European Super League

[ariveded]

When players move clubs just for money, why can’t clubs move competitions just for money?

thats how modern football works where fans are ultimate losers. The inequality between fans and them keeps increasing.

 

[Nani Nana]

Not Inter.

I think Everton or Villa would go toe-to-toe with Inter in a knock-out round today.

How many years now since they last reached a Champions League or Europa final...

 

[kouroux]

When players move clubs just for money, why can’t clubs move competitions just for money?

thats how modern football works where fans are ultimate losers. The inequality between fans and them keeps increasing.

Because they're really not the same thing

 

[Champ]

This might all be hot air and a veiled threat to FIFA, UEFA, FA, etc to reform and give the bigger clubs a larger slice of bread.

I think this is far beyond hot air...when world leaders are making statements then it's something bigger...

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Well that's an end to it then. Players will not have that happen.

Think the Player's Union will be all over this.

 

[Ixion]

A competition with no relegation and teams there because of their brand would be meaningless to win. Like one of those pre-season friendly competitions. I cannot believe any genuine football fan wants to be part of that. And mark my words it would not be long before these games are being played in massive money states where your season ticket is just access to a streaming service online. It is pathetic.

Seriously, Spurs, fecking SPURS, would be protected from relegation and have a guaranteed spot. Lads, it's fecking Spurs, haven't won the League in donkey's years and never won the European Cup being given a permanent seat?

 

[Sultan]

It makes me sick tbh. United have worked their arses off all season to get back in the Champions League and it’s all pointless now. Watching us leapfrog you guys, the Champions of England, in the space of just one season has been one of the things that has made the season exciting for us.

The season has been a complete waste of time. All the ups and downs we have had is for nothing. The manager and players for United must be livid right now.

Typically, this is the most promising we have seen for a United side for nearly a decade and it looks like it’s all going to be undone fairly quickly. I definitely can’t see our manager sticking around for this, and I’m certain there will be a fair few players against it (although on the player side of things there are no other alternatives really if all the biggest clubs are playing in this new league).

The new format if it's a goer will take a few years in the making. The champions league will be around next year.

 

[RashyForPM]

Serious question: Doesn’t FIFA, as the governing body and leader of football, not have the power to shut this right down? Why can’t they just say “no European Super League at all costs, ever” and relegate every club who signed up to the 2nd tier, promoting as many clubs as necessary based on their finishing positions in the process?

Again, serious question, because while UEFA and the PL have already come out with statements, FIFA is the organisation with the most veto power.

 

[Nani Nana]

When players move clubs just for money, why can’t clubs move competitions just for money?

thats how modern football works where fans are ultimate losers. The inequality between fans and them keeps increasing.

It takes very different attributes to run a club and to run a competition.

Florentino Perez, Glazer etc have no idea how to run a competition as smoothly as UEFA have ran the Champions League for decades.

It would have been reassuring to see at least one top official from FIFA or UEFA joining the project.

As it stands, club owners running a competition is like asking footballers to negotiate merchandising rights for their clubs.

 

[devilish]

I think Everton or Villa would go toe-to-toe with Inter in a knock-out round today.

How many years now since they last reached a Champions League or Europa final...

I very much doubt it. Inter has a better manager and a way better squad then Everton and Villa.

 

[Avero]

The Super League is a bad idea, but Champions League does need to change as soon as possible. With the current format, Man Utd only plays against teams like Bayern München, Barcelona and Real Mardid every 5-10 years and that has to happen way more frequently.

 

[SilentWitness]

The Serie A had seen better days but Inter and AC Milan can still produce better football then the one offered by Burnley. However what I am tackling here is the mentality. When I started watching the EPL it was by far the 3rd best league in the world. United would have struggled to be a Serie A top 7 team. However each game was entertaining. These days most small-mid sized side will play catenaccio style just to earn that 1 point against the top side. That's frigging boring.

You say this as if Spurs aren't the team that plays one of the worst styles of football in the league yet they will be in this ESL. Heck, even you play shite football half the time.

 

[Nani Nana]

I very much doubt it. Inter has a better manager and a way better squad then Everton and Villa.

Ancelotti is a better manager than Conte.

 

[90 + 5min]

Ok I'll play Devil's advocate here:

Isnt Champions League already boring?
Arent UEFA/FIFA wildly incompetent and full of greed? It has needed replacing the last two decades.

Could it be that the new setup would actually be better? If there's much power to such a league's clubs, you could push FIFA to not being overly greedy. If the new league has a democratic structure (yes itll be highly capitalistic, but there could be more caring for players/sports ethics)

For me, football is quite terrible at the moment overall, so I welcome ideas.

Better for who? RedStar? Copenhagen? PSV? Lyon? Betis? Salzburg? Moskva?
This is against football.

 

[Woodzy]

The new format if it's a goer will take a few years in the making. The champions league will be around next year.

Even if it is, I very much doubt we will be in it now. That competition is about to change forever, just a waiting game now to see what steps UEFA take.

 

[devilish]

Ancelotti is a better manager than Conte.

Dean Smith is certainly not

 

[DomesticTadpole]

The UEFA statement says players COULD be banned. It's the clubs that would be banned, but I'm not sure they will really care.

The players would care. Could you imagine someone like Henderson/Kane wanting to give up the chance to lift a trophy as England captain.

 

[Real Name]

Does some kind of United fans gruop or some kind of body which represent the fans exist?

 

[RedDevil@84]

Ok I'll play Devil's advocate here:

Isnt Champions League already boring?
Arent UEFA/FIFA wildly incompetent and full of greed? It has needed replacing the last two decades.

Could it be that the new setup would actually be better? If there's much power to such a league's clubs, you could push FIFA to not being overly greedy. If the new league has a democratic structure (yes itll be highly capitalistic, but there could be more caring for players/sports ethics)

For me, football is quite terrible at the moment overall, so I welcome ideas.

There is nothing more boring than have a competition that allows 15 teams to be permanent members. It maybe exciting for year or two maybe, but then the interest would dwindle, because it is the same s**t again and again. Which means that the organizers would need to do things to make it interesting for the audience, especially the on screen audience who generate big revenue. Which means bringing "packaged entertainment" to the audience.
Actual football, though not in the second place, would just be only one part of the "entertainment package" to be put out there. There will be so much drama beyond that.

 

[ROFLUTION]

It all depends on how the promotion mechanism for additional five teams is crafted. Yet it was not explained in yesterday's announcement.

Looks like the 15 clubs cannot be relegated no matter what. In the Champions League if you are bad domestically you do not automatically qualify by dint of your historical reputation.

If they wanted to upgrade Champions League, it would have been vital to specify how the additional clubs would get to participate in Superleague. Which they failed to do yesterday.

Yeah I think that's a fair opinion. To me The World Cup and the Euros, and basically everything was better cup-formats, as it was more condensed with quality.

WC, EC; CL has all been heavily watered down I believe. This could also be seen as

+ City and PSG doesn't seem to be the founding clubs, which gives them less power internationally, and power to the other clubs to throw them out if they go too wild with spending/have giant football-leaks.

This new league system, seems way more easy to navigate with power and the quality of games is higher. I don't see, how it'll be less entertaining. There's also a knock-out stages with quarter finals here, so it could be highly entertaining.

 

[Sultan]

Serious question: Doesn’t FIFA, as the governing body and leader of football, not have the power to shut this right down? Why can’t they just say “no European Super League at all costs, ever” and relegate every club who signed up to the 2nd tier, promoting as many clubs as necessary based on their finishing positions in the process?

Again, serious question, because while UEFA and the PL have already come out with statements, FIFA is the organisation with the most veto power.

Again money. Premier League would lose the elite clubs and players. Cut your nose to spite your face, basically.

 

[Herschel Krustofsky]

We will end up with two different codes in football, like rugby. The European Super league will be much more Americanised: quarters, time outs, no offside etc.

You forgot the "Supergoal" as well!

 

[Snafu17]

I really can’t be arsed with football anymore if this is where it’s going. We’re supposed to play Leeds on Monday and it feels so pointless now.

Yup, United played well against Burnley, scored a late, great and an important goal in our efforts to seal 2nd place and I felt nothing, because 2nd now holds the exact same value as 9th apparently. The whole season feels and pretty much is completely pointless.

 

[Zen86]

I hope UEFA, FIFA, and the domestic leagues grow a backbone and throw the book at us, I really do. It’s a sad day for football

 

[pacifictheme]

Serious question: Doesn’t FIFA, as the governing body and leader of football, not have the power to shut this right down? Why can’t they just say “no European Super League at all costs, ever” and relegate every club who signed up to the 2nd tier, promoting as many clubs as necessary based on their finishing positions in the process?

Again, serious question, because while UEFA and the PL have already come out with statements, FIFA is the organisation with the most veto power.

As of now they haven't really done anything legally wrong I would guess.

 

[RedDevil@84]

The official statement is a joke They assume fans would be all for it without even consulting them once.

How many times was the word pyramid mentioned? As if it was supposed to mean something

 

[Ixion]

Kick City, Chelsea and Real out of the Champions League and award it to PSG (as horrible as they are). Kick us and Arsenal out of the Europa, let Villarreal and Roma play the final. Dock point and make sure West Ham, Everton and Leicester qualify for next year and start building up more "big" teams.

If they don't want to be part of the competitions then don't let them be.

 

[devilish]

You say this as if Spurs aren't the team that plays one of the worst styles of football in the league yet they will be in this ESL. Heck, even you play shite football half the time.

Spurs and Milan will stick out like a sore thumb. However United will not. The problem with us is that our style of game is unsuited for the catenaccio football played by most small EPL clubs.

However why worry? If the likes of Everton play such entertaining football then surely fans from all over the world will come to watch it. You don't need to piggy bank over the big six to attract money at your club.

 

[Sultan]

Relegation and promotion is a must to keep us fans interested and be successful.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Relegation and promotion is a must to keep us fans interested and be successful.

Yes, it would still be there. Just not meant for the "elite" clubs.

 

[Ixion]

Yes, it would still be there. Just not meant for the "elite" clubs.

Which makes it meaningless. A competition devoid of integrity.

 

[ROFLUTION]

There is nothing more boring than have a competition that allows 15 teams to be permanent members. It maybe exciting for year or two maybe, but then the interest would dwindle, because it is the same s**t again and again. Which means that the organizers would need to do things to make it interesting for the audience, especially the on screen audience who generate big revenue. Which means bringing "packaged entertainment" to the audience.
Actual football, though not in the second place, would just be only one part of the "entertainment package" to be put out there. There will be so much drama beyond that.

By packaged entertaining do you mean that the overall goal is to throw in commercials in the NFL? It's a valid concern, but I haven't heard that mentioned anywhere. I just don't know if it's necessary/something you would do, as long as the money keeps flowing in from revenues, and the goal is to make a more entertaining format than Champions League.

However I agree, it'll be less versatile that's for sure. The money will only go to the big clubs over a period of years, so the lesser clubs like Leicester will generate less money and have a tough time to compete in the long run, effectively making the gap between the 15/20 and the rest enormously big. It would probably also make the national leagues quite boring, as the gap of quality will continue to spread into that one.

 

[Nani Nana]

Relegation and promotion is a must to keep us fans interested and be successful.

Would only apply to 5 clubs apparently. Tottenham can stay forever

 

[Scholsey2004]

Dreadful, dreadful idea. A league where teams are selected because of their wealth as demonstrated by the inclusion of six english sides, where that wealth is protected from threats like relegation in a closed club based on a snapshot of who the biggest, richest clubs are right now. Tottenham selected as some kind of luminary despite not having won the league since 1961. Even the Tories find this offensive. The vast majority of sides and even European countries excluded. Absolutely insulting.

 

[GifLord]

I very much doubt it. Inter has a better manager and a way better squad then Everton and Villa.

That amazing manager got them nowhere in UCL 2 season's in a row - GS elimination. This season they're only winning the Serie A because of that potato of a manager Juve has

 

[youmeletsfly]

Money and quality wise, the ESL is a much better proposition than the fifa/uefa model.

However, the beauty of any competition is having the little teams surprise the big ones.

If they find a way to also invite other teams, like the UCL now does, the current competitions are in trouble.

Other than that, I don't see anything wrong with it. It's not like uefa and fifa haven't been corrupt as feck in the last 30 years.

 

[Nani Nana]

Money and quality wise, the ESL is a much better proposition than the fifa/uefa model.

However, the beauty of any competition is having the little teams surprise the big ones.

If they find a way to also invite other teams, like the UCL now does, the current competitions are in trouble.

Other than that, I don't see anything wrong with it. It's not like uefa and fifa haven't been corrupt as feck in the last 30 years.

Why?

 

[Sassy Colin]

It actually sounds really boring, if there's no relegation and promotion.

 

[Sultan]

Cricket fans will remember similar arguments against the T20, IPL, and Kerry Packer. Players clubs and national associations have had to relent and give permission for players to take part.

 

[Drainy]

Which makes it meaningless. A competition devoid of integrity.

I mean, in Rugby League I remember that the Huddersfield Giants weren't relegated for years despite the fact that they kept finishing bottom for commercial and infrastructure reasons. I'm sure that all the Super League wins still mean as much to the fans and the winners of it.