European Super League

Do you want the ESL to happen?


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  • Poll closed .

hubbuh

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Liverpool have lost a feck tonne of money over the pandemic and United fans wanted the Saudi Royal family to take over last year so we could be state owned rich and compete. That wasn't a problem but this is?
Loads of people had a massive fecking problem with that :lol: my word.
 

Koldbeer2021

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I haven't missed the point at all. Champions league and Europa League would still exist and the likes of Everton and Southampton would actually qualify for that, at least some what regularly.

Those clubs would actually get European games. You may look down on the quality but that's a seperate point.

Everton vs Dortmund
West Ham vs Roma
Southampton vs Ajax

You telling me the fans of those clubs would boycott that because they've don't qualify for a different competition? Would they not receive more TV money and gate revenue as a result? Even if its less than what the cl currently pays, it's still more than those clubs currently recieve, is it not?

They may not play in the super league, but they will actually be playing European competition, with far, far more regularity than they ever have a chance to currently.

When did Everton last play in Europe? How many European nights has Goodison seen in the last 20 years? What if Everton now play in the champions league for 3 out of the next 4 years?
Talking as a West Ham fan, I think most of us are quite content to play in something like a Europa League, let alone what in truth will end up somewhere between the two in terms of quality. If West Ham still had a decent income that means that we could still enjoy the 'champions' League in its ghosted form, or to not end up looking like Derby if invited to the big boys league.

HOWEVER your missing one hugely vital point.

Most of those clubs you mention will struggle to survive due to debt levels throughout the league and the undoubted massive drop in TV cash that will be coming down the line for those prem clubs.

My guess is 50% of every club from Leicester downwards are gone within 2-3 years due to the debt levels unless the govt was to bail it out, which given they didn't help clubs with the pandemic to any great extent, seems unlikely.
 

VorZakone

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The SL is basically founded on the premise that if you have a global following then you're entitled to play in a competition that taps into global funds. The more well followed the teams are in the competition, the wider reach the interest in the competition and therefore the more successful it becomes. It wouldn't last very long if the teams in it weren't hugely popular, and that also works for teams not in it
So you are fine with removing merit out. Got it. Those who have a big following right now deserve to completely secure their financial future and growth by creating this Super League, again of which we have no indication that it will allow other teams to be included among those 15 who automatically qualify.
 

Zehner

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Has there been any reactions by players or managers already?

Sure it's impossible that they knew that before? Look at Pep's reaction after they beat Dortmund recently. I never saw him that happy. What will he be thinking if they now exit the competition on the green table? He must be fuming at the club leadership. Have the clubs underestimated the severity of UEFA's reaction?
 

crossy1686

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First, the model doesn't work for football.

Second , who cares? I and other fans of this club built on a tradition of competitive merit over 100 years. Maybe you need a history lesson about the origins of Manchester United.
Based on what? Your opinion? How do we know if it's never been tried? Why would I need a history lesson? How is what happened in 1920 relevant to what's happening today?
 

GBBQ

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Why would you think that?

Take Bruno as an example. And that example is 5 years ago.
You are playing in Sampdoria on loan. Who the feck knows you're there?!

And you're gonna do what? Turn down a contract from Sporting because you believe in yourself and believe that you are Manchester United and SL material?
And you will run down your contract with Sampdoria on that belief? With your wife and kids waiting to be fed.

All of you seem to forget that not all football is played by the top 20 clubs. It's probably the best catch to feck them with.

I might be wrong, but seems a good shout.
I'm not saying it will be all players, but the most promising ones will keep their options open. I mean you already have someone like Haaland who is cherry picking his moves and ensuring there are buy out clauses in place so he doesn't need to stay at a club any longer than is necessary. His agent is Raiola who we all know to well has a history of getting players their moves to the big clubs and (without even talking about any of the PL teams) Madrid and Barcelona are likely to remain the dream destination for most players.

I'm not saying I agree with it, I just think that most clubs will be too tempted by the money
 

JPRouve

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So you are fine with removing merit out. Got it. Those who have a big following right now deserve to completely secure their financial future and growth by creating this Super League, again of which we have no indication that it will allow other teams to be included among those 15 who automatically qualify.
That part isn't even respected. Where are Benfica, Marseille or Ajax? They have larger following than Leipzig who are rumoured to have been invited.
 

Siorac

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Liverpool have lost a feck tonne of money over the pandemic and United fans wanted the Saudi Royal family to take over last year so we could be state owned rich and compete. That wasn't a problem but this is?
I'd just like to say here that the proposed Saudi takeover was very much a problem for me and many others.
 

justsomebloke

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This is like saying Mr. Spock is better off than Captain Kirk because he has sex every 7 years (I'm not a Trekkie, so I forget the exact time span) while Kirk gets it on the regular.
No it isn't. Some things in life are best enjoyed frequently, others not. The point is perfectly good. Just like a World Cup every four years is vastly preferable to playing Argentina every second week.
 

Sentient Meat

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Not relegation from their home leagues, relegation from this competition. Without it all integrity is lost. How can Spurs be protected from "Superleague" relegation while Leicester routinely finish above them in the PL and win more trophies than them. Spurs should absolutely face possible relegation from this new competition based on their performances, not their wealth. This is designed so they stay wealthy at the expense of clubs performing better than them.
I think if teams rise to a certain level they will expand the league to include them. Maybe a play in tournament with rotating guest teams... who knows?

I get the outrage... I'm an American so it's much easier for me to watch it from an outsider's perspective and enjoy the idea of watching great players every week instead of sitting through the Brighton or Fulham games. But sometimes change can be invigorating. I just think the best players should always be in the same league. American college football wouldn't allow a playoff for years because of sponsor and university interest in all their various bowl games, and now those games are extremely popular though still very much a work in progress.
 

VorZakone

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That part isn't even respected. Where are Benfica, Marseille or Ajax? They have larger following than Leipzig who are rumoured to have been invited.
Yeah, he's just talking complete shit as far as I'm concerned.
 

crossy1686

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So you are fine with removing merit out. Got it. Those who have a big following right now deserve to completely secure their financial future and growth by creating this Super League, again of which we have no indication that it will allow other teams to be included among those 15 who automatically qualify.
Why has merit been removed? If anything clubs need to perform on AND off the field now to gain entry, if anything there is more merit involved.
 

DomesticTadpole

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No it isn't. Some things in life are best enjoyed frequently, others not. The point is perfectly good. Just like a World Cup every four years is vastly preferable to playing Argentina every second week.
It is about anticipation not just thinking 'Fecking hell, not them again'.
 

Ricardo de la Vega

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I cant believe what a stupid idea is. Do they really think people will watch this competition, isolated from any competition, with the same teams year after year forever? Without any of the joys of qualification, of fighting for a place in it, with other clubs over the years which will rise and fall? What about the joy of an away day at an unfamiliar club in Central Europe somewhere? No ones going to want to watch it after a year or two and any of the commercial benefits in sponsorship, tv money and so on will dry up. Then what do they have? Oh please UEFA can we go back in the Champions league now we're really sorry?

Utter garbage of an idea. We should be expelled from the league for supporting this along with the others, but that would probably just give them the idea of setting up their own "super extraordinary premier league". Who the hell these clubs think they are to be better than any other club is beyond me. Football, like state sovereignty, works on equality. Each club faces the same rules and plays by the same rules from Accrington Stanley all the way up to Real Madrid. If you dont - whats the point in victory?
 

Nani Nana

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Florentino Perez has done less for football than FIFA, so I will side with international bodies for now :lol:

And where are the 15 clubs going to spend the extra money? Fecking Tesco?
Mostly among themselves as they will attract the best players from the age of 14 onwards.
 

FortBoyard

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Funny the people having digs at AC Milan, Man Utd and Liverpool about not being big enough, when this has Spurs in it
 

VorZakone

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Why has merit been removed? If anything clubs need to perform on AND off the field now to gain entry, if anything there is more merit involved.
Are you wumming? These 15 clubs don't have to perform well to qualify for the Super League, they automatically do.
 

DickDastardly

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And where are the 15 clubs going to spend the extra money? Fecking Tesco?
Hopefully nowhere!
There is still 15 clubs in the Prem to deal with. 17 clubs in Spain. 19 clubs in France. 20 clubs in Germany. And the rest of the world.

So the Elite top 20 Superleague top of the pops clubs can die a slowly death with their 39 year old players when everybody else tells them to feck off.
 

red4ever 79

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Florentino Perez has done less for football than FIFA, so I will side with international bodies for now :lol:



Mostly among themselves as they will attract the best players from the age of 14 onwards.
More dividend payouts for shareholders I would imagine. One thing is for certain it's not going back into the club
 

cyberman

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Tottenham, Arsenal, even Chelsea, Liverpool before Klopp came around, Utd since Fergie left, City before their oil money, Milan, Inter - that's the "vast majority" that actually hasn't been more or less guaranteed entry into the CL in the last two decades.

The teams involved in this ESL thing are not in there on merit but on financial power, that's all there is to it.
I agree with this but the CL is currently dominated by teams with financial power. Then the lower sides use CL money to dominate their domestic league to get back into the CL every season and the cycle continues.
CL has been a closed shop for decades now. Leicester were in it once but has there been a non top 6 CL qualifier apart from them? Why is it a problem now and why are we trying to preserve it? Both scenarios leaves football broken.
 

Nogbadthebad

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Why has merit been removed? If anything clubs need to perform on AND off the field now to gain entry, if anything there is more merit involved.
They don't though do they.
Because they are guaranteed to be in it every year.

Kronke and Glazers are notorious for leeching as much money as possible. When that money is guaranteed, why do you think they would invest in the team at all? Its more money form THEM, not Manchester United and Arsenal.
 

DomesticTadpole

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I don't think they care. The reaction to this talk has always been negative when its been brought up in the past, they knew how this was going to be received by the majority.
Unfortunately you are probably right. There will be enough fans in the far corners of the globe who will fork out a fortune to watch this. They won't care about stadium attendances while they get a big TV audience.
 

justsomebloke

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Forbes' ranking of valuable Football Clubs, published just a few days ago, for those who think sporting achievement in recent seasons have anything whatsoever to do with who's in the ESL :


#1Barcelona$4.76 B18%6%$792 M$62 M
#2Real Madrid$4.75 B12%6%$792 M$92 M
#3Bayern Munich$4.22 B39%0%$703 M$49 M
#4Manchester United$4.2 B10%16%$643 M$167 M
#5Liverpool$4.1 B88%2%$619 M$62 M
#6Manchester City$4 B49%0%$609 M$-2 M
#7Chelsea$3.2 B24%0%$520 M$35 M
#8Arsenal$2.8 B23%7%$430 M$47 M
#9Paris Saint-Germain$2.5 B129%0%$599 M$-5 M
#10Tottenham Hotspur$2.3 B42%39%$494 M$134 M
#11Juventus$1.95 B29%16%$441 M$-14 M
#12Borussia Dortmund$1.9 B112%0%$405 M$15 M
#13Atletico de Madrid$1 B5%26%$368 M$62 M
#14Inter Milan$743 M11%8%$323 M$13 M
#15Everton$658 M38%0%$235 M$15 M
#16AC Milan$559 M-4%4%$165 M$-92 M
#17AS Roma$548 M-12%56%$156 M$-108 M
#18West Ham United$508 M-18%18%$175 M$-24 M
#19Leicester City$455 M-17%$189 M$-49 M
#20Ajax$413 M-2%$172 M$2 M
 

sullydnl

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Why has merit been removed? If anything clubs need to perform on AND off the field now to gain entry, if anything there is more merit involved.
Because 15 self-appointed elite teams are now protected from ever failing.
 

weltcheftrainer

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1. I wonder how they came up with these large sums of money? Why would a TV company spend so much money on TV rights under these unclear and unstable conditions?
2. The CL has it's problems but this new League does too. After the first places in the group stage are secured the games become pointless. It is simply impossible to design a competition in which all games are interesting and all teams are guaranteed many games.
 

Lynty

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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.
 

Withnail

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Of course it's based on merit, but it's based on a merit that no one likes. It's based on viewing metrics and popularity of a club, that's what gets you in the SL, something which successful clubs like United have worked hard on for decades. If we all get kicked out of the PL and lets say Southampton go on to win it multiple times, will they grow a bigger following? Will they get access to the SL? Of course they will.

Top 4 isn't a trophy, United aim to win all competitions they play in, that won't change. And the fear of relegation isn't something that's been spurring us on for decades.

The point is that they absolutely won't get access in any meaningful way. Nobody new will ever be able to get to the top table again.

Have you actually bothered reading anything about this yet? It is a closed shop. Only the 15 founder clubs will make any money out of this and they will get way more money for participating than the paltry amount that will be given to the winner.

The money paid out to the 15 will dwarf the amount paid to any of the extra 5 who can play each year.

If by some miracle any of those 5 clubs manage to win the thing they'll get feck all for doing and it won't help them maintain financial parity with the 15.
 

KM

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Loads of shit takes this thread has:

"PL should throw them out of the league" - It'll result in an huge devaluation of Premier League, the other 14 clubs will be majorly fecked
"The players in ESL shouldn't be allowed in World Cup" - FIFA will never follow up, they'll lose a shit loads of sponsors.
"Other clubs should refuse to sell players to ESL clubs" - Almost certainly will result in players moving out on free contracts and anyways a lot of smaller clubs rely on transfer earnings.

Once again, this league is fecking gross but the above aren't the right ideas to overthrow.
 

Sentient Meat

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I agree with this but the CL is currently dominated by teams with financial power. Then the lower sides use CL money to dominate their domestic league to get back into the CL every season and the cycle continues.
CL has been a closed shop for decades now. Leicester were in it once but has there been a non top 6 CL qualifier apart from them? Why is it a problem now and why are we trying to preserve it? Both scenarios leaves football broken.
Yes unless you implement a salary cap like the American NBA, these same teams will always dominate. And with all the corruption money is paid under the table anyway.
 

smi11ie

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I just don't understand the concept of a league without relegation. It is non-competative. There are too many private orginisations operating within football. There should be 1 FA in each country that controls everything. We don't need the Premier League, EFL, ESL etc etc. Massive reform needed resulting in most of these groups getting to feck.
 

DomesticTadpole

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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.
Is that a word?