If a European Super League was established, would you stop watching/supporting football?

[Mr Anderson]

Ya it would end it for me. It’s dressed up and shown to be a big money making move. No thought process behind it.

it’s utter top end Greed.

UEFA coming out with the ban hammer threat also annoys me though. They think they have the god given right to do what they please - when they were as rotten to the core as FIFA

 

[Focusmate]

All that history and pride for league titles, FA Cups and European trophies and all those proud moments, wiped out by some plastic trophy with no history.

The draw of earning a big European tie against Barcelona or Juventus gone, you will have meaningless games against them every season now.

And the PL, completely worthless without its biggest and best clubs.

This would be it for me, I would have to find a new hobby. Everything I love about football would be officially gone.

Exactly this - It would become as meaningful as one of those summer comps with no history - I just wouldnt care enough to watch

 

[SwedishFish]

Honestly, I think if you look at the Champions League as the prime example. All joy has been sucked out of it, no one possibly believes that you can actually establish yourself in there out of nowhere on a level sporting field.

The evolution of oil teams in the 2010s and the lack of enactment on FFP rules are what have caused this for UEFA. They've really fecked it for themselves.

The Champions League in what it is today is pure greed. I don't think replacing that with a super league would make any difference to me in reality.

However, if you'd take away the Premier League and the FA Cup then that would really drain the love of United for me.

 

[Buchan]

I would passively follow football in general in that event but I think I’d be done with United to be honest.

 

[Crustanoid]

Hard one to answer. I actually preferred the old trio of European trophies with the cup winners cup. It didn’t seem to matter which one you were in - just felt exciting playing non-English clubs for a few matches a season. I think this would be overkill.

A better idea would be a breakaway with Chelsea, City and PSG playing each other in an eternal round robin. They would effectively be excluded from the other competitions and we could all get back to enjoying football again. They could even have a cup comp for their new league called El Plastico, which involves Chelsea, City and PSG playing each other in an eternal round robin. If another state or oligarch turns up and buys a club they can join the unholy trinity in their plastic comp.

 

[sullydnl]

In general I'm against the Super League but what I would say is that when I look at the CL and see the likes of PSG, City and Chelsea in the semis (and a team like Leipzig last year too) along with no prospect of them being hindered in their artificial spending going forward then I also feel less interested in that competition, so it's not like the Super League is suddenly killing something beautiful. If it was a trade off between that ongoing version of the CL and a new competition which is unfair in a different way (but actually managed to restrict the artificial clubs to competitive spending) then it wouldn't bother me that much in net terms.

It's the damage to the domestic league that's unacceptable to my mind. But even then it's less likely that I'd dramatically stop watching football and more that it would take up a smaller part of my life as other things hold my interest more and more.

 

[Drygon]

This is 1992 all over again. People will still be invested in football.I'd watch but I won't pay subs. Cancelling Sky/BT was the best thing I did in recent years.

What do you mean?

I was born in the late 1990s. I always believed the Premier League was a rebranding of the English First Division.

 

[Brightonian]

I couldn't stop watching football but I'd switch to watch a club outside the super-league. Might be hard to support another English team so maybe I'd watch exclusively German football (think none of them have signed up, right?) at least for a season or two until it became clear how the dust was going to settle. I won't give my money or support to this cash grab.

 

[Mr. Meeseeks]

Given the limited options in the poll I voted ‘no’ but that doesn’t mean that I like the idea.

No one has ever asked for this. This is a terrible idea that is likely to ruin football as it has established itself to be.

No one in their right mind would give this ‘super league’ any legitimacy so why do it? It would be to the detriment of the clubs involved.

 

[lsd]

I barely watch it now so perhaps something has to change. The premiership is boring and you couldn't pay me to watch a game United are not involved in or listen to any analysis even during a United game.

 

[Tincanalley]

I’ll continue to support St. Pats. Would probably be finished watching English football though.

Yes the questions are wrong.
The poll should be. Would I support Man Utd in the event of superleague, them leaving Prem.

 

[Tincanalley]

Lets not be too cute here, please.

 

[Tincanalley]

Given the limited options in the poll I voted ‘no’ but that doesn’t mean that I like the idea.

No one has ever asked for this. This is a terrible idea that is likely to ruin football as it has established itself to be.

No one in their right mind would give this ‘super league’ any legitimacy so why do it? It would be to the detriment of the clubs involved.

Poll is wrong

 

[Ekkie Thump]

If Leeds were in it (ha), I'd stop watching. Since they aren't I'd still watch Leeds. I'd try to give the super league as wide a berth as possible though.

 

[Terminator]

Nope, I dont care. I'll watch United play anyways

 

[Nickosaur]

Brighton are my second team as i spent 5 years there. I watch them enough as it is so I guess they would become my first team. But feck me would I become very disenchanted with the sport. Wouldn't be the same.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

Football feels dead if this happens. English football would be ruined. I may still watch swedish football though.

 

[el3mel]

I will watch United games out of habit only, but my interest in the sport will go down hill, and honestly, won't care anymore about our results.

 

[JB7]

At the top yes. I'd continue watching my local non league team but the season ticket at United would be got rid of immediately.

 

[Pexbo]

If it's a breakaway from the Premier League (with all the devastation that would cause to football in this country), then yes, I'd probably pack it in.

If it is a Champions League replacement, with Premier League football continuing as normal, then I'd try to stick it out.

The Premier League won’t be carrying on as usual though.

Champions League and Europa League spots are integral motivators and keep the EPL competitive. What happens when there is no qualification for the Super League? What happens when 3/4 of the teams in the Super League are not in with a shout of winning the title so they focus on their super league fixtures instead and don’t care if they come 3rd, 12th or 17th?

 

[AltiUn]

I would passively follow football in general in that event but I think I’d be done with United to be honest.

Me too, we're fast becoming an overseas American franchise and I'm sick to my stomach at the thought of it.

 

[RedDevil@84]

No. Me watching football has nothing to do with who is making the money. If that was the case, would have stopped supporting the club and league long back.

The only way I stop watching football games, when they kill the entertainment factor and become some kind of circus with cheerleaders, dance and all and you can't even be sure if matches are actually played or being orchestrated by the competition owners

 

[red_de_pologne]

It would divide football into two worlds, can imagine some players would still want to play in the OG competitions. I would definitely lose a lot of passion in supporting United, would still watch both super league and premier league but more as a neutral.

 

[TheRedDevil2019]

I wouldn't stop watching football, but i don't think I could support another club either, my heart is United. I would probably continue to watch games as a neutral until the day United come to their senses and leave that European nonsense league.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

I'd stop following united

 

[11101]

No. I'll go against the grain in saying I'm not totally against the ESL idea.

Football and the Premier League are screwed beyond recognition at the moment and desperately need a kick up the arse to change themselves.

On a slightly less serious note, anything has got to be better than watching the likes of Burnley kick us off the pitch each week.

 

[rhajdu]

I wouldn't care about a European Super League, but I would still follow Manchester United in the domestic competitions. Sometimes I would watch the matches in ESL too, I guess.

The whole situation got out of hand when Manchester City and PSG appeared. I know that Chelsea might be in the same bracket, but I felt that it shaked up the league a little bit. It was the beginning of a new era, but at that time I didn't realised it and I got used to them by now. The ESL wouldn't change too much as hardly anyone has the chance to catch up with the big boys except if a big daddy buys the club. As I heard Newcastle might be the next golden boy in that regard.

In my opinion, every club will struggle to keep pace with the likes of Manchester City. I would rather accept the European Super League than become one of them and just play out who can spend the most money. The ethos of Manchester United is our Academy Players, and that should remain in the hearth of the club.

By the way, does anyone remember Málaga FC? What happened to them?

 

[RedBanker]

Would change nothing. Funny to see corrupt UEFA getting their panties in a wad over the ESL. Simply worried they won't get their cut. Well what about FFP, oil clubs and other shit UEFA? United till I die.

 

[adexkola]

Shit poll

 

[lysglimt]

Would watch it - but with a lot less interest

 

[Longshanks]

No. I'll go against the grain in saying I'm not totally against the ESL idea.

Football and the Premier League are screwed beyond recognition at the moment and desperately need a kick up the arse to change themselves.

On a slightly less serious note, anything has got to be better than watching the likes of Burnley kick us off the pitch each week.

Isnt that the beauty of the game though, that a club like Burnley with a much much smaller budget smaller less talented squad can come and give us a real game it's the narrative that football is built on, that whatever happens it is always 11 men against 11men and anyone can beat anyone.

Money has ruined the game enough, the CL is so plastic these days it used to be competitive where every team was a challenge but now it's a handful of teams that dominate it year on year, that get helpful draws because of a ridiculous seeding system. The oil clubs have inflated the transfer market so much that only them can realistcly buy the very best talent anymore I think we are getting to a point where at the very top the clubs are basically pricing themselves out of being able to make money and be competitive.

 

[JohnnyKills]

In general I'm against the Super League but what I would say is that when I look at the CL and see the likes of PSG, City and Chelsea in the semis (and a team like Leipzig last year too) along with no prospect of them being hindered in their artificial spending going forward then I also feel less interested in that competition, so it's not like the Super League is suddenly killing something beautiful. If it was a trade off between that ongoing version of the CL and a new competition which is unfair in a different way (but actually managed to restrict the artificial clubs to competitive spending) then it wouldn't bother me that much in net terms.

It's the damage to the domestic league that's unacceptable to my mind. But even then it's less likely that I'd dramatically stop watching football and more that it would take up a smaller part of my life as other things hold my interest more and more.

Good Post.

 

[11101]

Isnt that the beauty of the game though, that a club like Burnley with a much much smaller budget smaller less talented squad can come and give us a real game it's the narrative that football is built on, that whatever happens it is always 11 men against 11men and anyone can beat anyone.

Money has ruined the game enough, the CL is so plastic these days it used to be competitive where every team was a challenge but now it's a handful of teams that dominate it year on year, that get helpful draws because of a ridiculous seeding system. The oil clubs have inflated the transfer market so much that only them can realistcly buy the very best talent anymore I think we are getting to a point where at the very top the clubs are basically pricing themselves out of being able to make money and be competitive.

Its said in jest, but i do think the game would be better off without teams like Burnley that set out to kill the game.

To the main point of the ESL breakaway. The old leagues have pushed it for so long with their greed and corruption, its inevitable this will happen eventually, whether it's the ESL or something else. For everybody saying this is all about greed, what do you think 70 quid football shirts are? Sky and Bt sharing tv rights? 15 quid games during Covid? I wont go against anything that upsets the established order in football which is rotten to the core.

 

[Powderfinger]

The whole premise of the OP is just wrong.

Say what you will about it, the point of the Super League is not to replace domestic competition but to replace the Champions League. The clubs involved would still participate in their domestic leagues (the threat to kick them out is completely non-credible). The main effect would be that they would be even more advantaged vis-a-vis domestic opponents not in the Super League.

The whole thing is about greedy billionaires fighting with other greedy billionaires about dividing up the pie of football money.

 

[KirkDuyt]

I prefer international football anyway. Club football is boring. Whoever has most money wins, big fecking whoop.

 

[Yagami]

You're not the boss of me now
You're not the boss of me now
And you're not so big

 

[GBBQ]

It’ll definitely be another piece of connective tissue severed but this has been the most engaging post SAF team and I think I’d still keep tabs on the likes of Rashford Bruno and Shaw. It will become hollow though and I’m sure I’ll be less and less emotionally involved.

Having said that it’ll probably grow a whole new generation of fans and we’ll all be the old dinosaurs grumbling about how the beautiful game used to be played.

 

[Fanta Stick]

I'd stop following united

That should have been the poll.

 

[Bestofthebest]

I watch less Utd matches nowadays because I don’t have both Sky and Virgin TV so only watch Virgin matches. I do get to see some Sky matches with a friend but with COVID this has become more difficult. I watch plenty of Bundesliga and other European league games and find it less stressful than watching Utd. However, if this league comes about I will stop watching football altogether. Can’t really be bothered with European Cup type chess matches every week.

 

[RedStarUnited]

What do you mean?

I was born in the late 1990s. I always believed the Premier League was a rebranding of the English First Division.

Not really. The top teams in the old division one wanted a larger share of the money and increased revenues from TV deals (same thing driving this now). They actually threatened to leave the league back then too but were dissuaded and then FA formed the Premier League.

The Premier League won’t be carrying on as usual though.

Champions League and Europa League spots are integral motivators and keep the EPL competitive. What happens when there is no qualification for the Super League? What happens when 3/4 of the teams in the Super League are not in with a shout of winning the title so they focus on their super league fixtures instead and don’t care if they come 3rd, 12th or 17th?

Money is, not the competition per se. It's the never ending circle of teams supposedly wanting to do well to get in to Europe, get into Europe then not have the squad to cope therefore concentrate on the league in order to get back into Europe again.