Football (Soccer) Thread

[Liep]

And the founders have all quit the European Club Association.

The powerlessness of fans - including of these clubs is what makes this so galling. I am personally in a full blown burn it to the ground and salt the earth mood - most people on my Twitter seem the same but it means nothing

Our board has confirmed that our membership has to be approved by the membership, which are fairly against it. But I suppose the board can play up the "pass this or we broke" card, like when Bartomeu managed to get stadium naming rights approved.

Anyway, I hope this shit DIAF.

It's not Camp Nou any more?

[celedhring]

And the founders have all quit the European Club Association.

The powerlessness of fans - including of these clubs is what makes this so galling. I am personally in a full blown burn it to the ground and salt the earth mood - most people on my Twitter seem the same but it means nothing

Our board has confirmed that our membership has to be approved by the membership, which are fairly against it. But I suppose the board can play up the "pass this or we broke" card, like when Bartomeu managed to get stadium naming rights approved.

Anyway, I hope this shit DIAF.

It's not Camp Nou any more?

They were supposed to change it this season to XXXXX Camp Nou but Bartomeu getting the boot put a halt to it, for now. To be honest, we probably need the cash.

[Tamas]

If this ends up resulting in a Pan-european grand football league of different tiers and no consideration for club nationality I am all for it. At the moment it's likely outcome is the opposite though, with the departure of these clubs destroying interest in the champions league (not to mention the Europa League) while making their own new competition uninteresting due to the low and unchanging number of clubs.

[Josquius]

Just looked at the news this morning. Well I'm shocked. There's been talk of this for years and didn't expect it to actually happen.
In principle I'm all for a European league but a closed one without promotion and relegation? No.
Those 5 teams who qualify annually... Seems insulting.
I also have to laugh at spurs being involved.
Good news from it though is the lack of fifa sanction and the potential for involved players to be banned from the world Cup. Confirming the secondary status of the world Cup much as happened with the FA Cup makes me smile. Its time is passed.

[Tamas]

The Super League has now sent a letter to the presidents of FIFA & UEFA issuing notice of legal proceedings in European courts designed to block any sanctions the two governing bodies may try to enforce to over the formation of the ESL...

At least this whole thing is a severe financial risk to FIFA and UEFA, which kind of makes it worthwhile.

[Tamas]

Also: both sides (but UEFA mostly) citing sanctity of sport etc. when it is about them making insane profits is just nauseating.

[celedhring]

Also: both sides (but UEFA mostly) citing sanctity of sport etc. when it is about them making insane profits is just nauseating.

It's clearly an Aliens vs Predator scenario.

[Tamas]

The Labour Party's Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, which is home to two of the Super League founder clubs in Manchester United and Manchester City, tweeted: 'That phrase 'the game's gone' always used to annoy me. But with VAR and now this, nothing else better sums up where we are. It's the phrase of the day. #TheGamesGone.'"

If this shrilling continues it will quickly turn me into a Super League supporter.

[The Larch]

What makes it even more ironic is that while these clubs tout themselves as the largest and most prestigious in the world, the announcement has taken place in a weekend in which Real Madrid had a goal-less draw against mighty Getafe, Juventus were beaten by Atalanta and Arsenal drew at home against Fulham.

[Liep]

Which are the three teams they expect will join? After the rather bad press this is getting I can't see any team wanting this except maybe PSG as I doubt the German clubs will follow (Maybe Leipzig? :p)

[The Larch]

Which are the three teams they expect will join? After the rather bad press this is getting I can't see any team wanting this except maybe PSG as I doubt the German clubs will follow (Maybe Leipzig? :p)

Apparently PSG, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

[The Larch]

It sounds like an American style Major League to me. Just big markets with no relegation.

It is. No surprise that three of the English clubs who sort of tried this with the Premier League earlier this year are American (and I believe own teams in the US).

Yeah, it's no coincidence that this has happened after most of the largest clubs have been taken over by foreign owners (be they American sports-business groups like at Arsenal or Liverpool or Man United, Asian conglomerates like at Inter and formerly at AC Milan, or petro-monarchies from the Persian Gulf like Man City) with little to no emotional attachment to the sport's traditions and the club's roots, but it doesn't cover the whole picture, as this Super League is spearheaded in part by two clubs (Real Madrid and Juventus, who together with Man United are said to be the main movers and shakers behind the scenes) who still theoretically are part of the "old order" of continental football. At the end of the day greed has no nationality.

[Sheilbh]

The Labour Party's Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, which is home to two of the Super League founder clubs in Manchester United and Manchester City, tweeted: 'That phrase 'the game's gone' always used to annoy me. But with VAR and now this, nothing else better sums up where we are. It's the phrase of the day. #TheGamesGone.'"

If this shrilling continues it will quickly turn me into a Super League supporter.

Andy Burnham's a huge Everton fan and Manchester's a huge football city, hardly surprising to see him get involved.

There's been calls for more regulation for football for a while because of the sense that the owners' self-regulation hasn't worked out and we might be going in that direction. Apparently the Culture Secretary will be giving a statement today on this: "It is understood that officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are examining what powers the government might have to stop the plan, and what action it could take. Options believed to be under consideration include taking action under competition laws, and wider reforms, for example guaranteeing fans a greater say in the running of clubs and the wider sport."

[The Larch]

Some info on the internal dealings of the ESL obtaind by BBC News:

*Man Utd & RM "ringleaders"
*3 US-owned PL clubs "really mean this", sold on the NFL model of closed league with star clubs/players driving value
*others see it more as leverage over UEFA - unhappy new CL format means £ shared among more clubs..
*Big clubs from struggling leagues (Spain, Italy) agitating because their domination of has produced boring football outcomes.
*All hurting due to Covid. Want control of the competition structure and of revenue distributions.
* According to source, some of those involved in ESL call traditional supporters of clubs "legacy fans" while they are focused instead on the "fans of the future" who want superstar names
*ESL insists modelling shows solidarity payments will be boosted £10bn Euros over 23 seasons)
*ESL clubs insist they negotiated in good faith with UEFA over new CL, but really dislike new 36 team format which they feel is quantity over quality. They want consistency in the competition & feel pre-Xmas the current system doesn't work with too many predictable matches.

[Sheilbh]

Meanwhile proposed changes to the Champions League:


I get that all these clubs want to play more games/earn more money. But I fail to see how this format doesn't just produce a lot of dead-rubbers.