Association Football 2020/21

[Fight for Trump]

Also, it's hilarious that a bunch of clubs that can't even qualify for the Champions League, can't even get out of the Champions League group stage, and can't even win the Europa League, think they are so "super" that they should play in their own league.

[Gass3268]

Whatever their reasons were, credit to Bayern Munich and PSG for saying no. Who would've thought we'd be sitting here saying PSG deserve credit for doing the right thing?

World is the current 12 are still working on getting 3 more, so they might get them too.

[Blair]

If they were really cynical they would have announced this last weekend; it seems to have broken through quite heavily (is on the front of most newspapers & is the lead story on the radio)

It's awful & hopefully we'll see something done... but the groups in charge of enforcing this, at least in the UK, don't have a great record...

Its a diagnosis of a real problem by people who have completely the wrong cure and an absurdly misplaced idea of the cards they hold and the affection others hold them in. In this sense it is the Change UK The Independent Group of the sporting world.

Looking forward to when it all goes awfully wrong & there's a continuity league that withers and dies.

Also, it's hilarious that a bunch of clubs that can't even qualify for the Champions League, can't even get out of the Champions League group stage, and can't even win the Europa League, think they are so "super" that they should play in their own league.

It was pretty bold for Arsenal to announce it on the day after they barely drew with a side about to be relegated.

[beesley]

As so often money corrupts.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

This is where Boris' legacy will be made. Time to stand strong against these traitors to the nation. Obviously very disappointed in the Milan squads as well.

I'm no fan of the current Champions League format and would prefer something American-ized to settle a continental champion (may not be nearly as much of a money-maker...), but for a regular season, this ain't it. As I so often say when it comes to college football super conferences, would Arsenal fans settle for regularly achieving about a point per game for years on end (and no relegation even possible as a punitive measure!)? At least when you're 7th in the Premier League, you are winning some games.

Throw 'em out and admit them to second tier when they come crawling back. Force them to play nothing but these games and see how disappointed their fans really are.

[Farmlands]

I absolutely echo every sentiment already expressed in the thread. Money has already corrupted football enough as it is. Not that they care, but shame on JPMorgan for funding $4.5 billion to this too.

[Storr]

Of course Tifo came out with a good video on the Super League "idea": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Bt43gxLLs

Several months ago in the midst of the pandemic with nothing better to do, their football videos  piqued my interest in European football (especially the lower divisions which do not have any parallels in North American sports. There is no 6th Division of the NBA which has players who have "regular" day jobs like everyone else, for example.)  I also like the relegation system which unfortunately doesn't exist in North American sports leagues, even the MLS. This so called Super League would, of course not have promotion/regulation because well, money. The endless tanking of certain franchises in US professional sports gets old quick.

[Mike88]

This "NBAzitation" of European football seems to hit the wall of the EU rules that forbides closed competitions. Don't know how could this go ahead. This will go to courts, plus the fact that players will be forbidden to play in national teams could doom even more this thing.

[Fight for Trump]

This "NBAzitation" of European football seems to hit the wall of the EU rules that forbides closed competitions. Don't know how could this go ahead. This will go to courts, plus the fact that players will be forbidden to play in national teams could doom even more this thing.

Technically, it is not closed competitions that are forbidden (there are high-profile European competitions, such as Pro14, which don't have promotion and relegation or annual qualification), but competitions that are anti-competitive.

[Alcibiades]

This "NBAzitation" of European football seems to hit the wall of the EU rules that forbides closed competitions. Don't know how could this go ahead. This will go to courts, plus the fact that players will be forbidden to play in national teams could doom even more this thing.

Technically, it is not closed competitions that are forbidden (there are high-profile European competitions, such as Pro14, which don't have promotion and relegation or annual qualification), but competitions that are anti-competitive.

The competition law on this will be really interesting, and pretty hard to predict. On the one hand, you have the anti-competitive nature of the league. On the other hand, UEFA preventing a competitor competition from being launched is arguably a breach of competition laws. In addition, FIFA/UEFA’s threat to ban Super League players from the World Cup and Euros is unlikely to hold up - there was a similar case where the ice-skating authorities were prevented by the courts from barring skaters who had signed up for a non-sanctioned competition from the Olympics.

The competition aspect seems up in the air, but I still think there are too many factors working against the Super League for it to go ahead in its current form.

[parochial boy]

I actually wonder now, did the involved clubs play their cards wrong here? I mean, they must have had some inkling that this universal condemnation was the sort of reaction they would get, and still went ahead with it.

Unless they genuinely think the future of European football lies in appealing to Malaysian teenagers?

[Alcibiades]

I actually wonder now, did the involved clubs play their cards wrong here? I mean, they must have had some inkling that this universal condemnation was the sort of reaction they would get, and still went ahead with it.

Unless they genuinely think the future of European football lies in appealing to Malaysian teenagers?

I think they knew there would be blowback, but not this level of blowback.

[Mike88]

This "NBAzitation" of European football seems to hit the wall of the EU rules that forbides closed competitions. Don't know how could this go ahead. This will go to courts, plus the fact that players will be forbidden to play in national teams could doom even more this thing.

Technically, it is not closed competitions that are forbidden (there are high-profile European competitions, such as Pro14, which don't have promotion and relegation or annual qualification), but competitions that are anti-competitive.

The competition law on this will be really interesting, and pretty hard to predict. On the one hand, you have the anti-competitive nature of the league. On the other hand, UEFA preventing a competitor competition from being launched is arguably a breach of competition laws. In addition, FIFA/UEFA’s threat to ban Super League players from the World Cup and Euros is unlikely to hold up - there was a similar case where the ice-skating authorities were prevented by the courts from barring skaters who had signed up for a non-sanctioned competition from the Olympics.

The competition aspect seems up in the air, but I still think there are too many factors working against the Super League for it to go ahead in its current form.

Yes, I heard that in the debates about the issue here, about that ice-skating ruling that was given in December last year and that would be the ace card for the 12 Superleague clubs. However, like parochial boy said, the backlash has been overwhelming and from what I know, there's no reaction from none of the 12 clubs. Don't know if Mourinho's firing has something to do with also.

[Fight for Trump]

I actually wonder now, did the involved clubs play their cards wrong here? I mean, they must have had some inkling that this universal condemnation was the sort of reaction they would get, and still went ahead with it.

Unless they genuinely think the future of European football lies in appealing to Malaysian teenagers?

They would actually rather play in front of 50,000 Malaysians who pay top dollar for single match tickets and merchandise than 50,000 Mancunians or Liverpudlians, with tens of millions watching on TV from China. A midweek competition across the continent is clearly not designed to cater to the season ticket-holding fanbase. (obviously, fans travel for the Champions League, but those are considered special occasions, especially for teams who aren't always in Europe) And any European TV viewer is easily replaced by two or three Middle Eastern or Asian viewers. After all, people like Stan Kroenke have already demonstrated that if they don't like their fans, they'll just find new ones.

[Fight for Trump]

Also, let's not pretend FIFA or UEFA are on moral high ground here. (nobody here is) FIFA is trying to launch basically a second Champions League, and UEFA continues to expand the Champions League, both in search of riches. The only reason they're mad now is not for the health of grassroots football or national leagues, but because they won't be the ones cutting the pie.

[Former President tack50]

To be honest I would find the concept of a united European league very interesting, but with one catch; that it should operate the same way as the national leagues.

So basically you'd get 2 European leagues (1st division and 2nd division; both around 20 teams); with relegations and promotions just like you currently have for national leagues.

For the promotion from the national leagues to the 2nd European division I guess having a tournament with 50-60 teams in order to get them promoted to the 2nd European is hard to organize but there is probably some way to pull it off.

Needless to say this will probably never happen; but that is the way a hypothetical Superleague should be done, not this closed competition.

[ultraviolet]

I’m not inherently opposed to the idea of a European league, but I’m not a fan of the reasons for it. Having to share money with your rivals is a part of the game, otherwise they wouldn’t exist, and you can’t play with no opponents. Kinda reminds me of Brexit . But I agree with what tack said, I think a pan European league could be interesting if done right.

Also lol at Arsenal being part of it, rip them

[Statilius the Epicurean]

The sad fact is that football has been broken for a long, long time, and something like the proposed ESL inevitable. Other than state intervention to nationalise football clubs and force revenue sharing and salary caps on domestic leagues then there is no alternative really. Leagues like the PL where the same half a dozen clubs dominate every season, or worse, Serie A where the same club has won the league 9 years in a row simply aren't sustainable, and that's what is incentivising the richest clubs to jump ship. Football made its choice years ago to chase the international market unregulated and this is the fruit.

[Mike88]

Florentino Peréz on the reasons to create the Superleague:

Younger people are no longer interested in football, and why? Because there are a lot of poor quality games and they are not interested, they have other platforms to distract themselves."

This is probably the lamest excuse ever.

[Fight for Trump]

Florentino Peréz on the reasons to create the Superleague:

Younger people are no longer interested in football, and why? Because there are a lot of poor quality games and they are not interested, they have other platforms to distract themselves."

This is probably the lamest excuse ever.

Poor games like Madrid barely escaping with a 0-0 draw against heavyweights Getafe...

[Alcibiades]

Chelsea have withdrawn from the Super League. Credit to them for doing the right thing for once. I expect Man City and Liverpool to follow them at a minimum, and I now cannot see the competition surviving.

Edit: City are now also doing so.

Edit 2: Atletico Madrid as well. The floodgates have opened.

Edit 3: All clubs will meet tonight to discuss disbanding the Super League. It’s over.

[Mike88]

Edit 3: All clubs will meet tonight to discuss disbanding the Super League. It’s over.

Like the saying goes: "What is born crooked, late or never straightens."

[beesley]

Chelsea have withdrawn from the Super League. Credit to them for doing the right thing for once. I expect Man City and Liverpool to follow them at a minimum, and I now cannot see the competition surviving.

Edit: City are now also doing so.

Edit 2: Atletico Madrid as well. The floodgates have opened.

Edit 3: All clubs will meet tonight to discuss disbanding the Super League. It’s over.

Good news!

[Mike88]

Chelsea fans reacting to the club's departure from the Superleague:

https://twitter.com/MiguelDelaney/status/1384564828459749383

[Fight for Trump]

This incident should not be forgotten, and action should be taken to find a long-term solution to prevent future attempts. The ringleaders Perez, Agnelli, and the Americans need to be removed, and safeguards put in place to prevent like-for-like replacements.