THE EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE

THE END OF MODERN-DAY FOOTBALL

           The plans for a new European Super League were announced on Sunday evening, sending the world of football into a feeling of consternation. Twelve of Europe’s leading football clubs have come together to announce that they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition known as the Super League, governed by its founding clubs namely – Manchester United FC, Manchester City FC, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Liverpool FC, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona FC, Real Madrid FC and Atletico Madrid FC. Furthermore, three clubs are said to join ahead of the inaugural season. They have come together for an initiative “to put the game on a sustaining footing”.

According to me and almost every football fan in the world, this project is a huge mistake. The sole purpose of this project is the greed for money, being chased by the owners of their respective clubs. The decision-making capacity is a critical activity of the owners which should be removed as they have no concern for the game. The Super League organisers stated that the clubs participating in the competition will receive a payment of 3.5billion euros!
The Super League will commit 8% of revenue, minimum 400mil euros a year, in ‘solidarity payments’ to European clubs, more than UEFA’S 240mil Dollars. That assumes annual revenue of 5bn against UCL which generates about 3.2 Billion Euros.
A board member of one of the six premier league clubs who is breaking away told Sky Sports that the owners were expecting a backlash. They were not worried about the game. The wider good of the game is just a secondary concern. When you accept to join the Super League, it simply shows the disrespect to the other clubs in your respective league, your players, your fans and everything your club stands for. The current board members are willing to risk their club’s reputation, fame and future just for the sake of money. The world has just experienced the ultimate form of betrayal by a group of owners whose aim is to increase profits and revenue.

THE SUPER LEAGUE STRUCTURE: -
1) Chairman: Florentino Perez (Real Madrid)
2) Vice Chairman: Andrea Agnelli (Juventus)
3) Vice Chairman: Joel Glazer (Manchester United)

These were the same individuals who had epoch-making roles in The Union of European Football Association (UEFA). Alaksander Caferin (The President of UEFA) described them as snakes who had betrayed the football world all for the sake of money. In the time of a crisis, where collaboration was required, they have broken away from a football pyramid that has served them for a long period of time. As a part of the consequence of participating in the Super League, the President of UEFA stated that the players will be banned from The Euros, World Cup, Champions League and their respective Domestic leagues.

Florentino Perez stated that it was a tournament for “ELITE CLUBS” which is completely wrong. What makes Tottenham FC and Arsenal FC an elite club? When was the last time they won their domestic league/champions league/secured a top three position? Arsenal and Tottenham are struggling to even book a top 6 place in their respective league. They’re not even in the Champions league. Look at AC Milan in the Seria A. They haven’t done ANYTHING significant over the past five years. Why aren’t Ajax FC a part of this “ELITE CLUB?” They secured 1^st position in their respective league for over three years in a row. The rich owners have taken advantage of the situation to form their own league in order to generate money and ensure that their pockets are full. The German Clubs in Bundesliga namely Bayern Muchin and Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint German in League 1 (France) have the football world’s respect as they have rejected the plans of the Super League. Keir Starmer stated that german supporters own 51% of their respective clubs. Any decisions regarding the club’s future must have the votes of their fan shareholders taken into account.

Champions League Nights are the one of the things which every football fan craves for. A few minutes into the match and you have the most passionate fanatics screaming and shouting for the team. There’s no word to describe the entrance to the pitch by the players accompanied by the UEFA anthem, flag and ball. What makes the Champions League special is the insane runs by teams regarded as Underdogs. It adds the element of magic, surprise and belief to the competition. Ajax reaching the semi-finals of the UCL, Monaco FC’s insane run in the UCL, Porto winning the UCL against all odds in 2004 under Jose Mourinho. With the creation of the Super League, the element of surprise is eliminated. Openly, without any consent, the owners are exploiting the smaller clubs which is wrong on so many levels.

In conclusion, we have just witnessed the death of the beautiful game as we know it. The game that we have all come to love, it being crushed in front of our eyes. Sure, the Super League improves the quality of the game but we are dealing with other domestic clubs who cannot be left out. The feeling of escaping relegation, seeing your home club rise through the ranks to win the league cup is simply marvellous. As stated before, I am COMPLETELY AGAINST the formation of the Super League. Currently, league positions decide who qualify for Champions League whereas in the proposed competition, the permanent members are under no risk of missing out, and are guaranteed a steady stream of revenue. It rejects open competition for all which cannot be accepted. The time has come for us, to set aside our differences, come together and stop the formation of the Super League which could lead to the ultimate decay of the beautiful game. The Super League would just destroy the history and beauty of this game which we’ve grown together for the last 150 years. For now, its just a game, an emotion made by the poor, stolen by the rich.

~ MANU HALAPETH