European Super League imminent?

[delmbox]

UEFA have issued a pretty strong statement

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/...779488781?s=20

It'd be fascinating to see what would happen if the players involved would be banned from playing in international competitions.

Would there be an exodus from the bigger clubs to the likes of Leicester/Wolves/Lazio etc? Could a player break their contract because they never signed up for being banned from playing in World Cups have an advantage. Would the majority of them not care which might give international teams with fewer players at the top clubs an advantage?

The whole thing is mad and has massive implications, saying "feck em, let them go" is incredibly naive about the ramifications of this

[Hilts]

I am sure it will be on sky for those that have it and want to watch it

Dont be so sure.

PPV I reckon.

[delmbox]

Anyone watching Gary Neville on Sky? He's fuming, and good on him. He's just said that Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal should be relegated

[delmbox]

Anyone watching Gary Neville on Sky? He's fuming, and good on him. He's just said that Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal should be relegated

https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/stat...300077569?s=20

[Eric Cartman]

Fair enough. If you genuinely believe that, the discussion is pointless.

What does your crystal ball say?

[Eric Cartman]

PR teams at each club currently desperately trying to think of any honest sounding justification for the plan. They might even settle on 'we didn't know what we were signing, we love you really'.

Didn't Arsenal and Spurs take tax-payer Covid loans?

[NYCBlue]

Anyone watching Gary Neville on Sky? He's fuming, and good on him. He's just said that Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal should be relegated

He said they should be docked points. And fined. And so they should. Tomorrow.

[City123]

Fair enough. If you genuinely believe that, the discussion is pointless.

Go on then, how many fans would Cardiff average in a season where we're pushing for promotion to the top flight? 10,000? 15,000?

[AfricanBluebird]

Wouldn't it basically turn football into American Football where you have a relatively small number of extremely wealthy franchises and then a lower level of well supported college/club teams whose talent gets cherrypicked for the franchise level?

Money is so great in football now, and so few restrictions on spending money, that's it's naturally heading in that direction so I can't see why they're doing it so aggressively which is more likely to spark resistance.

The MLS has 30 teams and an America football style grouping. There is no promotion or relegation. None of the owners want a two or three league system as they believe their money should dictate what happen, not results.

It's one of the reasons the MLS is still way behind other countries.

It won't happen but I would love the six English sides thrown out of the premier League. Absolutely love it.

[AfricanBluebird]

He said they should be docked points. And fined. And so they should. Tomorrow.

Gary Neville is always on point.

[tforturton]

The problem here is that the big clubs and their owners have spent a lot of money to get where they are, and they can't afford NOT to be at the top table each and every season. For any of the 'Big Six' to miss out on the European cash bonanza would be a disaster. So they have to ensure that it doesn't happen. They have to raise the drawbridge.

Someone earlier on said that this was down to American ownership, and to a certain extent that is true - they want a closed shop system, much like the US franchised leagues. But it also applies to anyone who has paid big to get in at the top table - they want and need to keep that position.

[Cleve van Leef]

This Super League thing is only a follow on from the instigation of the Premier League when you had the 5 Clubs - Man U, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and Everton all wanting to have more say and more of the forthcoming TV money from sky.The change to the European Cup was again instigated by the big European Clubs led by AC Milan who couldn’t/wouldn’t survive without the money from European competition. They aren’t interested in a league where promotion and relegation are the mainstay of competition.

[the other bob wilson]

Bayern and PSG are hardly among my favourite clubs, but well done to both of them for this - I suppose Bayern’s attitude is not a surprise given how the game is governed in Germany;-

https://theathletic.com/news/europea...g/21wNxzwjkLkd

[the other bob wilson]

This Super League thing is only a follow on from the instigation of the Premier League when you had the 5 Clubs - Man U, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and Everton all wanting to have more say and more of the forthcoming TV money from sky.The change to the European Cup was again instigated by the big European Clubs led by AC Milan who couldn’t/wouldn’t survive without the money from European competition. They aren’t interested in a league where promotion and relegation are the mainstay of competition.

[Lord Dargavel]

Clearly not. I get the impression that you, and others like you, would actually like to see some of the country's biggest clubs break away and form their own league. My view is that would be an absolute disaster which would kill the dreams of millions and damage the professional game in this country beyond repair.

A breakaway would offer an opportunity to restructure English football into a more sustainable model? The truth is that without the biggest clubs the leagues would struggle to attract supporters, sponsors, TV money, etc. It wouldn't be sustainable at all. Millions would simply lose interest. The strength of the game is that the pyramid system, both here and in every other major country, offers everyone a chance to aim for the top or at least somewhere near it. If you remove that option you remove much of what football is all about.

But would this not mean a much more competitive league? Salary caps, a reliance on youth, limitations on finances? Surely all that those who hate the money in football wish for?

[C1C9F2C7]

The 12 clubs supporting the European Super League, as it stands, are: Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.

[Gofer Blue]

Inevitable - surprised it didn't happen years ago. Will suit millions of "plastics" who will be happy to pay Sky or some other TV coverage provider lots of dosh for the privilege of watching "their" team without having to leave their armchair. Feel sorry for the genuine long term supporters of those clubs who will be priced out totally.

[OurManFlint II]

When you say 'they', I'd hope you're talking about the mega-rich foreign owners and their greedy, out-of-touch CEOs who run these big clubs.

It's not the clubs themselves, it's not their managers and players and it's not their supporters either. If you are judging these clubs on the actions of their owners alone, it's the equivalent of saying Vincent Tan is Cardiff City Football Club.

Foreign...i thought the Spanish clubs and the Italian clubs driving this are owned by natives, some even "fan" owned?

[Whisperer]

Let them go I say and invite the Jocks into the pyramid like we once were.....I would stipulate that once you go, there's no coming back a bit like the rugby league and union players rule back in the day.

[goats]

Inevitable - surprised it didn't happen years ago. Will suit millions of "plastics" who will be happy to pay Sky or some other TV coverage provider lots of dosh for the privilege of watching "their" team without having to leave their armchair. Feel sorry for the genuine long term supporters of those clubs who will be priced out totally.

Can’t see normal fans of those big six going for that, football loses its soul completely.....

[MacAdder]

The 12 clubs supporting the European Super League, as it stands, are: Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.

No Bayern Munich, no PSG, no Rangers....

[Freitag 4.17]

Well, it's fun watching top flight football implode this evening! Wasn't expecting that.

[City123]

No Bayern Munich, no PSG, no Rangers....

I imagine there's a fair few clubs higher up the list than them

[Harry Paget Flashman]

So what happens when those consistently at the top of the Super League need a greater share of the money again?

[City123]

So what happens when those consistently at the top of the Super League need a greater share of the money again?

The European Super Duper League