The future of European Football??

So the top 4 will potentially qualify for a tournament they don’t want to be in unless it includes Leicester and/or West Ham?

 

Interesting lawyer on BBC R5. She said that ‘competition’ is written into European Law (can’t remember which Article she said), which questions the legality of the non-relegation of founding members.
Also, this is effectively a cartel as market foreclosure is their aim. The presence of Totteringham is also questionable, as the organisation must have rules for why it has its members, and other clubs have won the League more recently than the Spuds (60 years), and European champions exist in Villa and Forest.

 

If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Unless, of course, there is too much money at stake and shisty owners still can't accept that it is a SPORT based on merit.

Now those 6 English clubs owners look devilishly inept to see the fans' opinions and this is going to get legally nasty from all parties with power.

Sigh.

 

The board of directors at Everton have gone up massively in my estimation with this statement.

https://www.evertonfc.com/news/2111866

 

I'm not really cynical, and I am pleased with the strength of the message, but I do wonder if that would have been their response had they been invited to be one of the inclusive 15 ?
However, I am surprised that anyone is surprised by this whole affair. Until the Sky/ Premier league came along, football clubs were only ever seen as financially loss-making but socially positive contributors to 'society/community' ( hooliganism and disaters notwithstanding, and I am not for one moment seeking to diminish the importance of the disasters, or the horrific violence my family had to endure in the 80's. Thank God for GT !) Ok, it also gave kudos to owners, opportunities for 'connecting' and (pretty low) levels of influence purchase. Once it became a source of money-making, the whole ethos changed - completely, irreversibly, and forever - UNLESS we revert to the pre-1992 rules on ownership mechanisms, not to mention (amongst several others) the requirement that a club was obliged to play its best available team in EVERY match.
It is blindingly obvious that money makers are never likely to tolerate forever their rewards being determined by the decisions of referees ,to name one group of influencers. The sheer randomness of football is both its essential joy , attraction, and anathema to the money men.
Well, if they want to take their ball away , let them. Once the rulemakers show some backbone, the ESL members will discover that the only players they can attract will be 3rd division journeymen. Then let them see how much they can get for the streaming rights in Outer Mongolia.

 

I'm rather puzzled by the bit on 'owner mechanisms' Bodbo - the 51% rule in Germany has often been quoted as the main reason why German clubs have not gone down this route - yet what of Barcelona ? As far as I know they are fan owned with well over 100,000 shareholders/club members - how did they arrive at this decision ? I would very much like to know how fans of the big clubs in Spain and Italy have reacted to this - particularly as Barcelona have so often been seen as a symbol of Catalan national feeling against the rest of Spain. Also - the number 15 has been cited so who are the other 3 ? As far as I know FC Porto have turned it down and Van der Saar at Ajax has condemned it completely - France and Germany are closed (unless PSG break away) so who are they talking about here ? Celtic and Rangers ?

 

Spain's La Liga, which said the elitist nature of the Super League "attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit which are at the heart of the domestic and European football pyramid."
It added: "Football fans across Europe can dream that their club, no matter the size, may excel, climb to the top and compete at the pinnacle of European football ... The concept proposed by 12 European clubs destroys that dream, shutting the door to the top of European football, allowing in just an elite few."

 

Susie Dent

Word of the day is 'hugger-muggery' (16th century): secretive, clandestine behaviour for the purposes of deception.

 

please log in to view this image

 

Rather than calling them the 'elite few' Frenchie, it may be suitable to just call them the richest. The two best teams in Europe at the moment - PSG and Bayern are outside of this group so they are not 'the pinnacle'. I should also point out that Ajax (despite having to sell their best players) have achieved more European success over the last 5 years than Man City have.

 

“Sport is not a sport when the relation between the effort and reward don’t exist. It’s not a sport when it doesn’t matter if you lose. It’s not fair if teams fight at the top and cannot qualify” (Pep Guardiola).

It sounds as if Guardiola (like Klopp) is not too happy about the proposed European Super League.

 

They were never consulted in the matter Luther - it was just presumed that they will go along with it for the dosh. And that the fans would go along with it just because they always stick with their club no matter what. It should be made absolutely clear to them that this means leaving the Premier League - Prexit means Prexit !

 

IIRIC , football clubs could not be owned by (public) limited companies - I think, before 1992 or possibly with quoted shares. That was my thinking. If I'm wrong, I would welcome enlightenment.

 

The managers, players and - in some cases - even members of some clubs' boards were not consulted. Yet the managers have been expected to deal with questions at press conferences (despite only being informed about the proposed European Super League during the last couple of days). The owners of these six Premier League clubs have been conspicuously absent and have yet to offer any explanation for their actions. Interesting that Marcus Rashford has posted a tweet showing his opposition (through a picture) to the proposal and that Jordan Henderson has called a meeting of Premier League captains.

 

Valencia coach Javi Gracia: “You must prioritise the essence of football and the new competition does not seem to do that. It is a financial project, not a sporting one. It does not really represent the values that we all love in football."

 

Richard Williams writes: “Just following up on Tom Wright’s point about Barça and Madrid being broke, in debt and having a failed business model, this hasn’t been lost on Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Sporting Director Max Eberl who said this afternoon:

When I hear Mr Perez’s quote that there is no alternative to the plan because these clubs would no longer exist in 2024 due to Corona, then I don’t know whether this is the club of the super-rich or the club of the super-indebted. These are clubs that have lived beyond their means in recent years and are simply trying to save their own arses with this Super League.

 

Chelsea have pulled out.

Once one leaves will they all ?

 

Dangerous method, pulling out at the last minute.

Good for them mind. Right decision.

 

CIteeeeh want out too.

Wonder if it has anything to do with both of them in the Champions league semi finals.

 

And not got American owners like the others ?