The future of football in Europe

mrb85 · July 22, 2014

Looking at how RM and others are hoovering up all the truly top class talent more than ever before it is becoming clearer every day that the future of European football is going to be a breakaway league. To keep it competitive each club in it is going to have to have massive financial funding. This would limit inclusion to only around 12 clubs. One could imagine a set up in which the participants play each other home and away with a third fixture being played on neutral territory outside Europe, since this will maintain and strengthen the status of the participant clubs as global brands.

An awful prospect, but what is going to stop it happening?

PITA · July 22, 2014

It might happen but it will be delayed until Liberpool are 'big' enough to join the party.

Mikey_Fitzgerald · July 22, 2014

It'll be PES Master League basically

The Cowboy · July 22, 2014

The concept of a European Super League has been mooted since I was a kid. The CL has been around for 20+ years and there's been no real sign of a breakaway league.

In order to make it happen, clubs would need to leave their domestic league. I just can't envisage any of the domestic FA's allowing their biggest clubs to walk away.

Billy Dean · July 22, 2014

The Cowboy said:
The concept of a European Super League has been mooted since I was a kid. The CL has been around for 20+ years and there's been no real sign of a breakaway league.

In order to make it happen, clubs would need to leave their domestic league. I just can't envisage any of the domestic FA's allowing their biggest clubs to walk away.

Would they have a choice though if a club decided to break away?

Yid4life · July 22, 2014

I hope that if there is ever a break-away European league Spurs are not in it.

No interest.

mythbuster · July 22, 2014

The novelty would wear off pretty quick, imo. There'd be hardly any real rivalries and a lot of fans would tire of globe trotting for 18 games a season. How would fans of say Inter handle finishing second to bottom in a super league?

RaleighBlue · July 22, 2014

mythbuster said:
The novelty would wear off pretty quick, imo. There'd be hardly any real rivalries and a lot of fans would tire of globe trotting for 18 games a season. How would fans of say Inter handle finishing second to bottom in a super league?

Yeah, and eventually it would still stratify and there would be a few teams fighting for the league and everyone else would be stuck midtable. No CL, they'd probably get kicked out of their domestic cups.

Just don't see it as really feasible. And if it did happen, I think it would end up hurting the super league teams as much or more than teams that didn't make the jump.

Let's be fair - Real don't need to be in a super league to make their money, nor do Bayern, Utd, or Barca. And those 4 would be the sorts that could be reasonably expected to succeed. The more fringe teams - like Inter, Dortmund, etc. would end up fighting at the bottom of the table and would probably lose money in the end.

mythbuster · July 22, 2014

RaleighBlue said:
Yeah, and eventually it would still stratify and there would be a few teams fighting for the league and everyone else would be stuck midtable. No CL, they'd probably get kicked out of their domestic cups.

Just don't see it as really feasible. And if it did happen, I think it would end up hurting the super league teams as much or more than teams that didn't make the jump.

Let's be fair - Real don't need to be in a super league to make their money, nor do Bayern, Utd, or Barca. And those 4 would be the sorts that could be reasonably expected to succeed. The more fringe teams - like Inter, Dortmund, etc. would end up fighting at the bottom of the table and would probably lose money in the end.

Yep, my point exactly. I think attendances would suffer and fans of massive clubs who expect to challenge for honours would become disillusioned at being reduced to also rans.

jaycee · July 22, 2014

Not bothered if it did ,I doubt the clubs would be concerned about attendances as cost would be covered by TV money
as for the fans would you ike to travel round Europe every week especially if your team is bottom of a league you can't
get relegated from?Playing in a cup competition where theres the same 16 teams every year let them go on the proviso they wont be allowed
back into their respective FAs

The Cowboy · July 22, 2014

To win the CL, you have to play 13 games (more if you have to qualify). They could potentially remodel the format to eliminate more of the smaller clubs earlier on, and have a 10 team league with a final between the top two (if they must have a final).

mythbuster · July 22, 2014

The Cowboy said:
To win the CL, you have to play 13 games (more if you have to qualify). They could potentially remodel the format to eliminate more of the smaller clubs earlier on, and have a 10 team league with a final between the top two (if they must have a final).

And what would the clubs who drop out do with themselves for the rest of the season?

The 13 CL games you refer to include 6 home games and you only play that many if you're involved in an exciting cup run. The op mentioned a hypothetical 36 game season. How crap would it be to travel to Europe 18 times to see your team finish bottom of the league?

The Cowboy · July 22, 2014

mythbuster said:
And what would the clubs who drop out do with themselves for the rest of the season?

The 13 CL games you refer to include 6 home games and you only play that many if you're involved in an exciting cup run. The op mentioned a hypothetical 36 game season. How crap would it be to travel to Europe 18 times to see your team finish bottom of the league?

They could always go back to just having the league winners in the Champions League. Mental idea, I know.

My idea would only mean 9 away games. No-one is forced to go to every away game!

Plus I reckon if you stuck Europe's best 10 teams in a league, it would be very close by the end, very tight between top and bottom spots.

RaleighBlue · July 22, 2014

The Cowboy said:
They could always go back to just having the league winners in the Champions League. Mental idea, I know.

My idea would only mean 9 away games. No-one is forced to go to every away game!

Plus I reckon if you stuck Europe's best 10 teams in a league, it would be very close by the end, very tight between top and bottom spots.

To begin with.

Until a couple of those teams stayed at the bottom for a few years and their best players jumped ship to the top (richer) teams. Any league without parity measures in place will naturally stratify to keep the successful clubs successful.

tsubaki · July 22, 2014

mythbuster said:
The novelty would wear off pretty quick, imo. There'd be hardly any real rivalries and a lot of fans would tire of globe trotting for 18 games a season. How would fans of say Inter handle finishing second to bottom in a super league?

This, really. The only way a super league will come into being is if the "big clubs" start to not automatically win everything, which is possible if more clubs start to do an Atleti over the next few years.