SUPER!!LEAGUE
Is it the way forward?
IT WAS recently reported in the media that seven of Europe’s top clubs have ‘secretly’ met in London to discuss the possibility of the formation of a European Super League. We have been informed that the proposal could be here by the 2021/22 season and that the 11 founders of the new league will not be relegated. Sounds like an exciting concept, doesn’t it?
Unsurprisingly, all those club officials that were photographed leaving a London hotel have denied they were there to discuss the prospect of a breakaway league.
Apparently, it was never on the agenda but they didn’t reveal why some of the most powerful men in football had met for afternoon tea and a bit of a catch-up.
Perhaps they are not that bothered they were photographed coming out of the revolving front door? Perhaps they wanted to be ‘caught’ out and test the water again when it comes to implementing a major upheaval in our game?
Well, it has certainly ruffled a few feathers. It has been debated and panned by the average football supporter, who likes their football just the way it is, thank you very much.
Of the 11 ‘founders’, five of them would come from England. These consist of the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. They will be joined by Spanish powerbrokers, Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as Juventus and AC Milan from Italy and Bayern Munich from the Bundesliga.
The Middle East mega-bucks of Paris St Germain have also been asked along for the ride. Just over a decade ago they were getting gates of fewer than 9,000 to leave them in a bit of a financial mess. It’s amazing what money can do! Now they are one of Europe’s big- hitters.
Other clubs will be invited as guests
to participate in a 16-team league. These clubs are rumoured at this stage to be Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Roma, Borussia Dortmund, possibly Marseille and another from Portugal, Holland or Turkey.
So that leaves no place for Tottenham Hotspur, an improving Everton side or the 2016 Premier League winners Leicester City. How about Napoli, the two Glasgow clubs, Porto, Valencia or Monaco?
It seems they will be cast aside from Europe’s elite and continue to play in their own domestic leagues minus many of their elite clubs. That sounds like a great idea and I for one cannot wait to see Sky TV defend their prices to watch that in three years’ time!
I am not sure that the MLS, Dutch football and the LA Lakers are going to convince loyal subscribers to stick with Sky’s football coverage, are you?
And if they don’t, just how are Tottenham going to keep Harry Kane and pay him close to £200,000-a-week?
The football bubble could well and truly burst and if clubs like Spurs and Everton are left behind, will their wealthy owners be totally convinced to carry on with their huge investment? I doubt it.
Meanwhile, BT Sport or Google, or Amazon or Facebook will introduce a bidding war to host coverage of a European Super League.
It all comes down to money. The elite clubs are greedy in nature and they truly believe they should be making even
more money when it comes down to television revenue.
They must feel that the £100 million-plus they often generate from UEFA Champions League coverage and bonuses is not enough anymore.
Their heads have been swung around and are still spinning when the man behind the proposal for the European Super League, the American Charlie Stillitano, is mentioning figures of a guaranteed £400 million per season if they break away.
The big clubs do not care about tradition, history or what is good for the average, loyal supporter.
They just look at the bottom line and know that if a lad from Liverpool cannot afford to watch games at Anfield then there will be someone from Ireland, London or even further afield who will. It is a tremendous shame.
With the threat of a European Super League looming, it is no surprise that UEFA and FIFA have already taken a major stance.
The FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, has already stated that players who participate in the European Super League will be banned from international football and will not be permitted to play in the World Cup. Now, that would be interesting.
I wonder how many players, really and truthfully, would place playing for their country as the absolute pinnacle of their careers if they were to receive a massive pay rise to play in the Super League? Would they be prepared to sacrifice that honour? Hmmm… I wonder.
Once again the supporters will not be considered and the clubs have to be careful because the novelty of travelling to Paris, Milan or Madrid can soon wear off.
What happens when the fixture becomes a mid-table dead rubber towards the end of the season?
Could the average fan be bothered to spend hundreds of pounds to go and see their team take on Borussia Dortmund for the umpteenth time if their team cannot be relegated anyway?
Maybe they would but I would bet those clubs would lose a large number of loyal supporters and it wouldn’t surprise me that they would be wishing they could go back to playing Huddersfield, Cardiff or Wolves on a wet Tuesday night instead.
Football has to look to the future, but let’s not consider taking it further away from the average supporter. Their loyalty, passion and love for their clubs is what makes our football so special.
We don’t want our top clubs being dragged around Europe every week like some circus act, especially to the detriment of our other domestic clubs.
Sport is built on hopes and dreams and that is why we keep going every matchday, so that one day it will be our club ‘doing a Leicester’ or reaching the latter stages of a cup competition, like Bradford City did not so long ago. Take that away and we might as well start watching the Major League Soccer on Sky.