Government intervention against a Super League

sullydnl

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Apologies if this is one too many Super League threads (and feel free to delete if it is) but I thought it might be worthy of its own discussion.

I just saw the below reported in the Guardian:

Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, is to make a statement to the Commons on Monday afternoon, probably at about 5pm. It is understood that officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are examining what powers the government might have to stop the plan, and what action it could take. Options believed to be under consideration include taking action under competition laws, and wider reforms, for example guaranteeing fans a greater say in the running of clubs and the wider sport
Given that the inability of the UK clubs to join would effectively kill the Super League idea, it seems to me that this sort of government intervention is the best chance of preventing this from happening, both now and in the long term.

What can the government do to intervene? What should they do to intervene? Is this the best chance of preventing the Super League from coming about? And is the best form of protest now to pressure the government into intervening? And could governments in the other countries involved do similar?
 

OleBoiii

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I wonder if there is a lawyer in here who also happens to know a fair bit about football rules?

I genuinely think there's no legal recourse here. It is quite clearly not illegal to create tournaments without merit-based qualifications, as tournaments like these are hosted every summer during pre-season. The keyword here is 'summer', though. If there is a rule that prevent such tournaments from happening during the season, then we might have a chance here.

If not, then the only thing that will work is long-term boycott and media outrage.
 

Don't Kill Bill

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Apologies if this is one too many Super League threads (and feel free to delete if it is) but I thought it might be worthy of its own discussion.

I just saw the below reported in the Guardian:



Given that the inability of the UK clubs to join would effectively kill the Super League idea, it seems to me that this sort of government intervention is the best chance of preventing this from happening, both now and in the long term.

What can the government do to intervene? What should they do to intervene? Is this the best chance of preventing the Super League from coming about? And is the best form of protest now to pressure the government into intervening? And could governments in the other countries involved do similar?
I think Ofcom have the power to stop the TV contract if it is viewed as anti competitive. Which it is.
 

Lynty

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My post from another thread.

This has nothing to do with merit. This is Americans stealing the most recognizable brands in the game and franchising them. One step away from "New Trafford" being built away from Manchester.

The FA needs to work with the government to shake up the whole system. There are laws to prevent oligopolies - where the market is dominated by small group of large organizations who collude to prevent market competition. This is now what we have in football and a forced sale of shares is the only option in my opinion. All clubs must now be owned 50% by the fans.
It's an oligopoly in my opinion. The government has measures to control this abuse of power and there are past examples of breaking up companies or preventing mergers.

I believe they can do something. Whether they want to take these clubs on in a legal battle is something else.
 

Classical Mechanic

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You really think these Tory cnuts will do anything? They're cut from the same cloth. Probably get a bung from the Glazers.
I think they'll try to exert political pressure at least. This is an attempted hostile American take over of a British crown jewel industry that a significant part of the electorate are vehemently against.
 

sullydnl

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Perfect first response, the thread can just be closed there.

You really think these Tory cnuts will do anything? They're cut from the same cloth. Probably get a bung from the Glazers.
As with anything else, it depends on whether it's in their interests to do so.

We saw during the pandemic the political value of football and the PL. It isn't an issue for them to dismiss out of hand if pressure is placed on them to act.
 

cyberman

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feck your anti competition bill when you try and flog Newcastle to the Saudis and allowed City to take over English football
 

Pexbo

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Tory party are wondering where the feck their donations are before this goes ahead
 

SuperiorXI

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I think they'll try to exert political pressure at least. This is an attempted hostile American take over of a British crown jewel industry that a significant part of the electorate are vehemently against.
It's not just American, you have City and Tottenham in there, owned by the Sheik and a supposed English company. Also other European clubs.
 

Kasper

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feck your anti competition bill when you try and flog Newcastle to the Saudis and allowed City to take over English football
Yeah, quite laughable if they suddenly decide now is the time to intervene.
 

Revan

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The government can go and feck itself. The writing was in the wall when they allowed states to buy teams, and allowed the United leveraged buyout. I also think that if the government does anything stupid, it will get fought hard in the courts.
 

Classical Mechanic

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It's not just American, you have City and Tottenham in there, owned by the Sheik and a supposed English company. Also other European clubs.
It's mostly American. I mean they're literally making the structure like it is in American sports. The 4 Chair(horse)men are Glazer, Kroenke, Henry and Perez.
 

FlawlessThaw

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Here's the first official Conservative Party response, what a bunch of cnuts.
 

VP

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Many things they can do starting with legislating that football clubs are community assets that cannot be privately owned so mandate a 50+1 fan ownership like Germany.

Not sure how they'd compensate existing owners but it really shouldn't be that hard to work out.
 

Bubz27

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The same government who don't want to feed starving kids bit accept a £20 a day food budget for themselves? They can feck off.
 

Ajr

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Many things they can do starting with legislating that football clubs are community assets that cannot be privately owned so mandate a 50+1 fan ownership like Germany.

Not sure how they'd compensate existing owners but it really shouldn't be that hard to work out.
Easy, just mandate the sale of 50+1 of the club within a certain time period or else the club gets fined?
 

lemmiwink

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Only way the government can stop this is to go in with the FA and mandate a 50.1% fan owned rule for all domestic football clubs. It will surely not happen as it will destroy newer big teams like City, Leicester etc.

Unfortunately it's the only way to stop greedy owners from having a board majority in football clubs. If it happens they only have to worry about the spanish giants, but then again, they can't make a super league on their own.
 

Classical Mechanic

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The main president is Spanish. It's funded by JP Morgan though so yeah I suppose you're right.
Call me cynical but Perez as the initial main president is a deflection from this being a purely American capitalist takeover of a European cultural icon. It should be fought tooth and nail by the powers that be in Europe.
 

V.O.

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The tory party being against the idea of rich cnuts getting richer and pulling the ladder up :lol:
 

Drifter

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It was the Government at the end of the day that blocked the taking over Of United by Rupert Murdoch.
 

BULB

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I don't see what they can do? Perhaps put a 90% tax rate on earnings from the competition?
They are the government they can do whatever the hell they like.

1. Declare private ownership of professional football clubs is not in the national interest
2. Add an extra 30 billion in government debt
3. Buy back all clubs from their owners with a premium
4. Give the clubs back to the fans who vote in President and board with ten year term limits
5. Win the next general election in a landslide
 

Spark

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Here's the first official Conservative Party response, what a bunch of cnuts.
Utter cnut. Still rattled by Rashford, good to see.

They're probably relishing the rape of football, as imagine twats like Eddie Hughes (who?) anachronistically see it as the sport of peasants and associate it with socialism or something.
 

OverratedOpinion

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Here's the first official Conservative Party response, what a bunch of cnuts.
Note to all celebrities, do not raise tens of millions and work like a mad man to feed children who desperately need it. Doing so will open you up to jibes from Eddie Hughes, whoever the feck that is.
 

pocco

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They are the government they can do whatever the hell they like.

1. Declare private ownership of professional football clubs is not in the national interest
2. Add an extra 30 billion in government debt
3. Buy back all clubs from their owners with a premium
4. Give the clubs back to the fans who vote in President and board with ten year term limits
5. Win the next general election in a landslide
None of that is going to happen. That ship sailed a long time ago, when they actually had a chance at doing something.

Imagine the government paying Billions in tax payers money to try and buy 4 football clubs...it won't go down well.
 

Red Star One

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Don’t think there’s much UK gov can do with that, perhaps antitrust action on EU level is the only political way to stop the super league. Not to mention BoJo and his pals are surely first people that spring to my mind who would oppose oligarchs getting richer, they must hate elitist cliques with passion.
 

altodevil

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How about vow to block the siphoning of money to your pals. Bunch of cnuts. If I felt that this actually made them upset, rather than it being a way to earn favour among the working class supporters, I would be all for it.
 

RedRover

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I wonder if there is a lawyer in here who also happens to know a fair bit about football rules?

I genuinely think there's no legal recourse here. It is quite clearly not illegal to create tournaments without merit-based qualifications, as tournaments like these are hosted every summer during pre-season. The keyword here is 'summer', though. If there is a rule that prevent such tournaments from happening during the season, then we might have a chance here.

If not, then the only thing that will work is long-term boycott and media outrage.
I'm a lawyer, but not in this field.

Competition law may well bite here. The issue however, is the potential for clubs to become embroiled in expensive litigation which could run for years, particularly against the likes of UEFA or FIFA, with whom I assume there is some kind of agreement in order to compete in the previously sanctioned events.

The biggest practical threat here is an inability to compete in existing domestic competitions, for however long, since without that, there is no income and no club. Players will also not sit by any watch their careers ebb away, unable to play international football or (perhaps) domestic football for months or years.

I actually think the best chance of stopping this is threatening players with the inability to play at international tournaments. The top players are bigger than the clubs and without their support, this whole thing falls apart.
 

Gambit

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Call me cynical but Perez as the initial main president is a deflection from this being a purely American capitalist takeover of a European cultural icon. It should be fought tooth and nail by the powers that be in Europe.
Perez has been leading this for years, he just has in the yank owners bods who are more than happy to partner him.