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

[KeegansHairPiece]

doesnt look like a good argument. though if we look from their perspective what irks the spanish clubs in particular is they have very successful brands that they cant benefit from. every reform of european football brings in more money that goes elsewhere. they probably see that as unfair.

Their brands don't exist without the other clubs they compete against. That is essentially what separates a football club from a business; they need their competitors to succeed to make their product work.

It's time to work out if football has a soul left to save. Or whether football just accepts it's a race to pay the first player £1m per week and sign whatever deal facilitates getting their quickest.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Definitely over-played their hand.

I'd imagine they was expecting the "condemnation" but not from the majority of their own fans. They also underestimated the propensity for this current Government to act in a populist way.

Let's be fair. It's the owners of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. City and Chelsea didn't have much choice and Spurs are just chancers.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I cannot see how the obvious anger of UEFA would allow them to sanction a Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Chelsea next week. If they let it go ahead they already weaken their own position going forward. UEFA has the high ground today, it may evaporate quite quickly.

These clubs have left the European Club Association so it’s a done deal and they can no longer play in UEFA sanctioned competitions.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Club_Association

Nice edit on the Wikipedia page by the way

‘ Trafford Devils, Anfield Reds, Emirates Pistols, Russian Oil CO, No Hart Lane Spurs, and Etihad Flyers have resigned from football, included some debt-ridden clubs from Spain and Italy’

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Definitely over-played their hand.

I'd imagine they were expecting the condemnation but not from the majority of their own fans. They've also underestimated "populism" of this current Government. This one has fallen right in the Governments lap.

Let's be fair. It's the owners of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. City and Chelsea didn't have much choice and Spurs are just chancers.

Oh yeah Abramovich and Mansour didn't have much choice?

What a load of baloney. They are absolutely filthy rich. They don't need to be in this new tournament at all.

They'll probably soon realise they are hurting their club's image (a main reason for their investment if you read up on the theory behind Sportswashing) and drop out of it.

That doesn't make them the good guys.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[clapham_gull]

What a load of baloney.

Calm down.

The others (shall we call them "legacy clubs") don't like them at all. But like all Johnny Come Lately's they'll move in the direction of the wind.

If you've spunked all that money to buy yourself a seat at the top table, you've got "no choice" but to go along with the plans of the others.

Crack showing already apparently and I suspect it's these two, but no-one is suggesting they are the good guys.

Meanwhile Spurs are busily ringing round everyone to find out what's going on, because the other teams forget they invited them.

 

[Normal Rob]

Everton have spoken...

Everton is saddened and disappointed to see proposals of a breakaway league pushed forward by six clubs.

Six clubs acting entirely in their own interests.

Six clubs tarnishing the reputation of our league and the game.

Six clubs choosing to disrespect every other club with whom they sit around the Premier League table.

Six clubs taking for granted and even betraying the majority of football supporters across our country and beyond.

At this time of national and international crisis - and a defining period for our game - clubs should be working together collaboratively with the ideals of our game and its supporters uppermost.

Instead, these clubs have been secretly conspiring to break away from a football pyramid that has served them so well.

And in that Pyramid Everton salutes EVERY club, be it Leicester City, Accrington Stanley, Gillingham, Lincoln City, Morecambe, Southend United, Notts County and the rest who have, with their very being, enriched the lives of their supporters throughout the game's history. And vice versa.

The self-proclaimed Super Six appear intent on disenfranchising supporters across the game - including their own - by putting the very structure that underpins the game we love under threat.

The backlash is understandable and deserved – and has to be listened to.

This preposterous arrogance is not wanted anywhere in football outside of the clubs that have drafted this plan.

On behalf of everyone associated with Everton, we respectfully ask that the proposals are immediately withdrawn and that the private meetings and subversive practises that have brought our beautiful game to possibly its lowest ever position in terms of trust end now.

Finally we would ask the owners, chairmen, and Board members of the six clubs to remember the privileged position they hold – not only as custodians of their clubs but also custodians of the game. The responsibility they carry should be taken seriously.

We urge them all to consider what they wish their legacy to be.

 

[Washie]

I think how FIFA and UEFA respond depends on how the PL responds today. If the rest of the clubs do kick the 6 out of the PL, UEFA and FIFA will follow suit not wanting to look weak. This will result in the ESL failing as other clubs will definitely be hesitant to join.

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[lawros left foot]

Villa are wearing’Earn it’ t- shirts for tomorrow’s game against scab club City.


Please, can we do the same against Chelsea.

 

[father_and_son]

Definitely over-played their hand.

I'd imagine they were expecting the condemnation but not from the majority of their own fans. They've also underestimated "populism" of this current Government. This one has fallen right in the Governments lap.

Let's be fair. It's the owners of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. City and Chelsea didn't have much choice and Spurs are just chancers.

There are 50k or so STH at ManU, maybe another 1/2million arm chair fans around the country.

Both numbers are utterly dwarfed by the reported 143million fans worldwide.

To believe that the Glazers give even a hint of a f*ck about their UK "Legacy" fans is naive in the extreme.

They absolutely knew that the UK and most of Europe would be up in arms about this and absolutely, unwaveringly DO NOT GIVE A SH1T.

ManU and the others have no desire or need to even continue to be in the UK other than convenience of timezone. They will be based in the far East within a decade. No doubt in my mind at all. This is the first step on a very well considered planned route to monetise the f*ck out of the brand.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Everton have spoken...

Everton is saddened and disappointed to see proposals of a breakaway league pushed forward by six clubs.

Six clubs acting entirely in their own interests.

Six clubs tarnishing the reputation of our league and the game.

Six clubs choosing to disrespect every other club with whom they sit around the Premier League table.

Six clubs taking for granted and even betraying the majority of football supporters across our country and beyond.

At this time of national and international crisis - and a defining period for our game - clubs should be working together collaboratively with the ideals of our game and its supporters uppermost.

Instead, these clubs have been secretly conspiring to break away from a football pyramid that has served them so well.

And in that Pyramid Everton salutes EVERY club, be it Leicester City, Accrington Stanley, Gillingham, Lincoln City, Morecambe, Southend United, Notts County and the rest who have, with their very being, enriched the lives of their supporters throughout the game's history. And vice versa.

The self-proclaimed Super Six appear intent on disenfranchising supporters across the game - including their own - by putting the very structure that underpins the game we love under threat.

The backlash is understandable and deserved – and has to be listened to.

This preposterous arrogance is not wanted anywhere in football outside of the clubs that have drafted this plan.

On behalf of everyone associated with Everton, we respectfully ask that the proposals are immediately withdrawn and that the private meetings and subversive practises that have brought our beautiful game to possibly its lowest ever position in terms of trust end now.

Finally we would ask the owners, chairmen, and Board members of the six clubs to remember the privileged position they hold – not only as custodians of their clubs but also custodians of the game. The responsibility they carry should be taken seriously.

We urge them all to consider what they wish their legacy to be.

Tremendous stuff. Now is not the time to hide behind carefully worded statements. Passion is what football is all about. Well done Everton.

 

[father_and_son]

They'll probably soon realise they are hurting their club's image (a main reason for their investment if you read up on the theory behind Sportswashing) and drop out of it.

They are hurting their image in a tiny, miniscule corner of one market for their brand. And they don't give a f*ck about that.

Do the Chinese, Malaysians, Indians, etc care about this? No. They want it. Their "team" playing only globally recognised brands. Great!.
Utter tosh that we, as UK/European fans, hold any sway... just naive.

 

[lawros left foot]

The last line “ You cannot be half in, or half out.”

This maybe the death knell for the ESL.

 

[jimhigham]

Just heard Shearer (Mary Poppins, as he was known as a player) calling everyone to arms with a suggestion that the six flouncer can flounce off forever. I rather like that attitude and am quite encouraged by the general agressive opposition to the plans.

So, presently, I'm not interested in finding a middle way, or an alternative arrangement for an ESL. I really feel this woule be like working out a payment plan to give a bully some of your pocket money as an alternative to handing it all over or getting a punch in the face. I still think we should be telling these clubs to shut up or **** off.

Very much my position on this. The possibility of compromise has an initial appeal, if only because we are desperately clinging to the vestiges of the game we once knew. However, any compromise now will only be banked by the offending clubs, who will then conspire again to consider a further ram raid 5-10 years from now. This is the point where a line needs to be drawn in the sand. The conspirators have explicitly created an invitation only competition and that provides ample grounds for a zero tolerance approach.

On a side issue, the suggestion that the ESL proposal is required to “save football” is utterly risible. We now have a small selection of behemoths who have effectively run themselves into the ground in pursuit of their “brand”. A much simpler, less divisive way to save football would be for these clubs simply to cut their cloth accordingly. This proposal is one of the most avaricious things I’ve seen in a long time, and that’s saying something living in 21st century Britain*

*This comment may now be fast tracked to the Bear Pit

 

[father_and_son]

View attachment 135991


The last line “ You cannot be half in, or half out.”

This maybe the death knell for the ESL.

Shirley just reiterating what they have said all along. Do this and you are out of EUFA & FIFA controlled football. Which of course means they would need to give FIFA a *huge* donation in order to buy a seat back at the table.

Everything leaked from the pirate 6 suggest they are happy to have their players focused exclusively on ESL and sod the World Cup. (also, not like the Americans to create their own "world" cup (series) and just not invite anyone else.)

 

[Stato]

[Tweet]1384263591331721218[/Tweet]

This kind of thing from players/ex players really irritates me. "The players have nothing to do with this." Not a thought to where the money for the ridiculous salaries may be coming from. 'Oh no, we just play football. Our agents deal with everything else.' Infantile nonsense.

The cash crisis that is at the bottom of this for the likes of Barcelona and Real is everything to do with decades of players' demands. The flaw in the football economic model won't be changed by a 'super' league. Vast amounts of the billions will end up in the pockets of the players who co-operate. This cannot proceed without the players collaboration. If they were to go to their owners and tell them that, if contractually forced to appear in these matches, they'll walk onto the pitch, take the kick offs and then leave the ball where it is for the rest of the game, this would be over tomorrow. If they don't refuse to cooperate, they cannot say that its nothing to do with them.

 

[brighton_tom]

I really hope the Premier League maintains the same ''you are either with us or without us'' attitude. How can you have a team competing in the PL but really their main focus is to the ESL. The credibility of the PL is ruined. You'd just end up with Liverpool/City etc fielding weakened teams. Or at the end of the season these bigger teams will finish top 4 but turn down their entry to the Champions League, and so spots 5-8 end up in a watered down version of that tournament. The new proposals and the existing formats cannot coexist in that manner, so I hope these 'elite clubs' are to **** off and live with their decision. Or turn do a U-turn on this ESL. Simples.

 

[Triggaaar]

I can't see this going ahead.

They can **** off or shut up.
There are to be zero concessions.
You don't negotiate with terrorists.

 

[father_and_son]

[Tweet]1384263591331721218[/Tweet]

This kind of thing from players/ex players really irritates me. "The players have nothing to do with this." Not a thought to where the money for the ridiculous salaries may be coming from. 'Oh no, we just play football. Our agents deal with everything else.' Infantile nonsense.

The cash crisis that is at the bottom of this for the likes of Barcelona and Real is everything to do with decades of players' demands. The flaw in the football economic model won't be changed by a 'super' league. Vast amounts of the billions will end up in the pockets of the players who co-operate. This cannot proceed without the players collaboration. If they were to go to their owners and tell them that, if contractually forced to appear in these matches, they'll walk onto the pitch, take the kick offs and then leave the ball where it is for the rest of the game, this would be over tomorrow. If they don't refuse to cooperate, they cannot say that its nothing to do with them.

Exactly this. Put in a transfer request. Refuse to leave the bench. Refuse to train.
These sorts of actions will not be viewed as they normally would be and the players would be picked up by other teams the second they were released with no tarnish on their image whatsoever.

Any player who now plays for any of the 12 without, at a minimum, putting in a transfer request is as complicit as the owners now. None of this is a secret anymore. Time to choose a side.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Did you hear Gary Neville as Sky went through their upcoming fixtures last night? “Come on Brighton, come on Southampton, come on Villa, come on Everton.” Very good.

he owes me a fiver

 

[Stato]

They are hurting their image in a tiny, miniscule corner of one market for their brand. And they don't give a f*ck about that.

Do the Chinese, Malaysians, Indians, etc care about this? No. They want it. Their "team" playing only globally recognised brands. Great!.
Utter tosh that we, as UK/European fans, hold any sway... just naive.

This is a little insulting to a lot of the international fans. There were messages on the Guardian yesterday from fans of these teams in Asia saying that they don't want this either. A lot of international fans of these teams are drawn to the game by history, romance and passion. When choosing a team to support, many want to align themselves with the European fans as much as the club's name. Nobody would watch televised football from an empty stadium, unless there was no other option. If international fans are forced to choose between watching Liverpool without the Kop end, or a full Everton ground they'll drop the former like a hot brick. The owners fail to understand that they don't own the history, they don't own the fans and they don't own the passion. Football only matters because we have all conspired between us to make it matter. Without local fans, these clubs are nothing and will very quickly die.