MP’s warning in fight to stop Super League
HUDDERSFIELD’S MP has warned football fans to not “count their chickens” that wildly unpopular Super League plans will be seen off by the remarkable backlash from the public and politicians.
News that six of England’s wealthiest football clubs are planning to split from the Premier League to help establish a new European Super League has sparked widespread anger across the country with the vast majority of fans and footballers against it and the Prime Minister even saying he would look to stop it.
Hope has been building that the almost unanimous revulsion to the proposal would see it shelved. Yesterday Boris Johnson said he offered his “unwavering support” to the FA, Premier League and fans trying to stop it.
But Huddersfield’s Labour veteran, Barry Sheerman, said he wasn’t so sure the government would be successful.
“I wouldn’t count your chickens, even though there’s so much opposition, that it won’t happen,” he said.
“They are a very powerful opponent backed by investment banks – we’ve got a big fight on our hands.
“They’ve
got
bloody good access to the top of the Tory party and many are big donors.
“They won’t have anticipated how much negative opinion there’s been but this is not some weak lobby group - they have huge influence.
“These are enormously wealthy people with very close relationships to people in the Tory party.
“This has got capitalism and greed all over it and b ***** r the fans.
“It’s really bad news for everyone outside of the clubs conspiring to do it.
“What sort of league will it be when you can only get in if you’re rich enough.
“It goes against everything the sport is founded on.”
Mr Sheerman, who has dual club loyalties between Arsenal and Huddersfield, where he has been MP for more than 40 years, said his favourite manager Arsene
Wenger had warned of corporate money ruining football more than a decade ago.
He is currently involved in the talks to implement community management at the John Smith’s Stadium.
“I’ve been a great supporter for a long time of fans owning clubs as a cooperative, “he said.
“It’s crazy that the very lifeblood of clubs have no say in how they’re run.
“It seems disgraceful, it’s a dire state of affairs.”
On there being any chance of the general public stopping the European Super League plan, he added: “There’s got to be an outpouring of opposition, anger and passion. Are we really going to let our sport be sold off.
“It’s gone too far.
“What Arsene Wenger warned about years ago has come home to roost.
“We need radical action to stop corporate money ruining our sport.
“There’s something rotten in the heart of sport. This has been allowed to go on for too long - it’s despicable.
“MPs and politicians can do something but I hope this is really going to be led by the ordinary fan.
“I think this is a very big issue but I hope we start taking stock of all our sports that are being spoiled by money.”