Breakaway European League.

[Jorik0907]

Don't like the idea, but don't think it's as horrific as you'd imagine. The leagues are also trying to protect themselves, so there's no way they'll prevent their six highest earners from participating. Realistically, there'd be far less outrage if a different group of teams tried to organise a breakaway competition (let's say, Wolves, Brighton etc.) I reckon the football on the weekends will remain the same and without these 12-15 clubs, the new CL format won't happen. That's the postive.
What I would like, is for the winner of the CL and EL to be allowed into this group. Fact that it's a no-relegation group of teams makes it a dealbreaker for me.
Fact of the matter is that the new CL format is almost as horrendous as this idea, so we're going to be choosing between two evils here.

 

[one]

Agree. It's greed. But everything UEFA or FIFA does is based on greed too. Why have we bought into that?

There was a similar Super league break away from rugby league several years ago. It continued for a few years before both side realised their greed lead to losing money so they reunited.

We will have a similar situation here. A breakaway. Both side would lose money and decide to reunite. It would set football back a couple of decades because everyone is putting themselves ahead of the game. Lose lose all around.

 

[lincs22]

Embarrassed to be associated with if

Won't be getting a penny of my money if it happens

Wonder how they'll get refs...

Clattenburg will do it...

 

[lincs22]

Could we be headed for another code of football a la league / Union in rugby.
If uefa/fifa won't sanction it then the game could be played under modified laws?
That said the money that is being bandied about I can't see them not giving it though but if it is a true breakaway then it's a possibility

If they could do it, I bet we would have quarters and substitution time outs to allow for more adverts. That would be an easy change to make

What other nonsense do you think they will develop?

 

[es1]

Clattenburg will do it...

to be fair, all it takes is money. refs are paid well in comparision to the average joe, but double / triple it etc and they'll follow the cash just like the clubs

 

[Big Cat]

Like I often say, 'that's where we're at with the game'

 

[santa sangria]

Just realised the same Q - who will ref?

Maybe they can take Arsene and has f***ing AI with them, whoever they are!

As I lifelong Liverpool and Brighton supporter, with a VVD shirt hanging in my window, I will stop being a Liverpool fan if this happens.
American owners want to transplant the NFL model onto Europe. They do not get my vote.

 

[santa sangria]

Who are going to be the mysterious extra 5 teams in the super league?

 

[Trip]

they have just missed the point of what football is about completely.

Unfortunately I think they have a pretty shrewd idea of what football is about. We are already being referred to as "legacy fans".

There are two key questions: whether this is serious or just a negotiating position. If it's serious, whether the loss of revenue from "legacy fans" who decide to stop following their boyhood clubs is exceeded by the increase in revenue in new markets.

 

[es1]

Just realised the same Q - who will ref?

Maybe they can take Arsene and has f***ing AI with them, whoever they are!

As I lifelong Liverpool and Brighton supporter, with a VVD shirt hanging in my window, I will stop being a Liverpool fan if this happens.
American owners want to transplant the NFL model onto Europe. They do not get my vote.

we're being called "legacy fans"

i hope this falls flat on it's arse. i'm fuming. city has been a huge part of my life and i couldnt wait to take my son to the game.

now i'm wighing up which team to change my support to!!

 

[GraemeS]

I don't for a second think it's serious. The whole point of the process is "look at what we could do if you try and trim our share of the CL money down too far". As people rightly point out, the timing is not a coincidence and also, when you actually look at it in detail, there are too many logistical hurdles in the way.

UEFA will throw in some bonuses for teams that reach the late stages of the CL and do so on a regular basis and all this will quietly disappear- I'm not concerned.

 

[Trip]

I don't for a second think it's serious. The whole point of the process is "look at what we could do if you try and trim our share of the CL money down too far".

This can't be the motivation for clubs like Arsenal & Spurs who do not look like qualifying for Champions League.

That said, you might be right that it won't happen.

 

[GraemeS]

This can't be the motivation for clubs like Arsenal & Spurs who do not look like qualifying for Champions League.

That said, you might be right that it won't happen.

Both of those clubs still think of themselves as top-4 sides who just happen to be going through a slump.

If anything, you could argue that makes it more win-win for them to be involved in this - if it goes through then they've secured better (and higher earning) football than they would have managed based on their performances alone, and if it doesn't go through then they both assume they'll be back in the CL anyway and the more money there is for "English clubs" as a whole, the better off they'll be.

 

[Kes]

Like I often say, 'that's where we're at with the game'

Yep. All about money and television.

To be honest, the "game" has been heading into a tunnel like this for a while. The modern game bears no resemblance to how it was when I was a youngster. Most kids would go to watch their local or chosen team with a family member, the team being nearly all English/British players with at least 1 or 2 players who'd come through local programmes and made it into the team, having been born and bred in the area. Fans could identify with their team and it's players through local connections and history.
Fast forward to 20 or so years ago and practically every club (certainly in the Premier League) has purchased their playing stock from abroad and is purely about purchasing quality in performance in pursuit of success and the riches that go with it. The fans of yesteryear no longer seem to exist and are happy to see their club represented by a bunch of people with whom they have absolutely nothing in common aside from wearing the same shirt on match days. The football feeling and spirit has gone and with it the sense of regional and national pride.

So the upshot of it all is, is that a bunch of top-earning Premier League football clubs, run by and funded by largely foreign influence, has decided to do what they've always done (ie exactly what they want to) and pursue riches. What right have any of us to complain? This has been well in the making for a while now and if it doesn't happen this time around, it ultimately will at some point. English football stopped being about the fans a long time ago.

(('m playing Devil's advocate above of course. )

Only when the FA have a proper shake-up (with government assistance) and invest more in home-grown talent, grass roots football and bringing a bit of reality to the whole money-spinning cesspit that top-flight football has become, will we be able to call ourselves a proper football-mad nation and actually not all look like utter hypocrites when complaining about the actions of a few clubs we've all happily ploughed money into for years.

 

[Wolf_Ref]

Impressed to hear that Mourinho (rumours) was fired due to this...

 

[Mr Dean]

But can the "founding members" trust each other? Let's not forget that the Premier League is itself a breakaway league created out of greed. What will Spurs do a few years down the line when the other clubs decide to break away again? When will the breaking away stop? When will the greed stop?

These clubs will never be happy with the money they earn.

 

[Big Cat]

Yep. All about money and television.

To be honest, the "game" has been heading into a tunnel like this for a while. The modern game bears no resemblance to how it was when I was a youngster. Most kids would go to watch their local or chosen team with a family member, the team being nearly all English/British players with at least 1 or 2 players who'd come through local programmes and made it into the team, having been born and bred in the area. Fans could identify with their team and it's players through local connections and history.
Fast forward to 20 or so years ago and practically every club (certainly in the Premier League) has purchased their playing stock from abroad and is purely about purchasing quality in performance in pursuit of success and the riches that go with it. The fans of yesteryear no longer seem to exist and are happy to see their club represented by a bunch of people with whom they have absolutely nothing in common aside from wearing the same shirt on match days. The football feeling and spirit has gone and with it the sense of regional and national pride.

So the upshot of it all is, is that a bunch of top-earning Premier League football clubs, run by and funded by largely foreign influence, has decided to do what they've always done (ie exactly what they want to) and pursue riches. What right have any of us to complain? This has been well in the making for a while now and if it doesn't happen this time around, it ultimately will at some point. English football stopped being about the fans a long time ago.

(('m playing Devil's advocate above of course. )

Only when the FA have a proper shake-up (with government assistance) and invest more in home-grown talent, grass roots football and bringing a bit of reality to the whole money-spinning cesspit that top-flight football has become, will we be able to call ourselves a proper football-mad nation and actually not all look like utter hypocrites when complaining about the actions of a few clubs we've all happily ploughed money into for years.

I'm singing every verse of the same Hymn Sheet. Half empty stadiums might get the Club's attention, but I think the new generation of fans are driven to watch the superstars and will attend regardless of VAR and any ESL
One thing's for sure.... the breakaway will happen; it's not if, but when
Fundamentally, it will surely only be accepted if membership is merit based qualification. Well, you'd hope so, but who knows

 

[Kes]

But can the "founding members" trust each other? Let's not forget that the Premier League is itself a breakaway league created out of greed. What will Spurs do a few years down the line when the other clubs decide to break away again? When will the breaking away stop? When will the greed stop?

These clubs will never be happy with the money they earn.

I think that it'll ultimately come down to whether or not there is the will (within the global fan base) to effectively veto it by boycott. Like you say, it's all about the greed. Once the money dries up or there is a fear of it drying up, clubs will have to start reacting to it. I certainly don't think that a bunch of elite "founder members" will enter into a mutual propping up of each other financially if/when the **** hit the fan (no pun intended).

It's going to be an interesting summer for sure ...

 

[Kes]

I'm singing every verse of the same Hymn Sheet. Half empty stadiums might get the Club's attention, but I think the new generation of fans are driven to watch the superstars and will attend regardless of VAR and any ESL
One thing's for sure.... the breakaway will happen; it's not if, but when
Fundamentally, it will surely only be accepted if membership is merit based qualification. Well, you'd hope so, but who knows

Agreed. The whole thing over the next few weeks will show us exactly where football has arrived at - as if we didn't already know to be fair.
I don't like the idea of this European Superstars League any more than anyone else, but, as I read on a different forum last night ..

"Whatever happens, spare me the noise of whining Sky pundits bemoaning change after all that their employers have done to turn football into a money pit and certainly spare me the hypocrisy inherent in pretending that the organisations which gave us Blatter and Platini and a World Cup in Qatar represent a gold standard of sporting probity, the Corinthian spirit and the soul and conscience of football".

More food for thought ...

 

[santa sangria]

Perez, Agnelli, the Glazers... have pushed this through over a long weekend.
I expect there are some very squeaky bums at JP Morgan (6bn? really) and in the senior management of most of the clubs - because the backlash is big.
Surely Fifa, Uefa, the EPL etc. can just refuse to let the same squads/teams/organisations continue in their tournaments. Which would then mean 2 Uniteds, 2 Citys etc. Never gonna happen is it?

UEFA will need to increase the size of the Champs league to e.g. 6 teams from the major countries along with more qualifying for the minnows and a bigger pot for the last 16.