FUCK SUPER LEAGUE

[govmentchedda]

This really needs its own thread. Is any fan in favor of this?

[Rex]

Oh God, is this Marvel universe or DC? I really can’t keep up.

[degenerasian]

I don't think it carries weight with only 3 countries. Especially bayern and psg not supporting. Fifa has also declared that any players playing in this will be banned from World Cup.

[govmentchedda]

I'm shocked PSG aren't on board.

[Square Rob]

It’s just garbage. Such a departure from what makes football fun. Ashamed the club I support are one of the ringleaders. Going to be very difficult for me as a fan of the game, but I honestly am going to refuse to watch.

[Square Rob]

I’m curious about legal battles with groups that own tv rights to the premier league, and champions league, etc. I suppose if the money is good enough the breakaway clubs could pay enormous fines and not worry about it, but also curious what extra could happen.

[wlu_lax6]

If the games end up something besides a one off crap streaming service this could be a slight improvement from the current tv deal for euro football.

Oh they will have their own crap streaming platform won't they.

[Rex]

Guys can't we keep this stuff in the EPL thread?

[Square Rob]

Isn’t it by definition NOT EPL?

[Baloney]

Nottingham Forest with more European Cups than man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs combined

[Pruitt]

Nottingham Forest with more European Cups than man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs combined

Villa with more than Spurs

A ridiculous idea. Insane to think that FIFA and UEFA suddenly look like the good guys when up against these teams.

[A_B]

Isn’t it by definition NOT EPL?

ROb misses out on all the zeitgeist.

[degenerasian]

If the games end up something besides a one off crap streaming service this could be a slight improvement from the current tv deal for euro football.

Oh they will have their own crap streaming platform won't they.

Of course. I've hardly watched any European soccer since Covid due to it being on subscription service Dazn.

[EnochRoot]

So...This would be like the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers joining up with the Yakult Swallows and Hanshin Tigers?

In this scenario, does the rest of MLB (AL, NL) have to scramble to fill out their leagues, or is this just some dragged out exhibition during the offseason that really cheapens the brand?

[degenerasian]

So...This would be like the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers joining up with the Yakult Swallows and Hanshin Tigers?

In this scenario, does the rest of MLB (AL, NL) have to scramble to fill out their leagues, or is this just some dragged out exhibition during the offseason that really cheapens the brand?

It's just replacing the Champions League because the big teams don't want to play 10 group games flying to places like Turkey or Kazakhstan.
In your scenario, the Yankees are already playing the Swallows, they want to play them more and draw more eyeballs.

[tennbengal]

Sigh. Seriously, Sigh.

“Players who will play in the teams that might play in the closed league will be banned from the World Cup and Euros. We urge everyone to stand tall with us as we do everything in our power to ensure this never ends up in fruition.”

https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2021/04/19 ... nal-teams/

[wlu_lax6]

So are the super league teams forced to go this route? If you are a board member for these clubs you have a fiduciary obligation to the club. Wouldn't investors demand that you maximize the financial opportunities for the club? Unlike the franchise model.of us sports that puts guardrails up, these clubs are a bit more independent. They have membership agreements for the leagues and confederations but not the same obligation for the good of the overall league.

Note this is a whole lot of conjecture about how these teams are organized. But if you hold Man U shares could you sue the board if they did not put your interests first?

Didn't Cuban get sued for winning a championship instead of maximizing profits with the Mavs a few years back?

[degenerasian]

Sigh. Seriously, Sigh.

“Players who will play in the teams that might play in the closed league will be banned from the World Cup and Euros. We urge everyone to stand tall with us as we do everything in our power to ensure this never ends up in fruition.”

https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2021/04/19 ... nal-teams/

I think FIFA is bluffing. The World Cup would die, nobody's watching Vietnam play Venezuela. Plus you can ban the US from playing in a World Cup, i don't now how you ban the US from selecting Pulisic.

[mister d]

I read that as banning the players, not every country that has a Super League participant.

[EnochRoot]

So...This would be like the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers joining up with the Yakult Swallows and Hanshin Tigers?

In this scenario, does the rest of MLB (AL, NL) have to scramble to fill out their leagues, or is this just some dragged out exhibition during the offseason that really cheapens the brand?

It's just replacing the Champions League because the big teams don't want to play 10 group games flying to places like Turkey or Kazakhstan.
In your scenario, the Yankees are already playing the Swallows, they want to play them more and draw more eyeballs.

Ah. So it’s basically like the Power 5 football conferences efforts to fuck over the rest of collegiate athletics.

[mister d]

It would be like the 24 biggest colleges forming their own miss-proof NCAA tourney with 8 more rotating invites per year.

[degenerasian]

I read that as banning the players, not every country that has a Super League participant.

Is it, but i don't think it's feasible. The USSF would definitely sue. Then countries would just separate from UEFA and FIFA and set up their own invitational. You could have China and India in every tournament for eyeballs.

[tennbengal]

I read that as banning the players, not every country that has a Super League participant.

Correct. Say, for my rooting interests, no Pulisic, Dest, etc etc etc. for the US National team would truly truly suck so billionaires can make even more.

[mister d]

I would think(?) the more effective rule would be any player that signs a new contract. Apply it to players who have no choice and you're going to lose that high road.

[degenerasian]

I would think(?) the more effective rule would be any player that signs a new contract. Apply it to players who have no choice and you're going to lose that high road.

But teams will be changing. There will be 5 rotating spots, and 11 permanent members. Like the UN!

[mister d]

Teams don't have to accept the rotation spot.

[wlu_lax6]

B.t.w. all of you chase bank, mortgage payers, and freedom card folks are funding this fiasco.

[mister d]

Backyard neighbor is a City fan and JPM employee. I yelled at him yesterday.

[degenerasian]

The UK government is going to jump on this from a great height, its great politics, so expect the UK clubs to be told they wont be able to bring in foreign players, that should make it a bit interesting

[Rex]

I have not read a defense of the Super League, and this isn’t one, but it’s a good, sober take on what good might ultimately come from this. I think the issues he gets at are a part of why, like it or not, something like this is inevitable. It’s funny that it comes from an English, EPL-focused writer because that’s the one league that hasn’t become a complete joke in the last decade.

Here is the key part, for those who are paywalled out, and with due apologies, please don’t sue:

The concept of a European Super League has arisen around twice every decade since the 1960s. You can find a When Saturday Comes editorial on the subject from the 1980s or a tabloid front page from the late 1990s, but the precise concept of a European Super League has regularly changed.

At times, it’s been a Champions League equivalent, with the relevant clubs returning home to play domestic rivals at the weekends. At other times, it’s been a completely separate division: those clubs’ primary — and perhaps only — competition.

The former, which is what is being proposed this week, would make little sense and evidently increase inequalities throughout domestic leagues.

The latter, which would involve the big clubs either resigning or being kicked out of their domestic leagues, is sadly starting to make sense from the perspective of competitive sport.

The purpose of a league is to bring together sides of roughly equal standing, to play genuinely competitive matches against one another — that’s why the system of promotion and relegation works so well. The Championship and every division down “loses” the best few teams and the worst few teams every year, so the level of competitiveness is automatically high, which is why the concept of the pyramid is so sacrosanct across English football.

But the obvious problem is at the very top, where the relevant clubs are becoming richer and richer, inevitably becoming more dominant and ensuring less competition than ever. The concept of promotion doesn’t apply. They have nowhere to go. Unless, of course, you create somewhere for them to go. Maybe permanently.

I agree that the half-measures they are proposing are ultimately going to be unsatisfying to everybody, and especially the 12 teams that have started this. That’s why I think all roads lead to a closed league in the NFL/NBA mold, which will growth through North American-style expansion only.

[Nonlinear FC]

Maybe (definitely) I'm a simpleton on this, but... The "place for them to go" is the CL and whatever they are calling the Europa League at the minute, no?

I don't understand that argument, at all. If you are one of the bigger clubs that are never going to be relegated, finishing in the top 4-5-6-whatever is the whole point. Is their issue that they aren't seeing enough revenue in the current system?

I, admittedly, just don't know much about the financial aspect of this.

[degenerasian]

I don't think the problem is domestic leagues and their traditional bases, it's the Champions league is too large and the Europa league is larger. This leads to teams skipping league cups and fa cups. The 4th place English team should not be playing in Europe at all let alone 6 teams in a 16 team super league. Playing in Europe should be an adventure, not a constant.

I miss the Cup Winners Cup.

[tennbengal]

[Pruitt]

I mean, it is rich that UEFA - which has added the Nations League and a further qualification round to the Europa League as well as 100 extra Champions League games next season - are the good guys here.

This - including handing the Champions League to PSG - is going to make a lot of lawyers a shit ton of Euros. I have trouble imagining this Super League ever happening. Aren't their players' unions to step in and oppose this? I mean, this season ends in mid May. Euros start in June and end in July. Next season kicks off in August. World Cup in November...

[degenerasian]

I mean, it is rich that UEFA - which has added the Nations League and a further qualification round to the Europa League as well as 100 extra Champions League games next season - are the good guys here.

You forgot about the UEFA Conference League! (I'll let you research it)

[Tom 1860]

I cannot believe my beloved QPR were not invited, hurt I am, hurt...

[Rex]

What is the least principled stand a person could take on this issue?



Ah, yes. As a great man once said, I feel bad for our country. But this is great content.

[brian]

The funniest possible outcome is that this thing actually goes off, these clubs are all kicked out of their domestic leagues, it fails spectacularly after a year or two (especially if FIFA is serious about banning players who play for the clubs from international competition) and the clubs are forced to rejoin the fourth division of their respective leagues after they come crawling back with their tails between their legs.

ManU having to play the likes of Scunthorpe and Leyton Orient for a year and then Wigan and Swindon Town for a year, etc. will be years of hilarity.

[Pruitt]

I mean, it is rich that UEFA - which has added the Nations League and a further qualification round to the Europa League as well as 100 extra Champions League games next season - are the good guys here.

You forgot about the UEFA Conference League! (I'll let you research it)

Who the hell is going to watch that?

Is it the betting companies pushing for these competitions? Because I can;t imagine even the hardest core fan would watch the 4th best team from Moldova against Gibraltar's 2nd best team.

My God - you will be seeing a lot of teams trying to avoid this competition.

[wlu_lax6]

Well the markets liked it. Man U and Juventus stocks were up on the news.