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

[Charity Shield 1910]

Premier League Captains now having an emergency meeting called by Jordan Henderson. I hope this proves significant, in terms of PR at least.

The players are important here, especially in counteracting the claim from the breakaway group that "non-legacy" fans don't care for clubs only players.

It threatens the players income that's why. The clubs who service their debt (that pays their wages) by the promise of ongoing high TV revenue generated by the global premier league audience could be in a whole world of trouble should the international TV audience head off into the sunset.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

There is a feeling that the Yanks are seriously into it, the others more for the leverage.

I can't see it happening. A climb down as fingers tremble over the red button.

Then again, I said Brexit wouldn't happen. Strange times.

I think it will happen.
As i have said already, I think the yanks with billions are behind this, they will not blink, they have their idea and the money to back it along with the other owners on board and all their money too.
They want an American style league and rich yanks tend to get their way.
Only law (if that is possible) and a player walkout can stop it.
Any idea what the feeling is in Spain and Italy?
If I was an Arsenal fan I would be the most pissed off, their American shareholder is loaded and yet they have scrimped on buying really good players for top dollars and paying high wages.
If he is behind this and I think he is (why should Arsenal be included given their past few seasons) suddenly so much money to start this up is flying around.
Spurs are another strange one, nice very expensive stadium but I always thought that Levy whilst rich is not in the same league as the yanks and certainly not the Arabs, and their recent history is nothing to shout about either.
If i am wide of the mark regarding Arsenal and Spurs please put me right.

 

[Triggaaar]

Welcome back! All the best to you.

Thank you. I'm not really back, I'm just sticking my nose in on this subject because it means a lot to me.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I would love if this is true and whole house of cards comes tumbling down. But they all still get punished.

I get the feeling this whole project is very much a north American ideal that satisfies their nirvana of a revenue stream that doesn't fluctuate and a share price that reflects that. But a proposal willingly backed by desperate Italian and Spanish owners facing financial ruin.

I believe the Russian and Middle Eastern owners have different objectives for being in the PL - they certainly don't need the money. Russians seem to have a pathological desire to win any competition and a desire to be seen as superior at all costs (ergo, their industrial doping of Olympic athletes, the sending state-sponsored MMA experts to beat up amateur chair luzzers at football tournaments or dispatching those two goons who like Salisbury Cathedral all round Europe to blow stuff up and murder people). So I can't see Chelsea being a fan of a closed league; they need to be seen to winning 'competitions' by whatever means. The ESL won't satisfy that need.

And the Middle Eastern money in football (and boxing and F1 etc etc) is all about projecting influence and respectability.

If this falls apart it will (partly) be because the 15 clubs have different and competing objectives and no shared vision for the project.

 

[clapham_gull]

It threatens the players income that's why. The clubs who service their debt (that pays their wages) by the promise of ongoing high TV revenue generated by the global premier league audience could be in a whole world of trouble should the international TV audience head off into the sunset.

I think that's an overly cynical view on players to be honest. They are paid outrageous wages but if the clubs came together and said no it wouldn't be on offer.

Lets see what they have to say.

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

 

[Clive Walker]

Good to see that the FA's 'fit and proper' test for club ownership has been a success.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Spurs are another strange one, nice very expensive stadium but I always thought that Levy whilst rich is not in the same league as the yanks and certainly not the Arabs, and their recent history is nothing to shout about either.
If i am wide of the mark regarding Arsenal and Spurs please put me right.

Levy doesn't own Spurs.

 

[Triggaaar]

I think it will happen.

I'm sure it won't.

As i have said already, I think the yanks with billions are behind this, they will not blink, they have their idea and the money to back it along with the other owners on board and all their money too.

It's not a blinking competition. They don't have the money. The whole point is that they want to make more money, so if this looks like it will lose money, then they'll stop.

They want an American style league and rich yanks tend to get their way.

They don't actually want an American style league, they want more money. It's just that they think an American style league is the way to get it. And rich yanks don't get their way any more than rich anyone else.

Only law (if that is possible) and a player walkout can stop it.

I disagree.

 

[Charity Shield 1910]

Good to see that the FA's 'fit and proper' test for club ownership has been a success.

lol

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Ted Lasso time, paging Stat Brother

 

[clapham_gull]

I think it will happen.
As i have said already, I think the yanks with billions are behind this, they will not blink, they have their idea and the money to back it along with the other owners on board and all their money too.
They want an American style league and rich yanks tend to get their way.
Only law (if that is possible) and a player walkout can stop it.
Any idea what the feeling is in Spain and Italy?
If I was an Arsenal fan I would be the most pissed off, their American shareholder is loaded and yet they have scrimped on buying really good players for top dollars and paying high wages.
If he is behind this and I think he is (why should Arsenal be included given their past few seasons) suddenly so much money to start this up is flying around.
Spurs are another strange one, nice very expensive stadium but I always thought that Levy whilst rich is not in the same league as the yanks and certainly not the Arabs, and their recent history is nothing to shout about either.
If i am wide of the mark regarding Arsenal and Spurs please put me right.

Man United's motivation is clear. Put as little money as possible in the club and reap the benefits.

Arsenal think they are much bigger than are in reality. A flashy stadium does not an international giant make and they are falling behind, not that there were there in the first place.

Spurs have an expensive stadium to "pay off" and have just been offered a loan from American Bankers to be paid off over years. They have probably looked at Arsenal and observed the financial burden of a flashy home has on their dealings in the transfer market.

Chelsea and Man City just along for the ride and will be the first to break.

The other clubs don't want a Chelsea or Man City ever happening again, but don't think this will happen without them.

 

[Seasider78]

Yep. Personally I don't think you can really enter a competition that doesn't yet exist. Something for the courts to decide should it come to that.

But I don't think kicking them out now helps achieve the goal of what we really want. I'd think that most fans want them to simply drop the idea, and we'll carry on as we were. That won't be possible if they're immediately kicked out. That, IMO, would be a pointless over-reaction.

I'm quite confident the ESL would fail if the clubs had to leave their respective leagues, and no teams joined them each year. And since it would fail, I'm fairly confident those teams would drop the idea if they weren't allowed to do both.

Dropping the idea is first step I agree as whatever we think of these clubs they have genuine fans who respect the history and are gutted by this move.

What concerns me about these owners though is this is not the first time they have acted in this way as our own statement highlighted

‘These plans are the latest in an alarming and growing list of clandestine attempts from a small group of clubs’

If this can be blocked then meaningful action needs to be made to punish this and legislation and changes made to prevent these rogue breakaways. Otherwise we will be dealing with the next attempt to undermine the English game in another 6 months time

 

[Eeyore]

Levy doesn't own Spurs.

The company he is involved with does though.

 

[withdeanwombat]

My latest thoughts on this are that it will be brilliant when the top six franchises are moved to Fenway Park, Miami, San Francisco,Shanghai, Mumbai, and Ouagadougou.

 

[peterward]

I think it will happen.
As i have said already, I think the yanks with billions are behind this, they will not blink, they have their idea and the money to back it along with the other owners on board and all their money too.
They want an American style league and rich yanks tend to get their way.
Only law (if that is possible) and a player walkout can stop it.
Any idea what the feeling is in Spain and Italy?
If I was an Arsenal fan I would be the most pissed off, their American shareholder is loaded and yet they have scrimped on buying really good players for top dollars and paying high wages.
If he is behind this and I think he is (why should Arsenal be included given their past few seasons) suddenly so much money to start this up is flying around.
Spurs are another strange one, nice very expensive stadium but I always thought that Levy whilst rich is not in the same league as the yanks and certainly not the Arabs, and their recent history is nothing to shout about either.
If i am wide of the mark regarding Arsenal and Spurs please put me right.

I disagree.
Divide and conquer now can and will work.
Try and break away the waverers like Citeh, the players captains meeting etc...... dont underestimate the power of the fans revolt and it can go much much further.
Just consider what we did as a club to get out Archer and get our new ground, magnify that across the whole football community and that harnessed emotion and power, with organisation can hurt those behind this and attack what they hold dear is at least equal to their power to destroy what fans hold dear.
The footballing authorities and the government can do a lot, including legislating....... If just the PL threatens to kick out the English 6 rebels, they will capitulate, just one or two very wealthy football fans, who could help in underwriting the initial losses of losing the big six, then do it, front them up and be prepared to kick them out and follow through.
Not fair on players to lose out on International duties? give them one year grace, then any players will be banned for and from Qatar 2022.

And then if needs be, theres a ton of of things fans can do, from protests and direct action.... to even things like a total embargo on anything or any company that has a commercial interest for any part of the breakway..... Sponsors can be told if you do this, they will become objects of protest, all companies associated with breakway clubs to be boycotted, stuff like No Jeep cars (Juventus) Chevrolet/Aon boycotts (Man U) No using etihad airways or trips to Abu Dhabi, Even Uniting fans to not book more holidays to either Spain or Italy citing the loss of essential tourist revenues to the greed of Spanish and Italian owners..... Maybe a bit far fetched for today....but this is by no means a fait accompli and us fans united have a lot more power than these greedy money men bargained for.

Hit them and their sponsors in the pocket and with masses of negative PR and this ends

 

[Clive Walker]

My latest thoughts on this are that it will be brilliant when the top six franchises are moved to Fenway Park, Miami, San Francisco,Shanghai, Mumbai, and Ouagadougou.

wonder if any other fans thought it was brilliant when a dick head owner forced Brighton to move 100 miles away from their native home? maybe think about the fans!

 

[GT49er]

It seems - according to SSN now - that the breakaway six do want to remain in the PL, but aren't happy with the governance and feel they aren't being listened to, so they had to take this action.



It all makes perfect sense now - I understand their position perfectly. They just want a bigger share of the money ................... and probably an end to the ridiculous system whereby the 14 lesser clubs can out-vote them.

 

[PTC Gull]

Doesn't look like Rashford is keen.....

 

[sydney]

I think it will happen.
As i have said already, I think the yanks with billions are behind this, they will not blink, they have their idea and the money to back it along with the other owners on board and all their money too.
They want an American style league and rich yanks tend to get their way.
Only law (if that is possible) and a player walkout can stop it.
Any idea what the feeling is in Spain and Italy?
If I was an Arsenal fan I would be the most pissed off, their American shareholder is loaded and yet they have scrimped on buying really good players for top dollars and paying high wages.
If he is behind this and I think he is (why should Arsenal be included given their past few seasons) suddenly so much money to start this up is flying around.
Spurs are another strange one, nice very expensive stadium but I always thought that Levy whilst rich is not in the same league as the yanks and certainly not the Arabs, and their recent history is nothing to shout about either.
If i am wide of the mark regarding Arsenal and Spurs please put me right.

the spanish punters are in a similar vein of thought to us as are the italians , the germans gave it the boob from the outset , i don't think it will happen ....legal minefield .....