European Super League ... and greedy owners

This is no reflection on the fans of these clubs, they don't want it, but they don't count, because gate receipts are tiny compared to television money. ARmchair fans are a different breed, they prefer to watch the best players in the world rather than support their local team. When I was in Morocco years ago lots of kids wore Arsenal shirts because Arsenal had a Moroccan player. Then of course there's the Asian market, which is why Spurs are one of the 6, they have Son. It would be funny if he asked for a transfer.

 

I have two main fears regarding this developing situation;

1) The ESL will buy off the other 14 Premier League Clubs, and maybe the PL itself.

2) The billionaire owners of the ESL will buy off FIFA and get them to sanction the Super League.

This second fear is the much greater one, for the consequences to World Football.
We know FIFA is open to corruption.
The disgrace of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Finals is ample evidence of that.

If the ESL gets FIFA approval, that will mean (in my view) FIFA will have finally proved that it is unfit to govern Association Football.

UEFA will be faced with two choices;
A) Back down
B) Leave FIFA

That would mean European Football being in conflict with, and unable to interact with, football anywhere else in the World.
And for FIFA it would mean the end of the World Cup as a real competition.

~~~~~~~~~

I always understood that the ultimate custodian of Association Football is not FIFA but is the English FA.
FIFA administrates football around the world and enforces the rules with the permission of the English FA.

If FIFA backs the ESL then the English FA should withdraw their permission for FIFA to use its rules to govern world football.
FIFA would in effect become a Rogue organisation, along with the Rogue Super League.

This would have a devastating effect on World football.
But it would be the right thing to do.
People all around the world who care more about the beautiful game than they care about greed must stand together.
There are NOT two legitimate sides to this conflict.
There are the folks who love football, and there are the disciples of Greed.

 

There is suddenly a lot of talk about football being a community-based sport. This is true of many cubs, CAFC for instance, but the top clubs have been moving away from this for a long time, and so have the fans. I used to listen to 606 when it was a phone-in for fans who had been to watch their team whatever the division, but from the odd snatches I hear now it's more of an argument between armchair fans about the latest VAR farce, or who should Spurs get as manager. When FHB jnr was at primary school 20 years ago he was the only kid who supported his local team, all the others were little glory hunters. Kids actually choose a team, based on what they see on telly, whereas when I was at school every single boy supported Kilmarnock.

 

That's nothing new to me. I grew up in South London, and in my class at school, I was the Charlton fan - vastly outnumbered by Liverpool fans (this was the seventies, and Liverpool were the big winners) followed by Leeds, Arsenal and West Ham. I don't know how far back you have to go to find football fans following their local team, but at a guess, I'd say the fifties.

 

For those interested in a Spanish slant, there was an interview with Florentino perez, the Real Madrid president last night. I didn't watch it but it made the news tis morning, so here is the gist (get ready to heave, it's sickening).
He began with the Super League is being formed with the best interests of football at heart. he claimed it is in real trouble, with massive debt accumulating, and as a demonstration said that in the last year, real Madrid have accumulated something like 50 or 100 million euros of debt (I missed the number as I was so angry). So the good of football is actually to shore up rhe debt these clubs have through overspending!! He went on to say that there was no need for UEFA to be threatening, they should sit down and talk, and that there was no threat whatsoever, none, that Real Madrid would be thrown out of the Champions League on friday. He seemed fairly sure, which suggests a few brown envelopes have flown to Zurich recently. The TV then said the fans of the big three are by and large in favour, and interviewed one from each to prove it. Not a very representative sample but I'd imagine knowing how Spanish football works that in this case, most of those fans will be happy to see the closed shop getting a few extra locks on the door.
I checked out the local Barcelona newspaper, El Mundo Deportivo, as Barcelona have been very very quiet about this. El Mundo followed their stance, mad not a mention of how Barcelona felt about their new business venture, and the biggest topic was a bit of crowing about the possible eviction of Madrid from the Champions League, which seemed fairly myopic considering it will probably aply to Barcelona next season..
There will be a meeting of the league clubs next week, to which the big three have not been invited, and we also heard that the other clubs in Italy want the three ESL founders (the Milans and Juve) thrown out too.

i was chatting with a mate of mine last night and he pointed out that there is actually a lot of money sloshing around in football. the problem is it is all concentrated at the top of the main leagues. The big clubs have overspent as usual (in the case of Spurs and Arsenal, in order to create a huge mediocrity) and now they want more. Logic and history both show that these clubs will simply soak up the money, as will the players they sign, and they will be gasping for more in a few years - the idea that they might have to make cut backs and develop youth players and maybe accept a few rebuilding seasons is beyond them. Given that, my view has hardened. I think it's time to sling them out of all competitions run by FIFA and UEFA. They bring nothing more than greed and avarice. I have no doubt the next few on the ladder may begin to try and take their place as the big fat cats, but for the moment, we can all cut back as TV money shrinks. Giving more ground to these clubs is a death knell to the sport. Imagine the teams they will field given their access to the Super league money when they come back to play domestic competitions. There is no negotiation with this - they are saying it is all decided and ready to go. So they can go and do it - a lot of fans won't miss a closed shop at the top of the table, and if the money isn't so heavily weighted on winning the champions league, maybe we might see a better turn over in domestic competitions without these clubs. And when Chelsea or man Utd can't pack the stadiums and the owners move the franchise to Singapore or Dubai, let's see how they fare then.

 

Florentino Perez pontificating about having the best interests of football at heart is like Jack the Ripper promoting womens' rights.

EVERY change in the game for decades has been brought in to make the big Clubs bigger & more powerful, at the expense of the poorer Clubs.
And we've put up with it.

But closing the league to relegation crosses the line.
Every team, from the park on a Sunday to the top of the Championship - must be allowed to advance on merit.
The ESL must be stopped.
Or totally cut off for ever from the rest of football.

 

I suppose the difference now is that they can watch their beloved Liverpool (or Manure, or whoever) on TV. No wonder the Murdoch empire is up in arms against it- Sky isn't getting its snout in the trough.

 

Those hundreds of Chelsea fans protesting outside Stamford Bridge this evening

Remember to social distance ladies and gents!

 

I’ve always been a fan of Cantona’s work

 

Breaking on SSN:

Chelsea are PULLING OUT of the ESL

That must be what Chelsea fans were being told just now

 

Man City next. The owners are in it for the prestige.

 

Shady Tree has posted that Atletico Madrid & Barcelona have quit too.

And Manchester City are out.

It must be all over for the League of Shame.

 

Makes sense, Chelsea & Man City weren't bought with the aim of making money. They were bought in order to satisfy ego or engage in so called "Sportswashing". It's the Americans that seem to be looking at clubs as investment vehicles.

Maybe this partly was an unintended consequence of Financial Fair Play as the super spenders like Chelsea and Man City had to start focusing on ways to maximise revenue.

 

I would have personally liked it to play out for a few more days before it folded as I believe we really do need a proper review of football finances across the whole pyramid.
My fear is that this will be forgotten in a few days time, maybe not by the fans, but definitely by the PL money men.

 

Ed Woodward has just quit Man United - and they're saying it has nothing to do with the Super League!

How thick do they think people are

 

Me too. Had there been some repercussions we might have seen some changes. But I guess it'll all be under the carpet by tomorrow lunchtime.
At least the Real Madrid president will look like the idiot he is.

 

Last one for tonight I promise