European Super League

[Botim]

They have ruined football. They will dominate and can not be caught. It has accelerated in the last five years and will become an inevitability.

There is literally 0 reason to believe this. Yes, every era has dominant teams, but no matter how rich and unbeatable a team is, this never lasts.

In the decade before PSG came along, Lyon won 7 titles (and came 2nd twice). Before Juve won 9 in a row, Inter won 5 in a row.

Also, why isn't Bayern and Juve winning 9 titles in a row a problem? Because they've earned their own money? It's still monopolising and destroying any opposition. The PL has never been more interesting than in the last ten years, imo.

Man City and Chelsea are the reason that Arsenal are no longer a massive club. They are the reason Villa will never finish above 6th. They are the reason Tottenham never truly established themselves as a genuine title challenger.

okay then, if that's what you really believe.

Because Villa were obviously top 5 regulars before City came along? Their PL finishes in the 5 years before the Mansour take-over: 11th - 16th - 10th - 6th - 16th
And Tottenham were battling it out for the title every year? If anything, they came closest when both City and Chelsea were already taken over (and blew it like they always do).

 

[giorno]

Step 1 of any superleague idea to make it workable and palatable to the masses: don't make it a closed circle

Create actual, good rules to allow everyone at least the illusion of the chance to play in it

Then throw money at the domestic leagues until they cave and change to make way for it

Finally, feck off UEFA

 

[Wumminator]

There is literally 0 reason to believe this. Yes, every era has dominant teams, but no matter how rich and unbeatable a team is, this never lasts.

In the decade before PSG came along, Lyon won 7 titles (and came 2nd twice). Before Juve won 9 in a row, Inter won 5 in a row.

Also, why isn't Bayern and Juve winning 9 titles in a row a problem? Because they've earned their own money? It's still monopolising and destroying any opposition. The PL has never been more interesting than in the last ten years, imo.



okay then, if that's what you really believe.

Because Villa were obviously top 5 regulars before City came along? Their PL finishes in the 5 years before the Mansour take-over: 11th - 16th - 10th - 6th - 16th
And Tottenham were battling it out for the title every year? If anything, they came closest when both City and Chelsea were already taken over (and blew it like they always do).

Where were Villa before Chelsea come along?

Its shit when any league isn’t competitive. Look at the Bundesliga now. Abysmal. As is Ligue Un.

 

[Oly Francis]

Doesn't look like it at all..

 

[Paxi]

It’ll not happen with English clubs. No matter how much Perez and co want it to. City and Chelsea were there last time from FOMO and they severely misread the room. They don’t actually need the money at all and they were the first ones to bail. Now they can be white knights opposing this and the public and fans will love them for it. Without those two, without one of them no English clubs will join. I think foreign fans don’t realise the furore it caused here the first time.

They had one shot and they shot. It’s gone. It’s seen as something inherently wrong and against the spirit of the game. Good luck changing that perception.

 

[The Irish Connection]

Exactly. And everyone with an ounce of sanity can see it. You bought freely for years and if this is now the outcome then you should have to deal with that for whatever time it takes to get back in your feet. Fairly. Otherwise it makes a mockery of other teams being relegated etc for financial reasons

Well said. I think it points more and more at the oil clubs too. They need to be punished heavily. The rest have had to scramble to keep up with them and now look where it has left them. Theyre constantly inflating the market and yet they can cheat ffp and get away with it. They are the reason behind the esl.
if city go and spend 150 million on Kane after a covid year and claim that the money is all organic then it will be another crime.
I hope the premier league punish them properly but it probably won’t happen as they can lawyer their way out of it.

 

[Dr. StrangeHate]

What fans? I haven’t seen many change their opinions? It is and remains a competition to further the big clubs. It’s an unfair competition which would allow those big clubs to buy from the smaller clubs repeatedly. To then play against each other 6 times a season. What is the point in that for fans?

Fans of the big clubs, the whole reason they are big clubs is because they have the biggest fan following.

 

[golden_blunder]

Fans of the big clubs, the whole reason they are big clubs is because they have the biggest fan following.

But which ones specifically are you referring to because I haven’t seen fans of the Manchester clubs, or Liverpool change their minds? So I’m wondering who you specifically are referring to?

 

[Paxi]

Fans of the big clubs, the whole reason they are big clubs is because they have the biggest fan following.

And the big clubs underestimated the local support or legacy fans.They’re the ones with season tickets and they’re the ones that will cancel games.

 

[Dr. StrangeHate]

But which ones specifically are you referring to because I haven’t seen fans of the Manchester clubs, or Liverpool change their minds? So I’m wondering who you specifically are referring to?

I mainly know fans of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. They all are open to it, even more open are the casual fans as they would love to see Real Madrid vs United several times a year.

 

[KennyBurner]

It’ll not happen with English clubs. No matter how much Perez and co want it to. City and Chelsea were there last time from FOMO and they severely misread the room. They don’t actually need the money at all and they were the first ones to bail. Now they can be white knights opposing this and the public and fans will love them for it. Without those two, without one of them no English clubs will join. I think foreign fans don’t realise the furore it caused here the first time.

They had one shot and they shot. It’s gone. It’s seen as something inherently wrong and against the spirit of the game. Good luck changing that perception.

Chelsea and City have never wanted the Super League. Why strengthen those spanish clubs who are rivals when they can use the opportunity to try and dominate for the next 10 years?

 

[Paxi]

Chelsea and City have never wanted the Super League. Why strengthen those spanish clubs who are rivals when they can use the opportunity to try and dominate for the next 10 years?

Exactly. I don’t see one single reason as to why they’d carry on with it. There is no need for them.

 

[golden_blunder]

I mainly know fans of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. They all are open to it, even more open are the casual fans as they would love to see Real Madrid vs United several times a year.

Not the feedback we get in here.
Casual fans can go jump

 

[Pintu]

Well said. I think it points more and more at the oil clubs too. They need to be punished heavily. The rest have had to scramble to keep up with them and now look where it has left them. Theyre constantly inflating the market and yet they can cheat ffp and get away with it. They are the reason behind the esl.

I am certainly no Abu Dhabi fan but they didn't cheat. They used the massive loopholes in FFP. The only spending cap in FFP is revenue and when you have a state behind you there is no limits to what kind of revenue you can artificially generate. UEFA trying to invalidate sponsorship from various Emirati/Qatari groups was never going to stand in court. Uefa can't prove that Etihad was directed by Mansoor to give City that deal.

The only FFP that can work and increase competitiveness is a real salary cap. Capping the transfer fees and the wages that can be given to one single player.

 

[Paxi]

Not the feedback we get in here.
Casual fans can go jump

Definitely not the feedback from my mates on Facebook (Irish)— all opposed it.

 

[Ikon]

It’s an unfair competition which would allow those big clubs to buy from the smaller clubs repeatedly. To then play against each other 6 times a season. What is the point in that for fans?

It will be as boring as watching paint dry, but these Johnny come lately types just don't seem to grasp that football, any sport, is exciting only because of the competitiveness and the element of risk.
Someone said they would like to see United play Real Madrid 6 times a year.
I wouldn't, that would be absolutely dire, there would be nothing special about the occasion at all.
So, what if Real hammered United every time they met, would you still like this fixture 6 times a year?
These are all dead rubber exhibition games, any interest from casual day tripper fans will soon evaporate, just as it will with 'legacy' fans that have been switched onto it.
Then what unholy carnage will you be left with?

 

[Paxi]

It will be as boring as watching paint dry, but these Johnny come lately types just don't seem to grasp that football, any sport, is exciting only because of the competitiveness and the element of risk.
Someone said they would like to see United play Real Madrid 6 times a year.
I wouldn't, that would be absolutely dire, there would be nothing special about the occasion at all.
So, what if Real hammered United every time they met, would you still like this fixture 6 times a year?
These are all dead rubber exhibition games, any interest from casual day tripper fans will soon evaporate, just as it will with 'legacy' fans that have been switched onto it.
Then what unholy carnage will you be left with?

It’s not going to happen. Even if ESL’s rules get amended so it’s not a closed shop. As if we’re meant to believe that likes or Real Madrid, Juve and Barca would lose relegation from their own competition. It will still be a closed shop in all but name. You’re right, there is no jeopardy in that and therefore no excitement. American owners like Henry and Glazers failed to understand and yet they still tried to push this but I severely doubt that they’ll try again after the enormous blowback they got a few months back. They’ll be signing their own death warrant. No amount of profit is worth it, if you’ll have no club left to run.

 

[golden_blunder]

It will be as boring as watching paint dry, but these Johnny come lately types just don't seem to grasp that football, any sport, is exciting only because of the competitiveness and the element of risk.
Someone said they would like to see United play Real Madrid 6 times a year.
I wouldn't, that would be absolutely dire, there would be nothing special about the occasion at all.
So, what if Real hammered United every time they met, would you still like this fixture 6 times a year?
These are all dead rubber exhibition games, any interest from casual day tripper fans will soon evaporate, just as it will with 'legacy' fans that have been switched onto it.
Then what unholy carnage will you be left with?

I totally agree. Excitement comes from wondering who you’re going to play, maybe even playing someone you haven’t before. 6 times a season becomes a dead duck. I’d probably turn off

 

[Nevilles.Wear.Prada]

I totally agree. Excitement comes from wondering who you’re going to play, maybe even playing someone you haven’t before. 6 times a season becomes a dead duck. I’d probably turn off

yes.. Simply means head to head once every 5 weeks considering a season last upto 8 months. Crazy

 

[stevoc]

I agree re city and Chelsea but it doesn’t mean we just let madrid and Barca off the hook for their own failures over many years. Madrid didn’t give a bollock about anyone else, using their media mouthpieces to unsettle everyone’s players. Why should we give a bollock about them? Let them go back to basics, generate and save like most other teams on the planet.

as for oil money well it needs to be talked about with regards to carefully monitoring their spending etc. I don’t know, don’t have the answer . Giving them more money in a SL isn’t the answer.

oh even with their 100m player they still got beaten yesterday

I pretty much agree mate, Barca and Real are suffering for their reckless spending over the last 10 years. Some of that will be down to trying to keep up with City and PSG but with Real at least they were doing it 20 years ago so they would probably be doing it regardless.

I hate the SL idea but I think one thing it would have done was reign in City's spending as they would have had to agree to strict salary and financial limits to gain entry.

 

[golden_blunder]

I pretty much agree mate, Barca and Real are suffering for their reckless spending over the last 10 years. Some of that will be down to trying to keep up with City and PSG but with Real at least they were doing it 20 years ago so they would probably be doing it regardless.

I hate the SL idea but I think one thing it would have done was reign in City's spending as they would have had to agree to strict salary and financial limits to gain entry.

But by expanding others, including 2 Spanish teams who’d splash the cash if they had more. I honestly don’t see a bad idea being the cure for another bad idea. They are just 2 bad ideas together that need something different, a different approach to money management

 

[BlackShark_80]

Summary:

• the Flint consulting agency have first-class contacts with parliamentarians and authorities. Their specialty is discreetly »paving the way« for difficult projects.
• This summer, the company with offices in Brussels and London applied for a particularly delicate contract: They are supposed to unhinge international professional football. The football clubs Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus Turin want to found a European Super League. Yes still.
• Pérez and his people really want to push through the Super League. And the Flint agency wants to help them with that. They have designed a strategy how the league could still be successful against all odds.
• Spiegel had access to the agency's first draft. The paper has ten pages and is entitled "Preparing the way for the Super League: the strategy for reconstruction, reset - and victory".
• Flint promises to launch a campaign that will be "bulletproof" against attacks of all Super League opponents
• The legal experts from Flint see chances of a victory in front of the European Court of Justice, which would then legitimize the Super League by the highest court. But just winning in court, without conquering the "hearts and minds" of fans and opinion leaders, will not be enough, according to Flint
• The company plans to reverse the negative image of the Super League. With »discreet events« and »briefings for selected politicians, EU bureaucrats and journalists«. The aim is to take away the worries of decision-makers.
• Flint lists important persons who should be influenced: the people of Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, EU parliamentarians with a connection to football like Tomasz Frankowski, media people like EU correspondents of the Financial Times and the FAZ
• Flint experts point out in their paper that it makes no sense to try again with a league that opposes this principle of European football (pro/rel, open to all). Fans and politics would run into storm again.
• the flagship product should be the Super League, there could also be a Super League 2 as a compromise. Promotion and relegation should be possible between these leagues.
• the agency confirmed to SPIEGEL that it had received the Super League mandate from the clubs.

 

[gorky_utd]

Just ban these 3 clubs from UCL for 2 season and allow us to sign Mbappe or Haaland.

 

[Teja]

Seems like there are a couple of different issues here:

1. The Spanish / Italian teams can't compete with the PL money and just want more money somehow. They can't join the PL, so either they go through the organic process of branding / improving La Liga and making it more interesting to watch or they fall forever behind the English clubs.

2. The non oil, big English teams hate the lottery that is the CL. A couple of bad years + missing out on CL will reduce TV revenues, sponsorship and make it even harder to compete against the clubs that do make it. Leads to a negative feedback loop.

3. The oil teams (CFC, City) don't have an incentive beyond solidifying their status in football. RM, Barca, Utd etc. are football royalty and they want the same level of prestige. If every traditional big club breaks away from their domestic league, their brand value will drop. PL will be a glorified SPL if City / Chelsea are the only two big clubs left.

#1 is the hardest to solve and yet instead of putting in the hard work to make La Liga more interesting, RM / Barca are being selfish dicks as usual.

#2 All UEFA has to do is to give the PL another guaranteed CL spot and the world would be fine for the PL clubs. Maybe the PL should also step in and give clubs that missed out on CL a bit of extra cash to make up the difference - they do this for the clubs relegated to the championship for instance.

#3 Being rich is nice, the future looks rosy for oil $$.

 

[Hulksmash]

UEFA Just need to ban Juventus , Barcelona and Real Madrid

 

[Camara]

• Flint experts point out in their paper that it makes no sense to try again with a league that opposes this principle of European football (pro/rel, open to all). Fans and politics would run into storm again

So it only took some million-euro-paid consultants for them to get this memo?
At this point this is basically a reform of the Champions League with even more perks for the rich clubs.

The league itself if open would be more acceptable but it is way less flexible to newcomers as in the current system only the winner of competition is guaranteed to participate next year (the rest comes from other competitions).
By making it a league it means only 2 or 3 new clubs could join the following year, basically entrenching all the current rich clubs and only a disaster could make them drop from the league.
Poorer clubs would just be the jesters that appear occasionally.

 

[R'hllor]

Will these cnuts feck off already

 

[Gary_Walsh_Nou_Camp_Hell]

Who gives a feck if they're broke.

 

[diarm]

Feck banning Madrid, Barca and Juve. We're finally building a squad that can compete and I don't want to be winning a CL with an asterisk like Liverpool's last title.

 

[crossy1686]

We could do with world wide legislation into renewable energy. Shove your oil up your arse

 

[TheGame]

Quite amazing Real Madrid being broke and then offering insane cash for Mbappe with a year left on his contract. You would think they were taking the mick with their previous comments. Surely not.

 

[Hulksmash]

Next Proposal in January. Juventus Barca and Real are making changes to the Super League:


- There are two scenarios that the clubs are considering. - The first would see three clubs relegated from SuperLeague1 to SuperLeague2, with two teams promoted from SuperLeague 2 and one wild card.


- The second option is something more similar to the current Champions League, but only for the Super League2, to which clubs would qualify thanks to their results in the national leagues. So, the Super League2 would change every year with 17 new clubs and three clubs relegated from the SuperLeague 1.

 

[BlackShark_80]

 

[Pexbo]

So let me get this straight, there’s only 3 teams SL1 at the moment: Real, Barca and Juve, and they’re all proposing that there is 3 relegation slots.

 

[Pronewbie]

I'm all for pressuring UEFA into giving back more money to the clubs.

Anyway this whole thing sounds like free-wheeling capitalism vs socialism. In the current climate I can't see the Super League happening. Certainly not in this revision as it will still severely hobble the national leagues.

 

[redshaw]

The English mentioned pyramids, we'll show them a pyramid then.

 

[Lynty]

If they want it to be successful, the reins need to be taken off Madrid and Barca - as they've destroyed La Liga for their own benefit and now want to jump ship because they've mismanaged their own finances. It what world are these two teams qualified to be founders of a new competition.

 

[adexkola]

I'm designing a trebuchet that catapults human beings into a vat of highly concentrated H2SO4

 

[carvajal]

So let me get this straight, there’s only 3 teams SL1 at the moment: Real, Barca and Juve, and they’re all proposing that there is 3 relegation slots.

There will be no better occasion to send Barcelona to the second division

 

[Ish]

Kill it with fire.