European Super League

Do you want the ESL to happen?

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    1,921
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A massive, massive own goal for us to leave the ECA at this early stage, complete stupidity. So that's that - we're not in the Champions League next season.

Notice how the others have not yet left, they will surely be allowed to participate if this falls apart. I can see these plans failing and we will be left with a massive custard pie on our faces. We're pinned our flag to the mast and we will go down with this ship..
 
stepic said:
seeing no one is reading the article, no it wouldn't affect our participation in the premier league. this would basically replace the CL.
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UEFA are saying that the founding member teams will be banned from all its affiliated competitions. That includes the premiere league.
 
crossy1686 said:
They're called for sheep for a reason my friend. Completely different sentiment if the media put out a positive story yesterday instead of a "football is dead" vibe. I can't believe people are this easily led to be honest
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Everybody was of the same opinion every time the idea has been floated for a couple of years, before any media reaction. People are also making valid points that aren't even being picked up on by the media.

Do you have an ulterior motive, are you a troll or do you just not understand football in the same way as the rest of us do?
 
JulesWinnfield said:
Yeah thats it, the super league is great because it is for some reason going to end discrimination. #ForTheFans #BLM #AbuDhabiCup2024

Embarassing people actually fall for that corporate nonsense. If yelling racial slurs was profitable these teams would have all the players doing it. There's no morality here.
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You reiterate my argument.
 
Adam-Utd said:
You really think all this planning will be shelved because a few people are unhappy?

These billionaires have all banded together to take the power for themselves. If the leagues kick them out then they'll just make their own.

All the top brass have been resigning from their UEFA positions, I don't think there is any going back.
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I fear this might be correct. Lots of things here spell out that they've taken the decision, and won't easily turn back. The website, the resignations, the JP Morgan bankrolling. If they have half-competent market analysis people the fan reaction won't surprise them, especially not after the response they got the last time the idea was floated. They know that UEFA's main response tools - throwing the clubs out of national leagues and banning players from international tournaments - is going to hurt UEFA, the national leagues and international tournaments more than it will hurt them, and therefore is not a very credible threat. And most likely, they'll have decided that if it comes to that, they can afford to go it alone. It's going to take a lot to stop this train.
 
JPOR said:
Have any players released statements yet? I think the longer they're silent, the worse it looks.

I'd fully support the first team threatening strike action and/or a mass exodus. Surely they have a legal right if they haven't been consulted.
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Players will be confused as feck right now. I expect hope they all come together along with the managers and take a stance against it.
 
Lynty said:
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.
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Amen.
 
duffer said:
He seems the type to go on a massive rant about this. Hope I'm right.
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Can't see him going too much against the will of the owners here to be honest, although I'm pretty sure that he himself is firmly against the idea.

Tom Van Persie said:
I'm an NFL and American sports fan. I follow NFL more than I follow footy these days and I know how much of a fecking joke this is. You can't compare the two sports. Totally different.
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Seconded.
 
Schneiderman said:
Everybody was of the same opinion every time the idea has been floated for a couple of years, before any media reaction. People are also making valid points that aren't even being picked up on by the media.

Do you have an ulterior motive, are you a troll or do you just not understand football in the same way as the rest of us do?
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He is a "Future Fan"
 
I am trying to wrap my head around two parallel problems with this new format.

1/ The rich clubs have effectively resigned from the Champions League and any other UEFA backed competitions. Why do I have a problem with this? One word.....Heritage. A large part of the appeal of football is the history of it. It throws every accomplishment (and failure) into context. I understand that changes need to be made but the risk of introducing a brand new format which isn't even based on sporting merit takes all the fun out of watching any games.

Some may say that the Premiership was an overhaul of the old Division One format but it was more of a gentle tweak rather than a full scale revolution. If your team won the Premership you could still say they were league champions and consider them amongst all the previous winners of the English league. This Super League will be nothing like that. It is radically different to anything we have had before and it seems that the big clubs are happy to draw a line under that European heritage and just follow the money.

It's akin to the FA limiting the FA Cup to the richest 10 teams in the country. You lose the sense of drama when a smaller European club shocks one of Europe's big teams.

2/ Many are saying it cannot happen but I disagree. There is a REAL RISK that domestic leagues will ban clubs from participating. They have even gone on record to confirm this. FIFA have also said they would ban players from participating in the World Cup. This is a consequence that we have to assume has been taken into account by the Super League clubs and either they feel it will never happen (safety in numbers) OR they are willing to accept that consequence which would be a massive betrayal of club supporters and I for one, would probably stop following the game from that point on.


Brighter minds than ours have already examined the possible impact and punitive costs of a breakaway league so perhaps this is only a first move in a chess game to force UEFA to the negotiating table?
 
crossy1686 said:
As a Manchester United fan, I honestly don't care what happens to Leeds, or MK Dons, or Bromma Pojkarna. Do you think they'd give a shit it we went into administration? Why is it our responsibility to pay them?
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Right. This is your problem.

This isn't JUST about United. This is an attack in football. You don't give a feck about lower teams? That says more about your elitism and arrogance than anything else.

Go off and enjoy your super league, I wish you the best and hope you enjoy it. The rest of us that have shed tears for this club and travelled to support them will continue with our disgust and heartbreak after being betrayed by our club.
 
BeforeKeanetherewasRobson said:
Buy them from where? The other clubs will be miles behind, possibly fold.

How does another Roy Keane happen if the little Irish club folds and Forest are part time say?

Where do we send our players on loan (like Henderson did, Beckham, etc)?

Can West Ham afford to buy, nurture another Declan Rice to have him grabbed by an ESL club?

Never mind cake and eat it. It's cake, eat it and you (the non ESL clubs) can fecking wash up.

I've been thinking about so many things about this and one hypothetical was the FA/PL saying "you can't have the ESL and play here, choose. And if you choose the ESL, you're kicked out immediately".

And thinking "good". After almost half a century of support, the Glazers could take me to the point I'm happy (sic) United get kicked out of a league I've grown up with.

Everyone's entitled to an opinion but for me, there is NOTHING good about the ESL
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Why would they fall behind and fold? The PL will still be handing out money, United still have to buy players from somewhere?

Who doesn't want the next Beckham on loan?

West Ham have already said Declan Rice is for sale at 'bank of England money', well guess who has bank of England money now?

What are West Ham going to do with that money is the important question. Will they feck it up? Will the invest wisely and win something? The money will change hands to these lower teams quite quickly as teams like United look to compete for the SL.

And it won't always be 18-21 year olds. No one wanted Grealish until now, Danny Ings isn't 18, sometimes it takes a while for a great player to surface
 
crossy1686 said:
My point answers both your points. Let's wait and see what the requirements for new entries are and you'll get your answer
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Ah yes, this hypothetical future where these 15 clubs may lose their guaranteed qualification.
 
Tom Van Persie said:
I'm an NFL and American sports fan. I follow NFL more than I follow footy these days and I know how much of a fecking joke this is. You can't compare the two sports. Totally different.
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Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to put all NFL fans together because there's plenty of those in the UK. But they understand the cultural differences and appreciate there's a different set-up.

His/her inability of comprehending why this is a bad thing is baffling.
 
Reditus said:
All eyes on Klopp this evening. Really hope he speaks out against it. If he does and the likes of Pep and Ole can follow. Maybe even some players too, this could be all over within a week
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If Ole AND the players speak out, I'm naming my firstborn after every single player that does. Good luck future kid.
 
BeforeKeanetherewasRobson said:
Everyone's joining in with the digs now.

Sure they're being funny but it just makes me sadder.

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Bs. This reminds me on Oscars when Will Smith's wife (can't remember her name) said that she will not come. And then Chris Rock replied to her; " You were not invited anyway".

Most of those clubs, who now try to hold moral ground, would accept invitation without question.
 
Obviously shit project but I`m honestly more laughing at most reactions and from what direction they`re coming from. It really is a depressing picture of the current football world.
You have a bunch of white collar sports journalists, TV broadcasters, politicians (fecking Boris Johnson of all people haha) and football officials scrambling and complaining that no one has asked their commercial interest, ehm I mean, *checks notes*, "the fans".

TV broadcasters trying to charge crazy sums during a pandemic, all the Sky and BT hounds sticking together, congratulating each other on great journalism when they were winding Klopp up in November on the scheduling matter, the different associations and political authorities not giving a feck for years on dubious owner- and sponsorships. But hey, suddenly professional football is a matter of solidarity and inclusion!
Good thing is that I don`t support a top club so I can just sit back and enjoy the show. Maybe its actually for the better in the end if it comes down to a big shake up instead of a continous slow transition of even more money and power to the big dogs.

However, one thing surprises me, why is PSG not amongst the 12? Bayern and Dortmund I can understand, the backlash they`d get from their fans would be insane and through membership they actually have some sort of power so I reckon Bayern will hope to maneuvre into the ESL without the opening drama. But PSG? Whats stopping them?
 
Nogbadthebad said:
This will turn into a circus.

You'll have United v Liverpool in Atlanta or Boston and all the rest.
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That is exactly where it is heading. United will play a couple of "home" games abroad a season, then 5, then half. Anyone that can't see that is blind. The local fans are not seen as useful to the growth of their "product" and will be phased out. And some folks on here are all for it.
 
Tom Cato said:
No there's no chance of that happening. The club will continue to adhere to the loan obligations and keep paying installments on the interest.

The debt will only be reduced, or paid, when the club changes ownership. As long as the club can manage its obligations there is no incentive to reduce it.
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You don't know this the same way I don't know the opposite, we will see in time.
 
There’s hundreds of reasons why this is a bad idea but I don’t understand the thing of “I only want to play Real rarely”. We play Liverpool every year and every year it’s massive. People are kidding themselves if they wont want to watch higher quality matches more regularly. It wouldn’t get boring on that front. The anti competition is the biggest issue.
 
Rolandofgilead said:
Right. This is your problem.

This isn't JUST about United. This is an attack in football. You don't give a feck about lower teams? That says more about your elitism and arrogance than anything else.

Go off and enjoy your super league, I wish you the best and hope you enjoy it. The rest of us that have shed tears for this club and travelled to support them will continue with our disgust and heartbreak after being betrayed by our club.
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Well said.
 
Tom Cato said:
Bayern München, the best ran club in world football.

Leave it to the Germans and French to show some spine.

Imagine being such impossible bellends that you make PSG out to be morally superior.
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Not sure about Bayern. Pretty sure Rummenigge was a fan of the Super League in the past and then made a reverse on that last year and backed the UCL model with changes. Wouldnt be surprised if they wait for the dust to settle and then join at some point. Kahn will take over soon, so will be interesting to see if they change their tune in the future.
 
crossy1686 said:
They're called for sheep for a reason my friend. Completely different sentiment if the media put out a positive story yesterday instead of a "football is dead" vibe. I can't believe people are this easily led to be honest
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Wow, has to be wumming.

He's woke and we're all sheeple following the MSM without any capacity for critical thought.
 
Rightnr said:
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to put all NFL fans together because there's plenty of those in the UK. But they understand the cultural differences and appreciate there's a different set-up.

His/her inability of comprehending why this is a bad thing is baffling.
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I'm sure he'll feel differently when our three European Cups mean feck all in 10-20 years along with our league titles when they eventually kill domestic football. How any true football supporter could be for this format is beyond me.
 
duffer said:
Did they not ask Ole about this post match yesterday? I didn't watch any post game stuff myself.
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he was kindve caught cold. News only broke as the game was starting so he just deflected the questions
 
I wonder what the players views on this are. Probably quite split between those who want the money and those who care for the domestic game. Certainly they won't have been consulted at any stage, same as the managers.

The best way to stop it from happening is fan revolt. It seems that over 90% of fans are against this idea, but it has to result in strikes against attending matches and buying merchandise to really hit the clubs. We've seen it happen in small protests before at our own club but it would have to be so much bigger to make any dent in the clubs finances.

Any competition that guarantees entry based on your clubs history or financial power will be the death of the sport. Arsenal are the easiest example of a club who qualify purely on this basis. There is nothing fair or sporting about letting the 9th best team in England qualify for anything above West Ham, Leicester or Everton, who have all out performed them this year through hard work and thoughtful planning. Even Spurs, who have won nothing of note in 30 years somehow qualify for this because they've got some money and a nice stadium.
 
Kasper said:
However, one thing surprises me, why is PSG not amongst the 12? Bayern and Dortmund I can understand, the backlash they`d get from their fans would be insane and through membership they actually have some sort of power so I reckon Bayern will hope to maneuvre into the ESL without the opening drama. But PSG? Whats stopping them?
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The World Cup 2022 is in Qatar. I think they don't wanna piss off FIFA already and they'll join after that.

Don't they also have some board members in FIFA executive functions? Not sure.
 
duffer said:
Did they not ask Ole about this post match yesterday? I didn't watch any post game stuff myself.
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Yeah they did, but he just batted them away.

In fairness, he probably knew as much as we did. The story only broke yesterday so this was probably only discussed by a select few on a need-to-know basis. No way were managers part of those discussions.
 
sullydnl said:
The gap in sponsorship between those who are successful and those who aren't is also reduced in a SL as the elite 15 have a guaranteed place regardless. The value sponsors gain from their team winning the SL as opposed to just taking their perpetually guaranteed place is many times smaller than that gained from winning the CL over failing to qualify.

They will get massive sponsorship deals even if they're finishing bottom of the SL, because they're forever guaranteed to be in it. They don't need to spend to make that money.
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As a sponsor, do you want to sponsor the best team in the SL or the worst? You can only pick one, what's your choice?
 
Reditus said:
he was kindve caught cold. News only broke as the game was starting so he just deflected the questions
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That fair.

Although you'd like to think if the club have been in talks for months, it would not be a surprise to him, even if it was just someone telling him "you're going to get asked about this, here's what's happening".
 
crossy1686 said:
I think that's because Dortmund don't want to though?
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Point is, who decides the criteria? It's just money. Take money out of it and Id say Schalke and HSV would even be better candidates than Leipzig.

It's just a big fat feck you to fans of all, but these 12 clubs. Upsets like Leicester winning the title or Porto winning the CL or comebacks where a club escapes certainr elegation is what makes football great. Now they just remove relegation and promotion in favor of these few clubs getting richer and richer and richer until it's all about 12 clubs.

Im sure it will be a commercial success mind you, but it sounds fecking soulles.

Unless Feyenoord can join, then I'm all in. :wenger:
 
Reditus said:
I dont want to see any clubs go out of business. I dont care who they are

I imagine most football fans feel the same
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Of course, I don't either and you have to feel for the fans, but this isn't going to happen so I don't understand why people are losing their shit over it.
 
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