European Super League

Do you want the ESL to happen?


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  • Poll closed .

BlackShark_80

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https://www.meczyki.pl/newsy/zbigni...ak-wybuch-bomby-atomowej-nasz-wywiad/164301-n

Zbigniew Boniek (Head of Polish FA):

"UEFA's position is clear and was expressed yesterday in a statement. UEFA, all associations and leagues directly interested in this fact joined the ranks. However, for specific decisions, because you probably want to ask about that, you still have to wait. Today there was a discussion during the Executive Committee. The congress is tomorrow. Let's face it, World War III is on the way, this time in football. It is not known how badly injured anyone will get out of it. The atomic bomb has already exploded. The trust of the football authorities has been severely damaged and it will be difficult to rebuild a good atmosphere."
"Without the possibility of playing in the league, cups, they will be deprived of the possibility of making transfers with clubs under the UEFA and FIFA jurisdiction, and players will not be able to play in international competitions. I would like to emphasize once again that no decisions have been made, because everything must also be examined from a legal perspective."
 

Ixion

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Regarding the damage done to the smaller clubs when these top clubs leave their major leagues, the Super League has planned a Solidarity Fund of about €10m, which would be about €6m more than what UEFA is currently contributing.
Does that account for the reduced revenue they'll get from TV and sponsorship deals when their leagues and competitions become worthless?
 

AbusementPark

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Honestly, I cant help but feel this whole Super League thing is being blown well out of proportion. The uproar surrounding it seems so OTT for what it actually is.

OK, so some of the biggest teams in the world want to leave the Champions League/Europa League and participate in a new competition instead. I don't see what is so outrageous about that. Is it because they will be earning more money? If so, would you not be against it if they were to earn less money than they are now?

As a fan, I would much rather see Man Utd vs Barca, Liverpool vs Madrid etc when european competitions are played rather than Man Utd vs Shaktar or Madrid vs Slavia Prague. There are going to be opportunities for other teams to qualify, albeit less available slots so it will be harder to qualify but this will only mean the calibre of opposition entering the competition will be better for it.

I also fail to see why any organisation except UEFA are against this so intensely, and cant help but think they are saying what people want to hear. UEFA are simply upset that their cash cows are looking to leave them and play in a new competition. Lets not forget that UEFA are due to announce their own planned changes to the Champions League format, which is bring it one step closer to being a super league itself, except they will be in control of the revenue so all is good in their world.

Although we dont know much about the new proposed super league, I do feel that once they have taken off and gain traction they would be wise to introduce some sort of qualification / 'relegation' / 'promotion' so that they can strike a balance between the biggest fan base and best performing teams.
So the founding teams never get relegated or removed from the league regardless of performance. Whats to stop them just sending out the reserves each time and collecting the paycheck? What are the goals for the players? Winning the league and the chmapions league? Not anymore dont need to worry about winning the league or finishing top 4 as they are guarenteed into the ESL each season. Imagine United sitting 7th in the League at Xmas, whats the incentive for the players to go out and put everything on the line each week? Then the money associated with it all as well, the rest of the league cant compete with the sums these teams are allegedly making. Then for any future transfers the price will be extorinate for these super clubs (and arsenal).
 

UncleBob

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Disagree, unleash the fury on these money grabbing selfish tw@ts. Get as many threats out there as possible, pressure the players, the clubs, the fans, because these 12 clubs have already initiated legal proceeding this morning.
UEFA are money grabbing selfish twats, same with FIFA and the PL.

If push comes to shove and they actually ban the players from representing their country during the euros this summer, the backlash is going to be absolutely insane, Ceferin won't have a fecking leg to stand on
 

Classical Mechanic

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My belief is that this is a transitional step into a completely closed Super League without participatory guests and a permanent secession from all domestic competitions. This is just the "let them get used to the idea" phase.
I think the end goal would be two divisions with 40 teams overall. No domestic competition with play offs at the end.
 

hubbuh

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I want super league. Let's move on from those pointless 3 AM game against Spartak Moscow...

The essence of Champions league is always watching the elite club vs elite club anyway, this is what we want.
What? There are no 3am games against Spartak Moscow :houllier:
 

Gasolin

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I think it would be fascinating to know what these clubs internal data suggested re: fan and player/ex-player response. Did they expect the huge backlash? I am confident they are so out of touch and insulated (especially the American owners) that they just might have had no idea.
I've read somewhere than the American owners cannot understand why relegation is needed in football. Which I think I can see happening, even though I live in the US now.
This is very interesting... but I suspect they won't care unless there is some sort of monumental response that go beyond anything they ever imagined. So much that sponsors won't want to be associated with the club. Then, it will make them move away.
 

tapskats

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I think this is just business. Change at some point was inevitable - good or bad that change may be. But, just wondering, is there legal precedence to ban a layer or team, dock point, relegate or kick out? Is this Super League flouting any rules or statutes in the FA, FIFA or EUFA's handy rule book?
How can will they be able to justify any form of sanction against players or clubs?

I don't think its enough to publicize all these threats and hope to punish these evil-doers just because you don't like the idea of the Super League or what you think/feel it will do to football. Is there a legally sound leg that all these guys can stand on to go against this Super League?

When this Premier League was formed in 92', was it all smooth and accepted and the best thing that happened to football?
 

Hammondo

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Regarding the damage done to the smaller clubs when these top clubs leave their major leagues, the Super League has planned a Solidarity Fund of about €10m, which would be about €6m more than what UEFA is currently contributing.
Which is sod all.
 

kouroux

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He should calm the rhetoric, he literally has the weight of public opinion on his side, but calling for clubs and players to be banned is going to sway the fence sitters against him. he should just say he's disappointed and they will review the matter internally.
It's posturizing, if he did what you suggested, it would appear so weak.
I mean Agnelli turned his phone off on him :lol:
 

TMDaines

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Correct. There’s no turning back.
There’s no returning to the status quo. We’re just getting started though with a reshuffle of football though.

UEFA and the PL cannot afford to ban these teams and their players, just look at the BDO and PDC in darts to see what happens when the top players walk away. The PL is nothing without the biggest clubs and players now. That’s doubly true for the CL. If they lose these 12 clubs, their competitions become devalued and enter an inevitable decline. These clubs are going to get more power one way or another, either as part of UEFA or by setting up a rival organisation.

The only way the 12 clubs lose now is if the players revolt. In Ferguson’s time, we know someone like Gary Neville would organise, but I have no idea who would do similar now.
 

hubbuh

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UEFA are money grabbing selfish twats, same with FIFA and the PL.

If push comes to shove and they actually ban the players from representing their country during the euros this summer, the backlash is going to be absolutely insane, Ceferin won't have a fecking leg to stand on
Why? It's their tournament and their rules. The fans and majority of footballing world will be all for it.
 

Hammondo

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UEFA are money grabbing selfish twats, same with FIFA and the PL.

If push comes to shove and they actually ban the players from representing their country during the euros this summer, the backlash is going to be absolutely insane, Ceferin won't have a fecking leg to stand on
I think the vast majority would support them in doing this.
 

Buchan

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Hard to imagine this going down if SAF would have still been at the club, and I am not taking anything away from Ole at all. Just everyone respects SAF the real godfather
Ferguson didn’t utter a single word against the Glazers when they took over in 2005 in a deal which would have (or at least should have) went against every single fibre in his apparent socialist/worker’s union being.

The takeover was opposed at every juncture by the majority of United fans and it even spawned a phoenix club out of the whole debacle, yet Ferguson still didn’t speak up. In fact, he often publicly supported the Glazers and spoke ill of those behind FC United.

So, let’s not rewrite history here and put people on pedestals who do not deserve it.
 

padr81

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There’s no returning to the status quo. We’re just getting started though with a reshuffle of football though.

UEFA and the PL cannot afford to ban these teams and their players, just look at the BDO and PDC in darts to see what happens when the top players walk away. The PL is nothing without the biggest clubs and players now. That’s doubly true for the CL. If they lose these 12 clubs, their competitions become devalued and enter an inevitable decline. These clubs are going to get more power one way or another, either as part of UEFA or by setting up a rival organisation.

The only way the 12 clubs lose now is if the players revolt. In Ferguson’s time, we know someone like Gary Neville would organise, but I have no idea who would do similar now.
Bruno. Cause no one at the other clubs gonna do it.
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

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An interesting observation is that a lot of the most vociferous opposition to the proposals are, unsurprisingly, coming from those affiliated to the organisations with a vested interest in keeping the lucrative (for them) status quo - Sky, BT, the Premier League and UEFA. And of course they’re currently the ones setting the narrative for all this, which the masses are feeding off.
 

GBBQ

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Disagree, unleash the fury on these money grabbing selfish tw@ts. Get as many threats out there as possible, pressure the players, the clubs, the fans, because these 12 clubs have already initiated legal proceeding this morning.
I'm 100% behind the sanctions, I think being thrown out of the Europa league might result in the players going on strike in protest against the owners which would be a huge message to send. I just think he's better off not focusing on the history of teams (you know before the parasitic owners took over) as it will offend fans.
 

JPRouve

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So the founding teams never get relegated or removed from the league regardless of performance. Whats to stop them just sending out the reserves each time and collecting the paycheck? What are the goals for the players? Winning the league and the chmapions league? Not anymore dont need to worry about winning the league or finishing top 4 as they are guarenteed into the ESL each season. Imagine United sitting 7th in the League at Xmas, whats the incentive for the players to go out and put everything on the line each week? Then the money associated with it all as well, the rest of the league cant compete with the sums these teams are allegedly making. Then for any future transfers the price will be extorinate for these super clubs (and arsenal).
Money. Why do you think TV and sponsors would pay billions if it was a league of reserve players?
 

El Zoido

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The big clubs have too much power, it would take one hell of a collective middle finger by the players, club staff, and fans (of all clubs), in order to rock this boat.

They’ll make this league and it’ll be a huge global success I’ve no doubt. Players will easily be swayed by the money.
 

Boavista

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I think we've clearly seen that just one ESL club in City could afford a legal team that dwarfs Uefa's and makes them look like bumbling idiots. Imagine what the 12 combined can do. Uefa aren't nearly as rich as half the clubs in the breakaway.
Isn't that a bit hyperbolic? UEFA messed up in that City case, but it's not like they can't afford the best legal teams there are. Legal teams don't get exponentially better the more money you throw at them. There's a cut off point where you either can afford the best lawyers, or you can't. Surely UEFA can afford it
 

Ixion

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People who are OK with this don't see a problem a team like Spurs can never be relegated?

If this was done 20 years ago it would be Newcastle, before that it would have been Everton, Forest, Wolves etc. But because Spurs are in the position they are in right now they can never be relegated from this group? That sounds fair? You're happy with that?
 

WI_Red

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I've read somewhere than the American owners cannot understand why relegation is needed in football. Which I think I can see happening, even though I live in the US now.
This is very interesting... but I suspect they won't care unless there is some sort of monumental response that go beyond anything they ever imagined. So much that sponsors won't want to be associated with the club. Then, it will make them move away.
I have been harping on this above, but I still can't wrap my head around this. If the business case laid out to JP Morgan was an explosion of revenue out of the states I just can not see any way this happens. Native (non ex-pat) Football fandom is still nascent here, and the majority of us take our cues from our ex-pat friends or from what we see on tv coming from Europe (just look at the MLS team names for gods sake). The complete negative reaction to this will trickle down to all the viewers and I just can not fathom any instance in which they maintain, let alone expand, on the current CL viewer base. Few people here are going to pay extra for this. I guess we would watch it if it gets bundled into Amazon Prime or Disney+, but we would not seek it out and I would drop any streaming service that starts charging extra.

tldr; if this plan at all requires a significant viewer base in the US they fecked up.
 

GBBQ

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It's posturizing, if he did what you suggested, it would appear so weak.
I mean Agnelli turned his phone off on him :lol:
Fair enough, i think he should take a stance against the owners and executives rather than the history of the clubs in question.
 

0le

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I think we've clearly seen that just one ESL club in City could afford a legal team that dwarfs Uefa's and makes them look like bumbling idiots. Imagine what the 12 combined can do. Uefa aren't nearly as rich as half the clubs in the breakaway.
PSG would prop up any fees.
 

Solius

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I think this is just business. Change at some point was inevitable - good or bad that change may be. But, just wondering, is there legal precedence to ban a layer or team, dock point, relegate or kick out? Is this Super League flouting any rules or statutes in the FA, FIFA or EUFA's handy rule book?
How can will they be able to justify any form of sanction against players or clubs?

I don't think its enough to publicize all these threats and hope to punish these evil-doers just because you don't like the idea of the Super League or what you think/feel it will do to football. Is there a legally sound leg that all these guys can stand on to go against this Super League?

When this Premier League was formed in 92', was it all smooth and accepted and the best thing that happened to football?
The Premier League is at the top of a pyramid which means clubs can get relegated and promoted. Teams like Leicester can come from the Championship, establish themselves and then win the league. The super league is a closed club where none of that is ever possible. It's wretched.
 

Smores

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UEFA are money grabbing selfish twats, same with FIFA and the PL.

If push comes to shove and they actually ban the players from representing their country during the euros this summer, the backlash is going to be absolutely insane, Ceferin won't have a fecking leg to stand on
I keep seeing this but UEFA isn't taking a profit or dividends. It redistributes almost all it takes in apart from the wages to its directors and staff costs.

Comparing them with the greedy owners is just bizarre.
 

Aaron Lyons

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im ashamed of Man Utd if they actually go through with this idea of they do im certainly not attending any games (when we are allowed) and not buying any shirts glazers all about money football will be ruined #unitedagainstEUROPIANSUPERLEAGUE!
 

ti vu

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I was talking about the owners, you seemingly didn't get what the post was about. The post I responded to said that Ceferin should target the owners which is a bad idea because these owners aren't smally fry, they have weight outside of football, they are part of the actual oligarchy. When you are a businessman it's not a good idea to target everyone without thinking of the consequences, he is elected at the UEFA, he isn't going to be there foreve and the UEFA won't help him outside of football.
And explained in the first response.

Ceferin has a job, and in his position, shutting up right now when the spotlight is on him, does more damage to him. He is expected by both sides to talk, and talk big even if it's crazy talk. It's for the ESL side's benefits that no harm is done to him, and better yet to get him join the gang once his term expires. The more dramatic he is right now, the more impact he can bring if he indeed joins ESL.
 

Nogbadthebad

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I love the shakedown, I love that it's changing.

ESL isn't all that bad, just have to tweak the relegation rules and we're set.
The ENTIRE point of it is that the teams forming it will always be in it. SO they can't lose out, ever.

SO why do you somehow think those teams, who make the rules, will vote to potentially relegate themselves out of it?