[Football] Liverpool and Manchester United lead ‘European League’ breakout league idea

[jimhigham]

I hope the footballing community at large just calls their bluff and tells them to get on with it.

It is going to be a complete disaster for whoever is offering the money. Like others on here, I'll be cancelling whichever TV provider shows it.

While supporters have next to no power in the way clubs are run, our money does still provide us with some leverage. If all supporters stopped attending and cancelled the appropriate TV subscriptions, it would drive a coach and horses through the Super League’s financial model.

This is serious and seems to be happening, with various club board members resigning their positions within the ECL and UEFA. As supporters, we need to mobilise. Pandemic football has taught us the product is hugely diluted if played out in empty stadia. The creators of this abomination might be surprised the global take up for their product is nothing like their projections if supporters simply walk away.

 

[wellquickwoody]

They'll talk a bit, but no one will actually put up a fight until they know just how much money this super league promises to send their way. The premier league won't kick the big six out - it gives them no choice but to go ahead with the super league,.

Becomes a game of who blinks first doesn’t it? From a real football fans view it is one we should be prepared to lose. The Chief Exec of the PL may have a different view about losing their salary if the rest of the clubs rejoined the Football League.

 

[Gwylan]

Boris condemned it yesterday.

So what? Words mean nothing - particularly from a bare-faced liar

 

[lawros left foot]

The definition of irony.

 

[Hotchilidog]

From the Premier League rule book - https://resources.premierleague.com...a-4c6bc33368fa/2020-21-PL-Handbook-110920.pdf

L.9. Except with the prior written approval of the Board, during the Season a Club shall
not enter or play its senior men’s first team in any competition other than:
L.9.1. the UEFA Champions League;
L.9.2. the UEFA Europa League;
L.9.3. the F.A. Cup;
L.9.4. the F.A. Community Shield;
L.9.5. the Football League Cup; or
L.9.6. competitions sanctioned by the County Association of which it is a member

There we go then. Clear breach of the rules....off you go chaps and close the door on your way out

 

[Bry Nylon]

I should imagine the FA and PL are ruing their pathetic 'Fit and Proper' persons tests for club ownership now. What did they think would ultimately happen when they allowed our biggest clubs to be bought by overseas investment consortiums with no interest or understanding of football in this country?

The stable door is well and truly swinging in the wind.

 

[GT49er]

Becomes a game of who blinks first doesn’t it? From a real football fans view it is one we should be prepared to lose. The Chief Exec of the PL may have a different view about losing their salary if the rest of the clubs rejoined the EPL.

Why would the rest of the clubs 'rejoin the EPL'? - they wouldn't have left it. Presumably the Chief Exec. of the PL would still be in post.

 

[blockhseagull]

No as the games will be played out over at least three midweek nights, Tuesday to Thursday. Ideally they would like Monday to Friday, with 10 games each week it would mean two kick off slots each night so everyone can watch every game.

So the perfect time for the other 14 clubs to vote in an increase in Friday night and Sat 12pm games as well as an extra midweek match week or 2 to clash with the EL timetable.

 

[Napper]

The premier league and uefa have been unscrupulous for their own interests for years.

Its hard to have any faith in any of it playing out well for the good of football

 

[wellquickwoody]

letting Outraged of Oldham drone on about the theft of his majestic heritage.

That is a seriously obnoxious superiority complex that you have there.

 

[beorhthelm]

This should be a great thing for Labour to campaign against. It's one thing presiding over the break-up of the United Kingdom but if the Tories are seen to be presiding over the break-up for the football league structure in England, that's something for opposition parties to really get their teeth into

Boris condemned it yesterday.

politics and politicians should stay well out of this...

So what? Words mean nothing - particularly from a bare-faced liar

...and thats why.

FIFA have rules against political interference with football authorities, a sensible rule we dont want to start breaking.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

But the reality is the domestic clubs need these big clubs and their superstar players, they're not going to do anything that stops them playing in their leagues.

The only way this abomination was ever not going to happen was if the owners of the super clubs had a genuine love for the club/league/sport and cared about integrity. Unfortunately that is obviously a pipe dream and as soon as foreign investors got involved, this was the natural conclusion.

The trouble is the current CL isn't equitable either. Real and Barca will never not qualify in their top 4 because their league isn't strong enough in depth to compete with their dominance of finance in La Liga, the same with Bayern in Germany. So Barca and Real can break all transfer records in the building of their squads which our top 4 have to compete with if they are to succeed in Europe. 12 of the last 20 CL winners have been Bayern, Barca or Real Madrid - 3 sides guaranteed in all but name to be in the CL and can invest year on year accordingly. 2 Spanish clubs have pretty much won 50% of the CLs since it started.

The EPL's strength is also it's weakness for it's clubs competing to win the CL - they simply aren't guaranteed to be in it every year. Which is great for competition, but let's not pretend that is equitable in a competitive sense with certain other teams from domestic leagues that don't have the EPL's depth. There is a reason Bayern, Real and Barca have won it more than anyone else.

I'm certainly not in favour of this breakaway idea, but neither do I want it to be used as a device for saying how great the current CL format is either.

 

[Springal]

One thing I don't get - if this really is just negotiation with UEFA - what is it negotiation for? If it is for a bigger slice of the CL + Europa League revenues, then how does that help Arsenal or Spurs? Or Milan?

 

[A1X]

Apologies if fixtures

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[Diablo]

Most seem horrified by the idea. Why ?

If Brighton was one of top six, the idea of seeing top clubs in Europe every other week sounds great to me.

 

[Gwylan]

politics and politicians should stay well out of this...

FIFA have rules against political interference with football authorities, a sensible rule we dont want to start breaking.

I think that's true enough in normal circumstances but in this case we're looking for politicians to support football authorities not interfere in their operations

 

[Wozza]

Apologies if fixtures

It's about 10 posts up.

 

[vagabond]

Most seem horrified by the idea. Why ?

If Brighton was one of top six, the idea of seeing top clubs in Europe every other week sounds great to me.

Why? Serious question?

Because it’s anti competitive. It’s a closed shop invite only competition run by Perez and Glazer. No relegation. No other team can rise through the pyramids and qualify as they do the Champions League.

I mean, are you seriously in favour of this? Explain why.

 

[Springal]

Most seem horrified by the idea. Why ?

If Brighton was one of top six, the idea of seeing top clubs in Europe every other week sounds great to me.

What 5-6 times per season? No relegation or promotion? Exhibition football basically.

And we're not included, but potentially have to compete in a league where we are £300M a season worse off than 6 other clubs we will compete against.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Why would the rest of the clubs 'rejoin the EPL'? - they wouldn't have left it. Presumably the Chief Exec. of the PL would still be in post.

Edited the original post now, I meant Football League, sorry.