Breakaway European Super League

[thebillfella]

Absolutely disgusting if true:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56794673

Senior Uefa figures are furious that 11 major European clubs, including five from England, have signed up to a breakaway European Super League. BBC Sport was told last week of plans for some sort of confirmation about a European Super League.

Uefa hoped to head off plans with a new-look 36-team Champions League set to be confirmed on Monday. Uefa said it will use "all measures available" to stop the "cynical project" of a breakaway Super League.

Can't believe any of the rumored clubs have signed letters of intent to join this - another nail in the coffin of the fundamental principals of the game. Pure greed decisions made by money men with zero interest in the game. Will be interesting to see if this one gets quashed quickly due to the uproar it's clearly already causing on social media...

[bluenosey]

Totally agree Bill.

Apparently an announcement tonight.

[quizking]

Statement due any moment now.
Greedy League - that's what i'm calling it, the greedy league.
Everyone against so far, FIFA, UEFA, governements, every national organisation and the ECA too.
Another point not mentioned so far - sky and many broadcasters already have long running contracts which these clubs will de facto be breaking - court cases pending no doubt.

[Darbyand]

From a United perspective this is interesting. Ferguson still on the board, and a big voice United fans listen to, but ignored by the owners.


Super League plans have gone down so badly Ferguson and Neville have effectively broken ranks and denounced the Glazers today. About 16 years too late and both have little to lose but they've cottoned on. None of the Glazer siblings have been to an #mufc game in two years.


https://twitter.com/samuelluckhurst/sta ... 27816?s=19

[murf]

If I'm agreeing with Neville and Ferguson then it must be a bad idea!

Could be a good thing that (clubs from) only 3 countries are signed up.

[quizking]

Yes, Bundesliga clubs for example have 49% fans representation, so they weren't going to vote for this. No statement as yet tonight from the greedy league, was meant to have been released over an hour ago. Possible second thoughts after backlash?

[forestfan]

It would destroy the football pyramid and wider professional game, as I’ve said before, there’s no point having any interest in a team that can’t theoretically get to the very top, so everyone else might as well just shut up shop if it happens.

And in practical terms, a closed shop league only works with drafts and salary caps, otherwise the same teams end up at the bottom year after year with no hope of improving. How do they plan to address that?

Only possible positive could be the demise of FIFA and UEFA as a result. But an all-out war could tear the game apart, and maybe even result in a rugby union/league style split.

[Darbyand]

Here's the announcement
https://twitter.com/MiguelDelaney/statu ... 80840?s=19

[quizking]

Greedy league statement just published as above; 12 founding clubs plus 3 more soon, league to have 20 members, those 15 plus 5 to qualify - "plan" to have midweek fixtures.
No date for inaugural greedy league to start but they say will be as soon as practicable.

Details so far;

20 participating clubs with 15 Founding Clubs and a qualifying mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based on achievements in the prior season.
Midweek fixtures with all participating clubs continuing to compete in their respective national leagues, preserving the traditional domestic match calendar which remains at the heart of the club game.
An August start with clubs participating in two groups of ten, playing home and away fixtures, with the top three in each group automatically qualifying for the quarter finals.
Teams finishing fourth and fifth will then compete in a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final positions. A two-leg knockout format will be used to reach the final at the end of May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue.

[Darbyand]

Joel Glazer vice-President. No limits to the depths these scumbags will take our club to.

[forestfan]

Agree with Gary Neville in terms of banning/deducting points from those involved immediately. We can send Leicester, West Ham, Everton and Leeds to the CL next season. And tell the players to rip up their contracts if they want to play in Euro 2020+1 as well.

[quizking]

Agree with Gary Neville in terms of banning/deducting points from those involved immediately. We can send Leicester, West Ham, Everton and Leeds to the CL next season. And tell the players to rip up their contracts if they want to play in Euro 2020+1 as well.

... and with Sancho (if fit) and Bellingham, wouldn't be a bad England team at all this summer.

UEFA statement just now -

"Every club and player participating in the Super League could be banned from all UEFA and FIFA competitions, European or International level".

[The Real Slim Shady]

Madness.

[forestfan]

Agree with Gary Neville in terms of banning/deducting points from those involved immediately. We can send Leicester, West Ham, Everton and Leeds to the CL next season. And tell the players to rip up their contracts if they want to play in Euro 2020+1 as well.

... and with Sancho (if fit) and Bellingham, wouldn't be a bad England team at all this summer.

UEFA statement just now -

"Every club and player participating in the Super League could be banned from all UEFA and FIFA competitions, European or International level".

And presumably domestic leagues under UEFA’s jurisdiction would follow suit?

[quizking]

One would hope so. many changes over the next few hours and days - even minutes, this online already:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Super_League

... I'm sure that will be updated and emended furiously. I'm also sure that as mentioned earlier, holders of broadcast rights for the main leagues involved won't be letting this lie. New greedy league rights involved with J P Morgan; I had read earlier that DAZN (who stream lots of football already) were set to broadcast this worldwide, but in the last couple of hours they are denying ...
https://deadline.com/2021/04/european-s ... 234739114/

So, for now, no-one actually wants to show these matches on tv, or online, or whatever. Supposedly.

[murf]

The Qataris will want their bribes back if all the superstars are banned from their World Cup

[quizking]

The bribes were for the construction companies re many new stadia, same as with russia 2018 - as they have been built, if they have been paid for then that's not an issue.

[The Real Slim Shady]

Reports PSG could be handed this years UCL...

[quizking]

Although I agree with the sentiment, source (as twitter doesn't count of course)?

[quizking]

F -ing blimey, website already launched for the Greedy League, which might suggest this was not an off the cuff idea ...

https://www.thesuperleague.com/

Note that french and german are language options, only the main five so far though.

[jimmy ching]

This is narcissism at it's peak. Many real fans will look at these proposals with dismay. Do the owners understand who they need? It's not looking good for the game in general. I personally would totally boycott this idea.

[Oxford NZ]

"Oh, no, it does not move me
Even though I've seen the movie
I don't want to check your pulse
I don't want nobody else
I don't want to go to Chelsea "
Elvis has left the building!!

[raoul]

Worth a cheeky fiver on Sheffield United not getting relegated...

[murf]

Worth a cheeky fiver on Sheffield United not getting relegated...

It's all about greed

[forestfan]

The Qataris will want their bribes back if all the superstars are banned from their World Cup

Another upside, perhaps. Shame the clubs didn’t do it 5 years ago with the scrapping of Qatar included as part of the peace deal.

[bspittles]

All the greedy leagues/clubs/media companies are up in arms about an even greedier league being launched.

[forestfan]

Well, whatever you say about the current structure, it maintains the dream of any club in the pyramid making it to the Premier League/Champions League. Pull up that drawbridge and the professional/semi-pro game beyond it will just fade away through lack of interest and sheer pointlessness.

[forestfan]

When the early stages of the TV revolution began in 1983 Forest were chosen to be shown first at Spurs. Clough initially refused to attend, even being threatened with the sack.

Clough warned about where football was heading. ‘Eventually,’ he said, ‘it will kill our game.’

As far as today’s breaking news goes, seems Jose’s apparent sacking might be to do with an anti-ESL stance as opposed to results...

[jimmy ching]

and has Le Special One made a stand?

[forestfan]

Sounds like he may have refused to take training. If so, definitely increases my respect for him, hope Pep, Ole, Klopp, Tuchel and Arteta will make a similar stand. A managerless big six would be fun!

Anyway, time to revive my Once-They-Were-Super League idea, featuring teams who were successful in the 70s, 80s and 90s but slightly less so in recent years...