[Football] Will the current plan for the European Super League happen? Yes or No?

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Will the current plan for the European Super League happen?


  • Total voters
    275
  • Poll closed .


Kalimantan Gull

Well-known member
Aug 13, 2003
13,085
Central Borneo / the Lizard
Not sure.

One thing I am confident of is that all the threats are completely meaningless - kick them out of the premier league? The Sky/BT money would crash, the other clubs won't enforce this. Stop players appearing in the World Cup? As if - imagine telling Argentina that Messi can't play for them and expect them to turn up happily to the competition, or Coke or Mastercard or whoever to keep paying the gazillions in sponsorship.

So if the clubs want to do it they will do it. Whether they really want it - I'm not sure. Man Utd, Liverpool, the Spanish two - I'm certain they do. But do Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs really want that? An eternity of finishing 15th or 16th in an ESL, never competing, flying all over Europe every other week with a bored fanbase and nothing riding on the games? They'll very quickly be playing their second choice in that league and focusing more on the premier league, giving the teams at the top an easy ride, there doesn't seem to be much jeopardy in this league. It will all be a fairly meaningless collection of dollars on the way to the big playoffs at the end.

Secondly, the financial growth market for this is really in Asia, where midweek games are difficult for viewership. Weekend games much better. But in Europe - are neutrals going to watch this in the way they watch the champions league? If there are only three or four countries involved, will fans from other countries care?

I think on balance, it has to happen, hopefully just to prove that it doesn't work. But it probably will work. But I'm not sure its any worse for football than the proposed new CL format anyway.
 




beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,454
FIFA will follow the money. They can’t get enough.

not sure if they'll see any money, though i gather they wouldnt be at all unhappy UEFA being weakened. they might give wiggle room to allow the start up without explicitly endorsing it yet.
 




Frankie

Put him in the curry
May 23, 2016
4,217
Mid west Wales
My instant thoughts on this was bye bye have a nice time and Southgate may even consider Dunky seeing as his only options would be Mings and the Sheffield Wednesday back 4 .

But I've now had time to reflect on this proposal and it actually makes me quite angry , I do hope that if they do decide to breakaway , when in 3 seasons it all goes tits up the clubs involved aren't allowed straight back into the EFL and have to start in the Screwfix division 4 league.

Just greed pure and simple .
 


Tim Over Whelmed

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 24, 2007
10,288
Arundel
Will this be expanded to eight to admit MIGHTY Leeds and MASSIVE Wednesday?
 




Robinjakarta

Well-known member
Jul 14, 2014
2,094
Jakarta
Oh and yes, I think the Americans will just do it, they will have the best lawyers.

I think that in their arrogance, they had no idea of and were totally unprepared for the sh*tstorm that their plans for 'soccer' would create and that they would bully their way through as in their normal corporate lives. Sod 'em, which is what I will think will happen. All bullies are cowards deep down.
 


studio150

Well-known member
Jul 30, 2011
29,765
On the Border
I think it will all come down to whether the ESL can secure significant money for TV rights, without that the financials probably don't stack up particularly if they are thrown out of domestic leagues.

Unfortunately I fear it will happen, and football will have a split for a period as cricket did under the Packer years.
 


vegster

Sanity Clause
May 5, 2008
27,961
If Fifa and UEFA maintain their legal supremacy over football and stand against the new super league and carry through with the threat to block the 12 and their players from their competitions.... It won't happen.

If it goes to court ( and I'm really not sure what court has the jurisdiction to arbitrate this) and Fifa UEFA lose as blocking the super league 12 would be seen to be " restrictive practice " then it will grudgingly happen.
 




Feb 23, 2009
23,369
Brighton factually.....
No not in the format suggested, this is bully boy tactics from the elite to modify the champions league into a more closed shop for the supposed elite clubs of Europe.
They will end up with a league / playoff format however smaller clubs will not be allowed to join in the party unless they go through some stupid complicated play off knockout round in July, and then probably two or four tolken clubs will be allowed to join the party.

it is a threat and probably what the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham don't realise is they are part of that threat and would be dropped like a hot shit sandwich, once they Liverpool, United, Madrid get their way and then the likes of PSG and Munich will join and take the place of Arsenal and Tottenham.
 




Marshy

Well-known member
Jul 6, 2003
19,777
FRUIT OF THE BLOOM
i doubt even half the games witll be home games, they will have them flying to America, Japan and Australia for games....

I certainly wont watch them
 




blue-shifted

Banned
Feb 20, 2004
7,645
a galaxy far far away
No not in the format suggested, this is bully boy tactics from the elite to modify the champions league into a more closed shop for the supposed elite clubs of Europe.
They will end up with a league / playoff format however smaller clubs will not be allowed to join in the party unless they go through some stupid complicated play off knockout round in July, and then probably two or four tolken clubs will be allowed to join the party.

it is a threat and probably what the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham don't realise is they are part of that threat and would be dropped like a hot shit sandwich, once they Liverpool, United, Madrid get their way and then the likes of PSG and Munich will join and take the place of Arsenal and Tottenham.

Yeh, a bit like a Bond Villain, whose loyal but stupid chief henchman is of no use to him
 




Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
25,002
Worthing
I don’t watch The Champions Leage as it is only The Premier and a few Championship games.
 






Clive Walker

Stand Or Fall
Jul 5, 2011
3,283
Brighton
No not in the format suggested, this is bully boy tactics from the elite to modify the champions league into a more closed shop for the supposed elite clubs of Europe.
They will end up with a league / playoff format however smaller clubs will not be allowed to join in the party unless they go through some stupid complicated play off knockout round in July, and then probably two or four tolken clubs will be allowed to join the party.

it is a threat and probably what the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham don't realise is they are part of that threat and would be dropped like a hot shit sandwich, once they Liverpool, United, Madrid get their way and then the likes of PSG and Munich will join and take the place of Arsenal and Tottenham.

Arsenal, Spurs etc maybe being used as pawns in a posturing move to have UEFA adjust the distribution of funds in the current CL format. Ironically if it proves to be successful, which is the only logical outcome, they wouldn't benefit from the bluff as they won't qualify for next seasons CL.
 




father_and_son

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2012
4,646
Under the Police Box
Something will happen. Too many reputations now staked on this. Previously the owners could say "Well, we were just talking about it, we don't actually plan on doing it". Now the bottle, stable and can are all empty and the genie, bolting horse and worms are not going back!

The ESL would quite like this to just replace the CL. UEFA are not going to let that be the ONLY outcome. Next season there will be a new European Super League that will quickly morph into a Global Super League to grow its market appeal in US/Asia.

The PL is dead if it allows 6 of its teams to have such a MASSIVE financial benefit compared to the other clubs, so either because of UEFA or off their own back will "reach an understanding whereby 6 teams will leave my mutual consent" or some such excuse.

FIFA have no backbone so ESL (or GSL) players will continue to play international football unhindered.

Domestic leagues will trade players to ESL but UEFA may, devoid of toys in their pram, stop them coming back.

The franchise model will apply and so the clubs in the ESL/GSL will eventually relocate to other countries because of some corporate tie-ins or tax advantages.


Something will come of this. Whether its this I doubt, but it will be something.
 




father_and_son

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2012
4,646
Under the Police Box
Won`t happen, could be wrong but aren`t most fans of the so called big 6 disgusted by it?

I would suspect 50k match-attending, manc born and bred, Man Utd fans are disgusted. 450k Man Utd armchair "fans" don't give a sh1t one way or another. and 140m Man Utd fans worldwide are really excited by the prospect of Man Utd only ever playing other clubs they've heard of.
 


Blue Valkyrie

Not seen such Bravery!
Sep 1, 2012
32,165
Valhalla
I would suspect 50k match-attending, manc born and bred, Man Utd fans are disgusted. 450k Man Utd armchair "fans" don't give a sh1t one way or another. and 140m Man Utd fans worldwide are really excited by the prospect of Man Utd only ever playing other clubs they've heard of.
The ones that only support Man Utd because they like following a win-most-weeks team will hate bobbling around in an ESL bottom 3 - which could well happen.
 


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