Football

[Wilts Wanderer]

Well there we go, it looks like they’re all collectively jumping off the ethicality cliff. The tone on tonight’s MOTD was unlike anything I’ve seen before. Mark Chapman sounded like he was announcing a bereavement.

RIP football.

 

[scotrail158713]

I was glad to see there was no attempts from MOTD to have any balance in the discussion. As Danny Murphy said, there’s not a single positive that’ll come from it beyond money - and even that’s not necessarily a positive.

 

[backontrack]

If the 'big six' do shove off, they must be kicked out of the league too.

I say this because it would genuinely be loads better without them, and because it's only fair - they can't have their cake and eat it. I just feel sorry for all the fans who've had this dumped onto them when they didn't ask for this.

Of course, if the Superlatively Silk-Stockinged Six do get kicked out of the Premier League, then it'll be funny to watch Everton become the new Liverpool. "This is gonna be our year!" every season, only for them to be pumped 4-0 by Watford on the first day of the season and watch Leicester run away with the title.

 

[brad465]

This news sums up everything that is wrong with the world today: all our interests in life are commodified in order to make the powerful super rich even richer, while exploiting the 99%. The pandemic has taught us how money isn’t everything, and if we ever wake up to the realities of their greed we’d rebel against the 1% like no rebellion ever before.

 

[158756]

Which means it won't happen. Most top players from major footballing nations want to play in the World Cup.

If they can get paid twice as much not to? Really the clubs are probably counting on FIFA/UEFA caving when faced with the prospect of top players missing the World Cup and the sponsors/TV money following. They'll probably threaten to run their own tournament in competition as well. The key part of this is that the major footballing nations don't actually matter that much - it's all about the global sponsorship and TV money.

 

[WatcherZero]

I dont know, you do get a lot of the internationally minded players who will choose a smaller club if it means they will get more match time as its the match time that gets them picked for their national teams.
Being a perpetual bench warmer at a top club, or one star star striker of three doesnt benefit an international career and most national teams dont pay players for international duty its purely voluntary.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

If they can get paid twice as much not to? Really the clubs are probably counting on FIFA/UEFA caving when faced with the prospect of top players missing the World Cup and the sponsors/TV money following. They'll probably threaten to run their own tournament in competition as well. The key part of this is that the major footballing nations don't actually matter that much - it's all about the global sponsorship and TV money.

Yes I personally have no doubt that FIFA would cave when it becomes apparent that teams competing in Qatar next year are having to pick second-string players. Some very wealthy oil sheiks have paid an awful lot in bribe money to see the worlds best competing in their shiny new blood-soaked stadiums. UEFA are clearly only interested in protecting their own cash-cow, the Champions League.

Unfortunately it’s the fans and supporters, the true basis of the game, who can see the utter folly in this course, and they are the ones with zero say in the matter.

 

[birchesgreen]

A lot of nonsense being written and said about this, I love how the premier league, UEFA and Sky are standing up for Corinthian ideals!

To be honest the super league sounds better than the bloated and convoluted nonsense they plan to turn the champions league into.

 

[wireforever]

Wasn't there a proposal a while back from UEFA that all past winners of the Champions League/European Cup be given automatic entry into the competition.So Celtic Aston Villa Notts Forest Ajax Marseille Steau B would get a automatic place.Not sure about Marseille after the match fixing scandal.Would Celtic and Rangers in a new superleague be able to field a competitive team if invited to join.The problem at the moment is the qualifying rounds the bloated fixtures and all champions of each country enter and the top four in England are eligible via the qualifying rounds etc.Wonder if the lawyers are on a no win no fee basis!

 

[WelshBluebird]

Amongst all of this, Mourinho has been sacked by Spurs. Not really that surprising given everything else, but some interesting rumours floating around about it possibly being also related to his stance against the whole European Super League stuff - the main rumour being he refused to take the players onto the training ground in protest at it. I'm not quite sure I believe that, but either way it does make some more footballing news today on top of all the other stuff!

 

[Darandio]

Amongst all of this, Mourinho has been sacked by Spurs. Not really that surprising given everything else, but some interesting rumours floating around about it possibly being also related to his stance against the whole European Super League stuff - the main rumour being he refused to take the players onto the training ground in protest at at. I'm not quite sure I believe that, but either way it does make some more footballing news today on top of all the other stuff!

I can well believe it especially given the way Daniel Levy is. It sounds even more probable that it ended due to something like this as they have a cup final on Sunday!

 

[GB]

I don't follow football nor know the full consequences of this new league, but wasn't the Premier League set up as a break away league all those years ago to capitalize on extra revenue?

 

[Darandio]

I don't follow football nor know the full consequences of this new league, but wasn't the Premier League set up as a break away league all those years ago to capitalize on extra revenue?

Not really, or certainly not in a comparable way to this situation. The Premier League was effectively a rename of the old Division 1 and promotion/relegation continued as normal.

This proposed Super League provides what is a closed shop for the founding clubs in terms of the fact that they will always qualify every year no matter what.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If this goes ahead...
Well, I guess it'll be egg-chasing for me then.

 

[JamesRowden]

This is what happens when organisations (the football associations) do not respect the wishes of valuable assets, and at the same time don't make their product as good as it could be. Those with valuable assets can take the opportunity to create a better product by themselves. The best teams and players should be playing against each other week in week out. Not stuck in different leagues.

 

[roversfan2001]

This is what happens when organisations (the football associations) do not respect the wishes of valuable assets, and at the same time don't make their product as good as it could be. Those with valuable assets can take the opportunity to create a better product by themselves. The best teams and players should be playing against each other week in week out. Not stuck in different leagues.

The best teams and players in Europe play each other quite frequently...in the Champions League. The Super League is merely a money-grabbing exercise ensuring the richest clubs stay rich and everyone else fights for the scraps.

 

[DarloRich]

Could the Super League stuff be a bargaining ploy by the bigger clubs to try and get greater control and more money out of the existing structures? Those same teams moan about collective TV rights and playing to many games so could they use this to get what they want there?

If this goes ahead...
Well, I guess it'll be egg-chasing for me then.

woah. woah. WOAH! get a grip of yourself. Things are bad but we must maintain our dignity. No call for egg chasing.

Get yourself down your local non league club

 

[JamesRowden]

The best teams and players in Europe play each other quite frequently...in the Champions League. The Super League is merely a money-grabbing exercise ensuring the richest clubs stay rich and everyone else fights for the scraps.

Every few years or decades isn't frequent enough for my liking.

 

[Darandio]

Every few years or decades isn't frequent enough for my liking.

Every few years? The Champions League is played every year.

 

[roversfan2001]

Every few years or decades isn't frequent enough for my liking.

So how often would you like to see Man Utd play Barcelona then? Every week? I assure you that would get very boring very quickly. Especially given 15 of the 20 teams are guaranteed to be in the competition every season.

Such a format may appeal to armchair fans who see football as nothing more than a TV show, but actual fans quite universally detest the idea.

 

[birchesgreen]

Why would seeing Man U vs Barcelona twice a year be any more boring than seeing Man U vs another team in the EPL?

 

[fishquinn]

Why would seeing Man U vs Barcelona twice a year be any more boring than seeing Man U vs another team in the EPL?

At least in the EPL you get a variation of teams thanks to promotion and relegation, and if a team performs badly they have a proper penalty for it ie. relegation. Here if one of the teams is just awful season after season (for example Arsenal) then you're just stuck with them.

 

[JamesRowden]

So how often would you like to see Man Utd play Barcelona then? Every week? I assure you that would get very boring very quickly. Especially given 15 of the 20 teams are guaranteed to be in the competition every season.

Such a format may appeal to armchair fans who see football as nothing more than a TV show, but actual fans quite universally detest the idea.

At least twice a year in a 16-20 team European Premier Division with a pyramid structure with a promotion/relegation system which goes down to national leagues. I take this proposal as something better than present, and the football associations may be willing to compromise to make something even better come out of this, to avoid having a direct competitor.

 

[Darandio]

Why would seeing Man U vs Barcelona twice a year be any more boring than seeing Man U vs another team in the EPL?

It's got nothing to do with whether they prefer to watch them play Barcelona or Burnley.

The whole concept of domestic competition is to play the teams in your division and earn the right over a full season to compete in an elite European competition. These twelve clubs (plus three) want an entitlement to be in an elite European competition, it completely undermines all of the domestic leagues.

At least twice a year in a 16-20 team European Premier Division with a pyramid structure with a promotion/relegation system which goes down to national leagues. I take this proposal as something better than present, and the football associations may be willing to compromise to make something even better come out of this, to avoid having a direct competitor.

So these teams play each other in place of the current format and if relegated they drop back down to the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A etc? Meaning during what would be a normal season, all away games are potentially in another country?

What an absurd idea.

 

[roversfan2001]

So these teams play each other in place of the current format and if relegated they drop back down to the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A etc? Meaning during what would be a normal season, all away games are potentially in another country?

What an absurd idea.

Exactly. Imagine match-going fans having to travel across Europe once a fortnight to watch their team play an away game. It's bonkers and is quite rightly receiving criticism from (nearly) everyone.

 

[JamesRowden]

It's got nothing to do with whether they prefer to watch them play Barcelona or Burnley.

The whole concept of domestic competition is to play the teams in your division and earn the right over a full season to compete in an elite European competition. These twelve clubs (plus three) want an entitlement to be in an elite European competition, it completely undermines all of the domestic leagues.



So these teams play each other in place of the current format and if relegated they drop back down to the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A etc? Meaning during what would be a normal season, all away games are potentially in another country?

What an absurd idea.

I think that the best structure would probably involve a pyramid of multiple European Leagues before dropping to national level, with those elite national leagues effectively no longer existing.

The clubs are presently proposing to do this competition in addition to their domestic leagues.

In the end, if this co-operation does go into competition with the football associations, it is the customers/fans who have all the money and will determine the result. It is these clubs who are taking the financial risk in order to attract people to support the way that they want things to be run.

Exactly. Imagine match-going fans having to travel across Europe once a fortnight to watch their team play an away game. It's bonkers and is quite rightly receiving criticism from (nearly) everyone.

Just don't travel to away games in another country. I find TV covers that issue.

 

[backontrack]

Would Celtic and Rangers in a new superleague be able to field a competitive team if invited to join.

Arsenal's in there, so yes

 

[roversfan2001]

It is these clubs who are taking the financial risk in order to attract people to support the way that they want things to be run.

It isn't, it's JP Morgan who have committed $5 billion to this 'project'.

There is already an elite European club competition for clubs to qualify for based on sporting achievement. In fact, there's 2, soon to be 3. They aren't perfect in how they work, but they're a damn sight better than this closed-shop that is being proposed.

Three pretty big clubs on the continent have already declined an invitation so it wouldn't even be a competition full of the best clubs in Europe, just the ones willing to sell their soul.

Just don't travel to away games in another country. I find TV covers that issue.

Football isn't a TV programme, it's a sport. A sport that millions of people watch live (pre-pandemic).

If you prefer sitting on your sofa and 'supporting' a club, be my guest. But accept that a lot of people dedicate a lot of time and money to travel and support their club in the flesh. Fans of clubs who qualify for the CL/EL already shell out a fortune to be able to watch their club overseas. I've had to watch games on TV for the past year for obvious reasons and it's nowhere near as good as actually attending a football match. The experience of going to a game simply cannot be matched by just sticking Sky Sports on.

A cynic would say that the traditional 'big six' has already been disrupted in recent years and that they're jumping ship now before they regularly miss out on European football.

 

[birchesgreen]

A lot of people do indeed dedicate a lot of time and money to travel and support, but the big clubs know that for every local diehard fan they lose they can gain a few score new fans from around the world. Thats all they really care about.

 

[SteveM70]

I don't follow football nor know the full consequences of this new league, but wasn't the Premier League set up as a break away league all those years ago to capitalize on extra revenue?

Not really, or certainly not in a comparable way to this situation. The Premier League was effectively a rename of the old Division 1 and promotion/relegation continued as normal.

This proposed Super League provides what is a closed shop for the founding clubs in terms of the fact that they will always qualify every year no matter what.

The similarity is that the premier league, whilst not pulling up the drawbridge, was all about doing their own commercial deals to concentrate a bigger share of more money in fewer hands.