GhostofAlanGow
Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2020
- Messages
- 692
Many of us will have seen today's announcement re the formation of a European Super League. It seems 12 clubs are behind this including the 'greedy six' of Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal. The others are the Spanish big three of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, plus Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan from Italy.
As an ECFC fan who watches little or no Prem football (despite having access via BT) and only occasionally Champions League, why do I care? And, indeed, why should any of us care who are supporters outside the top divisions of English football?
Part of me cares because I despise what has become of the top tier of the sport. Money has always influenced competition in football; certainly during the 50 years I've been watching. But now those with the money don't just want to tip the scales of competitive balance their own way; they want to do away with competition altogether. A league with no relegation, a league played across the World, this is what they want. It would be a competition without the uncertainty of real competition - just what any long term investor wants.
But a bigger part of me cares because the cynicism of these big clubs will impact our club.
The Super League looks like a threat more than an actual plan. It seems like a way to screw even more concessions from the remainder of the football world than they get already. It's 'Project Big Picture' Mark II but without any sense of conscience or respect for the sport.
Will it happen? I doubt it will in the way that the 12 elite clubs have outlined. But by making such a stark threat, its likely that UEFA and leagues including the Premier League will make concessions, and if they do, so will the FA and inevitably the Football League.
So back on to the table comes B-team involvement in the lower leagues, plus relaxation to the rules around 'feeder clubs'.
Expect to see changes too in the domestic competitions. An end to the League Cup - why would the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea want to play in that? A Super League or, more likely, an expanded Champions League played at weekends, while FA Cup is shunted off to midweek (plans for this have already been outlined).
Expect too a different way of cutting the TV revenue cake. The 12 teams behind the Super League don't want to have to share their worldwide TV audiences with the likes of Crystal Palace and Burnley, let alone Exeter City and Stevenage.
This as big an issue for Exeter City as it is for Manchester City.
As an ECFC fan who watches little or no Prem football (despite having access via BT) and only occasionally Champions League, why do I care? And, indeed, why should any of us care who are supporters outside the top divisions of English football?
Part of me cares because I despise what has become of the top tier of the sport. Money has always influenced competition in football; certainly during the 50 years I've been watching. But now those with the money don't just want to tip the scales of competitive balance their own way; they want to do away with competition altogether. A league with no relegation, a league played across the World, this is what they want. It would be a competition without the uncertainty of real competition - just what any long term investor wants.
But a bigger part of me cares because the cynicism of these big clubs will impact our club.
The Super League looks like a threat more than an actual plan. It seems like a way to screw even more concessions from the remainder of the football world than they get already. It's 'Project Big Picture' Mark II but without any sense of conscience or respect for the sport.
Will it happen? I doubt it will in the way that the 12 elite clubs have outlined. But by making such a stark threat, its likely that UEFA and leagues including the Premier League will make concessions, and if they do, so will the FA and inevitably the Football League.
So back on to the table comes B-team involvement in the lower leagues, plus relaxation to the rules around 'feeder clubs'.
Expect to see changes too in the domestic competitions. An end to the League Cup - why would the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea want to play in that? A Super League or, more likely, an expanded Champions League played at weekends, while FA Cup is shunted off to midweek (plans for this have already been outlined).
Expect too a different way of cutting the TV revenue cake. The 12 teams behind the Super League don't want to have to share their worldwide TV audiences with the likes of Crystal Palace and Burnley, let alone Exeter City and Stevenage.
This as big an issue for Exeter City as it is for Manchester City.