European Super League

[marsh]

Surely not

 

[Seathestars]

Will be a disaster I think. I can't imagine most, and I say 'most' fans of those clubs wanting it.
Even if it does come off, 'f''k em, football will still go on with or without them.

 

[atrottel]

There was a rather sad comment in the Spiegel piece from the guy behind FootballLeaks, where he said something like "they have forgotten the fans".

It's sad precisely because they haven't forgotten the fans at all, they are just thinking of different fans. It doesn't matter two hoots to Fenway Sports Group or the little pig trough in charge of Bayern if they are playing each week in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Beijing rather than Anfield or the Olympiastadion, just that the guaranteed money keeps rolling in. That's why they bought or took control of the clubs in the first place.

Sure, if they could, they would probably have a RS 'B' team playing in the Premier League - it's even more money to stuff into the coffers - I just hope (although I would have severe doubts) that the PL and FA would tell them to do one and ban each and every official and player who takes part for life from the 'official game'.

 

[brieverton]

I'm hugely concerned at how far behind we are, but I'm not worried at all about this.

In pure football terms it only stands to benefit 4 or 5 clubs at the most, and it just creates an elite within an elite so the majority will see through it.

It's flawed from almost every viewpoint and is probably no more than just another lever those clubs can use to ensure they can manipulate UEFA and corporate sponsors even more in their favour.

 

[havrey0123]

The Premier League would lose all its funding, interest, viewing figures and sponsors.

Where would that really leave us? Facing bankruptcy?

Do you think Chelsea and Liverpool fans would enjoy being the whipping boys of the league?

Your forgetting all of the billionaire owners would leave aswell
But this was always on the cards over the last 15 years the quality of football is better in the cl then the world cup.
Also the friendlies in the ICC pre season shows there's a massive fan base for this type of European league all over the world.
Having the likes of united v Barca on a weekend would be massive.

The pl would be renamed and lose most of its oversees revenue.

 

[daza_1973]

Beginning of the end...
Money eventually ruins everything.

 

[TheBigIguana]

There was a rather sad comment in the Spiegel piece from the guy behind FootballLeaks, where he said something like "they have forgotten the fans".

It's sad precisely because they haven't forgotten the fans at all, they are just thinking of different fans. It doesn't matter two hoots to Fenway Sports Group or the little pig trough in charge of Bayern if they are playing each week in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Beijing rather than Anfield or the Olympiastadion, just that the guaranteed money keeps rolling in. That's why they bought or took control of the clubs in the first place.

Sure, if they could, they would probably have a RS 'B' team playing in the Premier League - it's even more money to stuff into the coffers - I just hope (although I would have severe doubts) that the PL and FA would tell them to do one and ban each and every official and player who takes part for life from the 'official game'.

As one of those foreign fans that they target I'll offer a bit of reasoning while it still isn't a good plan. Of the people I know who watch football, only myself and a couple of my close friends watch a majority of our club's games. The rest only tune in for really big occasions. For example my Arsenal fan friends typically turn up for game like this weekend and not games such as Leicester or Cardiff. The thing with a super league is that every game becomes a "big" game meaning after a few years none of them are big games. So these foreign supporters who are in to the CL because of the big games don't last as fans long term of a super league when the shine starts to wear off.

Not to mention a lot of the fans of these teams watch them because they're successful. United have the support they do internationally because of what they win. Only a few teams have managed to sustain support without much success. A Super League can only have one winner and some of these teams will be losing 20 times a season. For fans who followed these teams, consciously or not, because they win a lot the end of that success will push them away. This just isn't good for fans even those who are only connected through telecommunications. The winners are almost exclusively the people making money.

 

[ToffeeDan]

I think this will turn out to just be another scheme to leverage more money and guarantees of CL football for the so-called elite. UEFA have already made CL football a near certainty for a lot of clubs by handing them a golden hello payment and reinforcing the qualification criteria for the top leagues. No doubt two of the PL six are panicking at the thought of missing out on CL next season.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

It won't happen because these clubs need 'cannon fodder' to make themselves appear all conquering. I mean the majority of those clubs have won bugger all in Europe for years and years, so rely solely on their domestic results to have any kind of status in the game. Would Juve fans trade winning domestic trophies for being pack fodder in a European Super League?

No, the end game for these people is to keep things very much as they are but to harvest an even bigger share of the pie for themselves.

 

[tommytowne]

Aside from City and PSG bribing Infantino, this is actually disgusting. If true they should be kicked out of their respective leagues and left to it. Cant imagine fans of any of those teams being happy about this, but I suppose it lines the owners pockets.

Room will be made for Spurs.
Got a big stadium to fill and it's in London.
Nailed on.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I for one can't wait for the "super league" to happen. I just hope Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal join it too. Sure it'll be epic for them at first. Why wouldn't the idea of playing Real Madrid, Barca or Juventus on a Sat and regular games against other top European sides sound very attractive? I can just imagine the unbearable smugness of RS fans when they have a particularly good game coming up and we're away at say Aston Villa. What to know when the appeal will fade? When they start getting hammered every week and finish bottom constantly, along with the mind blowing cost. The big match feel will quickly evaporate leaving them as an also-ran cash cow. That's were interest will fade. You see, the glory hunters who support these sides will lose interest once they realise that there's hardly any real rivalries other then manufactured ones that'll fall flat very quickly. It'll hit them that the only reason they pretend to support "big clubs" is so they can crow over their friends who support other "lesser" sides, but if they're not competing in the same league, what the point? They can't even get relegated so there's absolutely no consequences either. It's just an endless existence of nothing significant ever happening other then making money.

Meanwhile after the bottom falls out of the domestic game initially things will get better real fast for those of us deemed unworthy of the "super league". Ticket prices will go down, we'll see more local lads get games regularly and the game will have to be far more fan friendly. Teams will actually have a chance to win trophies and not be stuck in the endless monopoly we currently have. That Everton Vs Aston Villa game that sounded insignificant before? What about when we're both competing for the "first division" (or whatever they call the new league) along with three or four other sides also in the mix?

Within ten years of this European/world "Super League" most sides will be begging to be let back into their own domestic leagues and be in genuine fear of collapse.

This

 

[daza_1973]

Room will be made for Spurs.
Got a big stadium to fill and it's in London.
Nailed on.

So have West Ham....

 

[marmor]

Not sure why they want it need more money as they will continue to line the players pockets anyway.
Until a (realistic) salary cap is introduced I don’t see the point.

I also think that the clubs involved need to have a moral and social responsibility to the country they are based. There is no doubt any interest and money thrown at the premier league is down to the bigger clubs bringing larger tv audiences and revenues. If they take their business elsewhere and the money falls out their respective leagues, clubs could fold, communities will be angry and the resentment towards these breakaway teams will hit hard.
For example, if Everton had to fold, I can’t see Anfield standing for much longer. It would be burned down within weeks. There would be fights and riots between everton and Liverpool fans and total unrest within the city. It could bring the whole place backwards 40 years. IMO

 

[daza_1973]

Not sure why they want it need more money as they will continue to line the players pockets anyway.
Until a (realistic) salary cap is introduced I don’t see the point.

I also think that the clubs involved need to have a moral and social responsibility to the country they are based. There is no doubt any interest and money thrown at the premier league is down to the bigger clubs bringing larger tv audiences and revenues. If they take their business elsewhere and the money falls out their respective leagues, clubs could fold, communities will be angry and the resentment towards these breakaway teams will hit hard.
For example, if Everton had to fold, I can’t see Anfield standing for much longer. It would be burned down within weeks. There would be fights and riots between everton and Liverpool fans and total unrest within the city. It could bring the whole place backwards 40 years. IMO

Well that's the end of that debate.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

It won't happen because these clubs need 'cannon fodder' to make themselves appear all conquering. I mean the majority of those clubs have won bugger all in Europe for years and years, so rely solely on their domestic results to have any kind of status in the game. Would Juve fans trade winning domestic trophies for being pack fodder in a European Super League?

No, the end game for these people is to keep things very much as they are but to harvest an even bigger share of the pie for themselves.

Ultimately what the Juve fans want doesn't matter

ALL that matters is how much money the club's can make

You think Man United will care if they're playing Roma in a half full Old Trafford? They'll get paid the same by the TV company regardless, and sadly the TV companies are the king makers these daysissue

It would only become an issue if people at home got bored and stopped watching, which could probably happen

I ultimately think Everton could be okay if we cut our cloth accordingly. You could argue lack of "prestige" to our league if the other teams sodded off, but I also think it would be good to see the game get back to what it used to be. Part of me also thinks that the Super League will fail and those teams will eventually come back cap in hand, at which point we make em squirm