Wenger predicts ‘inevitable’ European super league
Arsene Wenger predicted a European super league will be introduced over the next few years, leading to major changes for the Premier League.
The outgoing Arsenal boss believes Europe’s elite clubs will fight for the introduction of a continental, weekend league to challenge the success of the English top flight, AFP reported.
Wenger, 68, will leave the Emirates Stadium after a reign lasting almost 22 years when the season ends away to Huddersfield on Sunday.
But the Frenchman is predicting a huge overhaul of football in the near future, with Premier League fixtures relegated to midweek slots.
“The next evolution? Maybe I will see you in a few years and you will certainly have a European league over the weekends,” he said.
“A domestic league will certainly play Tuesday/wednesday. I think that is the next step we will see.”
Wenger said the move was “inevitable” because the big clubs would want a bigger slice of the money that comes into football and would be less willing to share it with their smaller rivals.
The idea of a European league has been mooted for years and could be driven by dwindling Champions League attendances and the fact more revenue is demanded for the Premier League television rights than UEFA’S elite club competition.
“It will be soon because it is a way for other clubs to fight against the Premier League,” Wenger said.
The Arsenal boss predicted matches would take place at weekends to boost crowds.
“Look at the audiences of the Champions League,” he said. “There’s a contrast there because if you look at the audiences of the Champions League it is not fantastic.
“But if you have Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, or Real Madrid vs. Arsenal, or Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich every week the audiences will be good.”
Such a dramatic shift would mean major changes to the Premier League, said Wenger.
“If you want to make it more attractive you have to go down to 16 (teams),” he said.
“And make a real competition of it. But it will be smaller if it goes to Europe.” Lewis Hamilton said he is leading the championship despite “punching below my weight” so far this season.
The reigning champion has struggled in three of the four races but took the lead after a win in the last race in Baku after his rivals hit trouble, BBC Sport reported.
Hamilton said if he “could get on top of the issues” Mercedes has with the car and “start to be more consistent”, he would be happier.
“Then I know I can punch at my weight or a little above it,” he added.
“At the moment I am punching below it and that is not sufficient to win the championship.
“We are capitalizing on a lot of the surrounding circumstances that hinder the outcome of a race, for example the last one. I will take it for now but for the long term [we need to improve].”
Hamilton inherited the lead in Baku when teammate Valtteri Bottas suffered a puncture with four laps to go.
The Briton also benefited from Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel making a mistake when trying to overtake Bottas for the lead a lap earlier. The German damaged a front tire and dropped down to finish in fourth place.
Hamilton said the Ferrari had been the fastest car so far this season and that he was still struggling to get the Mercedes to work at its optimum with the new tires Pirelli has introduced this year.
“I am just hoping to be able to work more with the car,” he said. “I am waiting for myself and the car to fully sync up.
“We are talking mini percentages. The tracks so far seem to have worked well for Ferrari and I anticipate they will be very strong here again this weekend. Up until now their car has performed the best but maybe it is about unlocking the potential of our car.”
Vettel, who is four points behind Hamilton going into this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, gave away a chunk of points to Hamilton with his error in Baku but said it was “pointless” to talk about the championship so early in the season.
“We have so many races to go,” he said. “At the moment it is the fight to maximise every race result.”