoi de ce championnat. L’Union Sportive de Bitam (USB) empoche les 3 premiers points de ce championnat d’élite en battant le champion en titre, le CF Mounana par une courte victoire d’1 but à 0. Le but des Bitamois est marqué à la 39e minute par Avébé, à la suite d’un corner mal négocié par la défense adverse. Le CF Mounana, malgré de nombreuses tentatives d’incursions dans le camp de l’USB, ne parvient pas à rééquilibrer le score. Le champion en titre perd son premier match du National-Foot 2012. Le gouvernement, pour soutenir les équipes engagées dans ce premier championnat professionnel, dégage au cours de cette saison sportive une enveloppe de près de 10 milliards de francs CFA (soit 15 244 900 millions d’euros). Cela permet aux clubs de s’attacher les services des joueurs de niveau international. Le Missile FC par exemple recrute le meneur de jeu des diables Rouges du Congo, Harris Tchilimbou et l’ex capitaine d’Africa Sport d’Abidjan, Dalla Coulibaly, tandis que le FC Sapins, où évolue le capitaine des Panthères Daniel Cousin, s’attache les services de l’attaquant français Laurent Gagnier. L'Athletic Club de Bongoville, dans la province du Haut-Ogooué, pour sa part, récupére une bonne partie d’anciens internationaux, entre autres Rodrigue Moundounga, Boris Nguéma, Cédric Moubamba et Do Marcolino. Ce club ambitionne un meilleur positionnement en fin de championnat, voire de gagner la Coupe du Gabon 2013. Des coachs de niveau élevé sont appelés par les équipes. C’est le cas d’Ivica Todorov, ancien entraîneur du Congo-Brazzaville qui se trouve à la tête de Mangasport de Mounana ou de Yves Brecheteau, ex adjoint de Robert Nouzzaret à Saint-Étienne (1998-2000) à la tête du FC Sapins. L’ancien coach du Togo, Tchanilé Banna est recruté par Nguen’Asuku de Franceville.

+Source →http://www.africatopsports.com/2013/12/01/foot-gabon-top-depart-du-championnat-de-d1-le-22-decembre/ --Lglukgl (talk) 21:11, 30 March 2014 (UTC)

So, what should we do about this top league?

The above source makes reference to the league being 'championnat professionel' but I don't see any detail getting across that the league is actually fully pro? Eldumpo (talk) 21:16, 30 March 2014 (UTC)