Football is set to change as we know it and not for the better. How has it come to this? What does it mean going forward?
Twelve of the biggest clubs in world football have reportedly signed up for the European Super League; A mid-week competition with no promotion, relegation or room for any club traditional history.
A movement which could change the way football is looked at forever. To be governed by the founding clubs is just one piece of the dollar pie we are expected to digest. Well i’m sorry but i won’t be having anything humble tonight.
An excerpt from Press release from The Super League
AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid CF and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as Founding Clubs. It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable.
Going forward, the Founding Clubs look forward to holding discussions with UEFA and FIFA to work together in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for the new League and for football as a whole.
The pandemic has shown that a strategic vision and a sustainable commercial approach are required to enhance value and support for the benefit of the entire European football pyramid. In recent months extensive dialogue has taken place with football stakeholders regarding the future format of European competitions. The Founding Clubs believe the solutions proposed following these talks do not solve fundamental issues, including the need to provide higher-quality matches and additional financial resources for the overall football pyramid.
At time of print clubs from Germany and France have not signed up for the competition.
All the founding clubs are prepared to join a franchise football type of competition and completely disregard all their history and traditions to earn an sizeable profit. Ones we have not seen in football in sometime.
It reminds me of the World Series Cricket civil war with the Australian Cricket Board where Kerry Packer won that battle which changed cricket forever. The battle for tv rights exposure and fair pay.
October 2020 Reported by The Guardian that talks had already commenced for a proposed European Super League.
Now in April 2021 it looks like we are going to have a competition as soon as August.
But who is to blame for this outlandish idea?
Is this the clubs and players fault? Prehaps.
Does some blame if not all of it fall to the owners of these clubs? Absolutely
Excerpt from UEFA Statement on Sun 18th April 2021 on uefa.com;
As previously announced by FIFA and the six Confederations, the clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams.
Some reactions on social media.
As a Liverpool fan, personally I feel my club has sold out for the higher dollar and should this rogue idea go ahead, It will make things very hard to be a fan. It’s so hard to think that if a club chose to disregard all the traditions of the top tier in English football and UEFA competitions to join a rebel cause. All their worldwide fans and locals crying out for their beloved club to not join the Super League.
125+ years of history and prestige gone.
“My idea was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility. Had Napoleon had that idea he would have conquered the bloody world. I wanted Liverpool to be untouchable. My idea was to build Liverpool up and up until eventually everyone would have to submit and give in.”
Bill Shankly
It’s statements like this that make my club and any club for that matter. And we want to change all this, everything we have worked for, all our trophies and pride for some Mickey Mouse Cup and an exit from English football?
I don’t want to see us relegated or any of these clubs expelled from their leagues but if it means that these “money grabbing” owners will listen? Do it. Dock us points. Send us to the lower leagues and make us start all over.
Make them listen. Make us start again and rebuild any bit of good reputation we still have left.
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp commented to Sky Sports and BBC Sport on the matter.
Jürgen denies that he has anything to do with the decision making. Is that where we have got to? A club manager doesn’t even have a say on these catastrophic changes for the club? Madness.
Jamie Carragher and Garry Neville; two men who rarely agree with each other both sounded off.
We can only hope this joke will never go ahead as no one wants to see the brand of the beautiful tarnished.
No promotion, No relegation, no football pyramids. And they want to ditch all this for more money?
Spare me.
I’ll finish with our namesake Take that game back.
What does it stand for you ask?
It’s about standing up for issues like this and how we must all speak as one and take back the game that everyone holds dear.
The corporate officials, the owners of the clubs and the higher ups don’t own football. We do.
The time for talk is over. Say NO to the European Super League.
Take that game back.
Because football is about more than $. And it’s about time that some people know that.
