Breakaway Football ‘Superleague’ in Europe?

[davidge]

It’s been talked about before. Will it happen this time?

From the NY Times (there is an article in The Times of London but it’s behind a paywall)

Top European Soccer Teams Agree to Join Breakaway League

A group led by Juventus, Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid has agreed in principle on a plan that would upend the sport’s structures and economics.

 

LONDON — A group of the world’s richest and most storied soccer clubs has agreed in principle on a plan to create a breakaway European club competition that would, if it comes to fruition, upend the structures, economics and relationships that have bound global soccer for nearly a century.

After months of secret talks, the breakaway teams — which include Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Manchester United and Liverpool in England, and Juventus and A.C. Milan in Italy — could make an announcement as early as Sunday, according to multiple people familiar with the plans.

The timing of the announcement appears designed to overshadow Monday’s plan by European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, to ratify a newly designed Champions League, a competition which would be decimated by the departure of its biggest teams.

 

At least 12 teams have either signed up as founding members or expressed interest in joining the breakaway group, including six prominent teams from England’s Premier League, three from Spain and three from Italy, according to the people with knowledge of the plans. The group has been trying to get other top teams, like Germany’s Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, to join them in their venture, but to date those clubs — and others — have declined to turn their backs on the decades-old domestic structures and Continental competitions that have underpinned European soccer for generations.

 

The teams involved so far are limited to almost a dozen from Spain, Italy and England, with a cohort of six from the Premier League — United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham — representing the biggest grouping from a single country. Atlético Madrid is the other team from Spain that is said to have endorsed the project, while the Milan rivals Internazionale and A.C. Milan would join Juventus as Italy’s representatives.

The New York Times contacted a number of clubs involved in the breakaway plans but all declined to comment or did not respond. A UEFA spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.

 

UEFA and the top European Leagues, though, are bracing for the breakaway announcement. Officials spent the weekend in discussions about ways to block the plan, including potentially banning the breakaway teams from domestic leagues and from next season’s Champions League, with the breakaway scheduled to begin in 2022. The repercussions of that type of breakup would be seismic for all involved; without the top teams, UEFA and the leagues would face demands for millions of dollars in refunds from the broadcasters who pay billions for television rights to tournaments, and the clubs would lose revenue streams that could cripple their budgets as European soccer continues to emerge from the financial wreckage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Among the most notable teams involved in the breakaway group is Juventus, the serial Italian champion. Its chairman, Andrea Agnelli, also leads the European Club Association, an umbrella body for more than 200 top division clubs, the majority of which will be left out of the proposed Super League. He is also a member of UEFA’s executive board. When asked by The Times this year to discuss his role in the talks of a breakaway league, Agnelli brushed off the idea as a “rumor.”

 

Still, according to documents reviewed by The Times in January, plans for the breakaway league had gathered pace since the summer. Top clubs sought to take advantage of uncertainty in the soccer industry caused by the pandemic to forge a new path that would ensure a degree of financial stability for them but would also almost certainly lead to a significant — and potentially devastating — loss in value and revenue for teams excluded from the project. Each of the would-be permanent members of the proposed super league are being promised 350 million euros, or $425 million, to sign up, the documents said.

Under the proposals reviewed at the time, the super league, which would play its matches in the middle of the week, sought to secure 16 top soccer franchises as permanent members and to add four qualifiers from domestic competitions. The clubs would be split into two groups of 10, with the top four teams in each group qualifying for the knockout stages, culminating in a final that would take place on a weekend.

The event would, according to the documents, generate hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue for the participating teams, which are already the richest clubs in the sport. (An alternative version of the plan proposed 15 permanent members and five qualification spots.) The group had entered into discussions with JPMorgan Chase & Co. to raise financing for the project, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The firm has so far declined to comment.

UEFA found a powerful ally in opposition to the plans in FIFA, soccer’s global governing body. FIFA warned that any player who took part in such an unsanctioned league would be banned from appearing in the World Cup. The statement came after UEFAs president, Aleksander Ceferin, demanded support from his FIFA counterpart, Gianni Infantino, amid mounting speculation that the breakaway would have FIFA’s backing.

European soccer leaders huddled on the telephone and in video conferences over the weekend to forge a counterattack. However, finding a solution to the potential loss of the biggest brands in soccer is not an easy task. The Premier League, for example, would lose much of its sheen — and almost certainly a lot of the commercial appeal that has turned it into the richest league in soccer — should it move to banish its top six teams.

As member-owned clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid would likely require the support of the thousands of their supporters before formally joining, and any German clubs that agree to take part would face similar obstacles. All can expect heavy internal opposition; fan groups from across Europe had already voiced opposition since details of the plans for a super league emerged earlier this year.

[ronthebrummie]

Let them go, with no promotion or relegation it would soon become boring and sponsors will depart in droves.

If the relevant FAs stopped player transfers to the new league by banning players to their relevant countries international teams etc no world cups for the players players marketing would reduce.

F**k the greedy b*****ds 

[davidge]

Response from the PL:

and joint response from UEFA and some leagues:

[Ron Rat]

I have been saying this for years. The clubs named are greedy pricks and generally get into the UEFA every year and get richer at the expense of other clubs in the national competitions.  They can go and outbid each other till the cows come home until they start collapsing and nothing to fall back on. 

Ban the players from International duty and kick the side out the leagues. Except for a one hit wonder by Leicester those 6 clubs have dominated in England for years and to the detriment of the English team .

Every fourth game will be played in another country and it will leave Manchester and London without the rich clubs but they will still have Palace, fulham, West Ham etc. 

They will probably create there own TV channel and charge a Kings ransom to watch it so they will probably lose supporters or people will go to pubs etc to watch it. The working man will find seats too expensive and might turn their attention and money to local teams made up of local players. 

Wembley etc become off limits or have to be hired at a massive cost. It could even lead to the USA NFL situation where a rich  man, probably an Arab could relocate a team to another city or country. Arsenal could end up in Dubai or at least playing 5 games a year there. 

Bring it on. If ever a game needed a salary cap iit is this one and that could allow the National leagues to introduce a cap. The new won;t have one so they will overspend. If a team wants a player from say Everton they will have to pay big bucks and the player will know he is forfeiting his International career.  So it most likely attract players at the end of the career,  

Just for fun they could include Rangers and Celtic in the new mix to open up the Jock league. They will still have the old firm clashes but no Scottish FA cup. or Premier league. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Geordie59]

I doubt this will happen and is maybe just part of a power struggle between some rich Americans and the European authorities. Even an expanded Champions Leaguge is a bad idea IMO.
But if it did happen I would drop the team I’ve followed all my life and support a local team.

[Ron Rat]

It might be all very well for the EPL to say things like all fans can dream of making UEFA Cup etc but they have allowed the big clubs to rape and pillage the smaller clubs and therefore the supporters of those clubs know they have no hope. 

A young kid comes out of say Notts County academy or underage side and is the best prospect since David Beckham. You can bet one of the big or all of them will get into the kids parents who live in a council house and Dad works in a factory offering him the world and pay Notts a pittance compared to his real potential and Notts County go nowhere until one day they meet Manure in a cup tie and the kid scores a hattrick against Notts. 

The reality is the huge TV rights generated by the big 6 pays for massive salaries for the executives of the EPL. 

And a lot of the players in the squads who rarely get a game and are English may decide they want to stay in England and ask for a transfer to a local club where they originated from. 

Clubs are on the main no longer supporter owned and the EPL allowed this to happen. I follow Newcastle United and get newsletters form the supporters association and most of the gripes are about the owners Mike Ashley. We had 2 clubs in Australia in the Australian Football League that were owned by individuals and both were a fucking disaster and both men turned out to be crooks. Now all clubs are owned by members, 

 

[Leo_Bia]

No chance this happens.

[davidge]

 

[ShaneFalco]

I love football, but i will never support a breakaway "Super league"

[bangna]

So they can have a mid week game and weekends off if they are ineligible to play domestic league and cup competitions, European and World games.

[gazO]

The end of football if this happens. Looking at the big six, I can remember when it would be different all of them have gone through baron spells. Sell your soul's to the devil.

[gazO]

Passion speaking.

 

[Leo_Bia]

Can not believe the Hoo Haa over this, and its exactly what these clubs wanted.

They have no intention of splitting away, all they want is a bargaining chip when it comes to the future of the Champions League.

In that, they are guaranteed to have a place every year, because its too costly for them when they miss out.

Will there be the same uproar when this is announced? 

Probably not.

[kansuwan]

Rolling live coverage here:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/apr/19/european-super-league-latest-reaction-to-breakaway-football-competition-live

[blue1878]

Currently Leicester and West Ham are in the top 4 so if the season ended now they would be in next season's Champions League.  And 4 of the BIG 6 wouldnt be in it.  Arsenal in 9th place wouldnt even qualify for the Europa Cup.  I'm against this Super League and hope it won't happen.  I think its all about greed.  They already make big money and just want to make even more money.  So sadly it's not about us fans.

[Pooliekev]

1 hour ago, blue1878 said:

Currently Leicester and West Ham are in the top 4 so if the season ended now they would be in next season's Champions League.  And 4 of the BIG 6 wouldnt be in it.  Arsenal in 9th place wouldnt even qualify for the Europa Cup.  I'm against this Super League and hope it won't happen.  I think its all about greed.  They already make big money and just want to make even more money.  So sadly it's not about us fans.

It never was, the fans have the most shitty end of the stick.

This has been coming since the advent of the Champions League, where you can finish fourth and yet be Champions of Europe. Pure greed.

I'm glad that I support a team with realistic expectations. I get no less pleasure from that.

Edited April 19, 2021 by Pooliekev

[davidge]

Chelsea pulling out. 

[Abracadabra]

16 minutes ago, davidge said:

Chelsea pulling out. 

Think that is a smart move from Abramovic. This whole Super League idea is a sinking ship within 48 hours after anouncing it and has done HUGE damage to the Dirty Dozen that set it up. They probably expected teams like Bayern Munich, PSG, Dortmund and perhaps Ajax and Porto to sign up but after their clear NO they will now have a hell of a job to get another nine teams crazy enough to join this suicide mission.

[davidge]

Now several reports that Man City are also pulling out.

[Abracadabra]

Two stones out and the wall is starting to fall...

[davidge]

1 minute ago, Abracadabra said:

Two stones out and the wall is starting to fall...

Still need to get the American owners out at Man U, Liverpool & Arsenal. They were the driving force.

[Abracadabra]

15 minutes ago, davidge said:

Still need to get the American owners out at Man U, Liverpool & Arsenal. They were the driving force.

Agree with you, the clubs should follow the German concept where at least 51% of the clubs is owned by fans. 

https://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/Bundesliga/german-soccer-rules-50-1-fifty-plus-one-explained-466583.jsp

[Leo_Bia]

So, normal service then, just pure greed will be resumed, with the super league version of insatiable greed rejected by those who weren’t getting to share in it ?

[davidge]

Woodward resigned from Man Utd.

Agnelli resigned from Juventus.

 

[Abracadabra]

Arsenal likely to be out too...