They think that the ‘fans’ will support this because there is a tiny element of promotion and relegation. I suspect most fans, like me, couldn’t care less because they can’t imagine a situation where their team will be involved. It will live on TV money, real fans can’t afford endless midweek away trips and weekends for domestic leagues. Presumably domestic cups don’t have these clubs. Next step Saudi teams invited to take part. $$$$$$ FIFA is also playing with the format of the world club championship so it becomes, a 32 team World Cup every 4 years, with a mini version annually. Sport will eat itself. Even with our improvement in form and hopes I’m full of football at the moment, doubt I’ll go to the game on Saturday. No chance will I watch any of this extra bollocks on telly.
Plans for revamped European Super League announced after court ruling AP sports reporters06:32, Dec 22 2023 Super League: The War for Football trailer Super League: The War for Football is now streaming on Apple TV+. The European Super League was revived on Thursday after the European Union’s top court ruled UEFA and FIFA defied competition law by blocking the breakaway project. The ruling was praised by Real Madrid which, along with Barcelona, is leading the fight to form a rival competition to the Champions League. “It has been fully recognised that the clubs have the right to propose and promote European competitions that modernise our sport and attract fans from all over the world,” Madrid president Florentino Pérez said. “Today, a Europe of freedoms has triumphed, and also football and its fans have triumphed.” However, it was a backlash by fans, especially in England and Germany, against the original project in April 2021 that helped to stop Super League within 48 hours, and no new clubs immediately came forward on Thursday to support Perez’s vision. The case was heard last year at the European Court of Justice after Super League failed at launch more than two years ago. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin called the club leaders then “snakes” and “liars." Advertise with Stuff The company formed by 12 rebel clubs – now led by only Real Madrid and Barcelona after Juventus withdrew this year – started legal action and the court was asked to rule on points of EU law by a Madrid tribunal. please log in to view this image ROB PINNEY/GETTY IMAGES A backlash from fans, particularly in England and Germany, saw the original Super League scrapped. “We have won the right to compete. The UEFA monopoly is over. Football is free,” said Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 Sports Management, which promotes the Super League. “Clubs are now free from the threat of sanctions and free to determine their own futures.” Madrid-based A22 immediately announced new proposed competitions for men and women, saying young fans are “turning away” from football. In a presentation streamed on YouTube, Reichart said there would be no permanent members of the new competition and they would remain committed to their domestic leagues. The league and knockout competition would also be played midweek so as not to impact domestic leagues. The clubs accused UEFA of breaching European law by allegedly abusing its market dominance of football competitions. “The FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful,” the court said. “There is no framework for the FIFA and UEFA rules ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate.” please log in to view this image SHAUN BOTTERILL/GETTY IMAGES UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin sees the European Super League as a threat to the Champions League. The court acknowledged FIFA and UEFA were abusing a dominant position and their rules on approval, control and sanctions “must be held to be unjustified restrictions on the freedom to provide services.” Perez said, “Allow me to tell the European clubs that we are at the beginning of a new time in which we can work freely through constructive dialogue, without threats, without acting against anything or anyone and with the aim of innovating and modernizing football to continue, fueling the passion of the fans.” While clearing the way for Super League, the court also said it “does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved.” ADVERTISEMENT Advertise with Stuff UEFA said it addressed last year “a historical shortfall within UEFA’s pre-authorization framework” and pledged to continue defending the central role of governing bodies in the European sports model. “UEFA is confident in the robustness of its new rules, and specifically that they comply with all relevant European laws and regulations,” it said. Two years after the original idea collapsed, Super League promoters presented in February a new proposal for a multi-division competition involving up to 80 European soccer teams and operating outside of UEFA’s authority. The latest plans announced on Thursday would involve 64 men's teams and 32 women's clubs. The European Club Association, which represents Europe’s top football clubs, reiterated its staunch opposition to Super League. “In short, the world of football moved on from the Super League years ago and progressive reforms will continue,” the group said. “All the recognised stakeholders of European and world football – spanning confederations, federations, clubs, leagues, players and fans – stand more united than ever against the attempts by a few individuals pursing personal agendas to undermine the very foundations and basic principles of European football.” English clubs are still unlikely to join a revived plan. The Premier League’s international appeal and financial power has grown in the past two years, and a UK government bill announced last month by King Charles proposed powers to block English teams from trying to join a breakaway league. The Premier League Owners’ Charter states clubs “will not engage in the creation of new competition formats outside of the Premier League’s rules.” The Spanish league said on Thursday “that the Super League is a selfish and elitist model. Anything that is not fully open, with direct access only through the domestic leagues, season by season, is a closed format.” The court also noted that rules giving FIFA and UEFA exclusive control over the commercial exploitation of the media rights related to their competitions are “such as to be harmful to European football clubs, all companies operating in media markets and, ultimately, consumers and television viewers, by preventing them from enjoying new and potentially innovative or interesting competitions.” Reichart of A22 said he will offer to fans “free viewing of all Super League matches,” and sent a message to clubs that “revenues and solidarity spending will be guaranteed” in Super League. The original announcement of the Super League sparked vehement protests from fans, and Football Supporters Europe said on Thursday there was “no place in European football for a breakaway super league.” “Our clubs, our competitions, & our local communities need protection,” it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Whatever comes next, the super league remains an ill-conceived project that endangers the future of European football.” The Court of Justice's ruling was the most anticipated sports decision since the so-called Bosman Ruling in 1995. That case upended football’s transfer system, drove up pay for top players who became free agents when contracts expired, and ultimately accelerated a wealth and competitive divide between rich clubs and the rest. When the Super League was unveiled – a largely closed competition as an alternative to the UEFA-run Champions League – widespread condemnation hit the rebel clubs from England, Spain and Italy. please log in to view this image ROB PINNEY/GETTY IMAGES Chelsea fans protest against their club joining the European Super League project in 2021. UEFA's defence was that it protected the special place of sports in European society by running competitions in a pyramid structure open to all, and funded the grassroots of the game. This season, the Champions League included Royal Antwerp, who won their first Belgian title for 66 years, and Union Berlin, which rose into the German top division only in 2019. The proposed 20-team Super League with locked-in places for up to 15 founders would have effectively replaced the Champions League and weakened the sporting and commercial appeal of domestic leagues. The lack of relegation was fundamentally at odds with European football which, unlike elite US sports leagues, has the risk and reward of moving up or down divisions based on performance. “UEFA remains resolute in its commitment to uphold the European football pyramid, ensuring that it continues to serve the broader interests of society,” UEFA said. “We trust that the solidarity-based European football pyramid that the fans and all stakeholders have declared as their irreplaceable model will be safeguarded against the threat of breakaways by European and national laws.”
As someone said on Sky Sports the next stage will be lots of businessmen having private meetings in five star hotels. All come down to greed and the fact the Spanish clubs are desperate and have no money and nothing left to sell.
I don’t think we need to worry about being involved and accept our European adventures are away at Swansea
FIFA and UEFA can still bar players competing in the Super League from playing international football in the World Cup and Euro Championship as those tournaments come under their rules. That may work either way, less football for countries but more for clubs, it'll test players allegiances but money usually talks as the LIV golf has shown. English, German and several other countries are still against the Super League and it's mainly Spanish, Italian and French clubs driving this. I expect Celtic and Rangers would jump in without hesitation but without Premier League participants it would be a bit of sham. As Stan says there will definitely be Saudi input, it just wouldn't work without it. Interesting to see which English club is 1st to break ranks...
Who cares, get rid of these ****ers and their fake fans and hope the whole project falls on it's arse...then see them start again from the National League. I've watched zero minutes of Premier League, MotD or Champions League in over three years so it'll be no loss to me.
More and more these clubs care more and more about money and less and less about the fans. Let them go and play with each other, I shan’t be watching the self-righteous flogging their souls to the TV companies and large industries who are advertising themselves and filling the personal boxes with their clients. I shan’t be watching the constant flogging of their competition across all media. I shan’t be ‘clicking’ on their links to be made self-aware of what they are up to. All of this and not a mention of football!! Says it all. Leave me with my passion for following my team I have been with for 50+ years. The highs and lows are beyond glory followers (though I wouldn’t mind a bit of that glory for QPR); the camaraderie of fans we share day-in day-out. The excitement of that unexpected win. Wouldn’t lose it for anything.
Me neither because unfortunately here in Canada (unlike Florida) the coverage is not available on ESPN here (was only $9.99/mth or $99/year down there). I say we should go for 7/24 Championship games only!
