Well, the Super League idea has created the biggest scandal in association football since Operation VETO in 2013. 😒
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The 2020-2021 Football Thread
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I couldn’t disagree more. I respect your desire to see attacking football. I agree that the organizing bodies are corrupt and ineffective.
But the owners are also corrupt. They are selfish and only care about profits and (secondarily) winning. They are not better than the organizing bodies. Time and again they have run historic clubs into the ground, asset-stripped them, blocked reforms to the way the game is run, priced fans out of the market, ignored issues like racism and sexism and player explotiation...these are unarguable facts, not opinions. Like I said before, there are no heroes in this fight. Most owners are rotten or at least selfish.
You are supporting a system that will end up like the NFL - a few teams tend to dominate, a few are periodic challengers, and some perennially stink. But they ALL make money. It’s all about money first, spectacle second, and competition a distant third.
You have a right to your opinion, and frankly you’re in the majority. You are the ‘fan of the future’ the ESL clubs are catering to. And you will likely win in the long run. I respect your opinion and agree with much of what you said. And you are right - if you don’t value the things that will be destroyed by the ESL, it’s a win-win for you.
whynotboth.gif
There are no good guys in this whole sad scenario. The global and regional federations have been greedy and corrupt for decades, but the Super League will only fix the issue for those clubs who are joining it, leaving everyone else to rot.
As an American, I was attracted to the differences in European football compared to American sports leagues. A Super League is automatically less appealing to me due to its similarity to the NFL or the NBA.
And I agree that the pandemic has accelerated this long-rumored move by the big clubs. Barca and Real were already in bad financial shape before the pandemic hit, but so were many other clubs across all levels and leagues. There needs to be steadier ground for all clubs to build upon, though any business investor has to have the appetite for a certain amount of risk.
I haven’t seen a single person in favour of the Super League so far and the clubs along with the staff seem opposed to it which is reassuring. I think what we saw last night at Leeds was a real show of how unpopular this stupid idea is. Sadly people from abroad will never ever understand the passion and heritage that run through these English clubs and just how much the fans complete the institution. You can’t pull clubs out of 140 year old leagues and expect to live off the history in some fake Americanised tripe show.
Absolutely and completely agree and very well said; I missed this post last night.
And yes, I would really prefer not to have such (binary) American attitudes and concepts make an appearance in European sport, above all, in European football (soccer).
And I like the concept of a draw - psychologically, apart from matches that are genuinely equal, or, where different skills (such as intelligent defence & midfield play - preventing your opponents from claiming victory, depriving them of the means of achieving victory, negating their advantages through clever deployment of your own assets - in other words, good strategy and good tactics) there are also those draws you "win" and those draws you "lose".
As @Apple fanboy remarked in an earlier post, snatching a draw at the last minute can be very exciting; moreover, sometimes, the spoils are even, and that should be recognised.
I play chess, and often, when playing black, your task is to ensure that white cannot win, for the advantage lies with white; thus, frequently, when playing the black pieces, you will play to achieve a draw, and avoid defeat, you will play to frustrate them, and deny them a chance at victory. That, too, is a skill, and one worth saluting.
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I hope you are right about most fans being against this, but I think most of the "global" fan base do not care at all about the things opponents to the Super League worry about. That's why the clubs are pulling this now - they think they have enough of a geographically-detached, success-over-all fan base that they no longer actually need the rest.
I'm in the same boat. The depth of history of football clubs, and their geographic/political/class affiliations are fascinating and provide a uniqueness that cannot be manufactured - a uniqueness that owners are happy to cash in on but don't really give a damn about. As an American, I have now had to live through two episodes of a local team owner trying to move the team - and one succeeded. Very, very few football fans in Europe have experienced this flip side of the American model - but if the Super League happens it might start becoming common as clubs are bought and sold like any other company and moved, renamed, rebranded, and altered beyond all previous recognition.
I've been following Liverpool as a non-local fan and I am sensitive to the fact that it's part of a community I am not a member of. But the "Fan of the future" is rarely local and, more importantly, not interested in clubs as cultural institutions. If moving a team means a better chance of winning, or a bigger transfer budget, they are fine with that.
The American sports model is not all bad. But the ESL is importing the worst aspects of it to Europe.
I'm in the same boat. The depth of history of football clubs, and their geographic/political/class affiliations are fascinating and provide a uniqueness that cannot be manufactured - a uniqueness that owners are happy to cash in on but don't really give a damn about. As an American, I have now had to live through two episodes of a local team owner trying to move the team - and one succeeded. Very, very few football fans in Europe have experienced this flip side of the American model - but if the Super League happens it might start becoming common as clubs are bought and sold like any other company and moved, renamed, rebranded, and altered beyond all previous recognition.
I've been following Liverpool as a non-local fan and I am sensitive to the fact that it's part of a community I am not a member of. But the "Fan of the future" is rarely local and, more importantly, not interested in clubs as cultural institutions. If moving a team means a better chance of winning, or a bigger transfer budget, they are fine with that.
The American sports model is not all bad. But the ESL is importing the worst aspects of it to Europe.
With respect, I disagree completely.
However, it is good to see this stance - and this case - argued for on these threads, for I fear that it will meet with considerable support from some who support the clubs dreaming up this scheme.
@Lord Blackadder & @Apple fanboy have both already put forward a number of very (to my mind) persuasive arguments against the Super League (arguments with which I agree).
However, I also deplore the removal of risk, (and the fact that the tedium and jaded palate of permanent reward replaces it), not only on account of notions of "fairness", but also because, by removing risk, you remove the fact that poor play - and poor results - will no longer result in a penalty that hurts - such as failure to qualify automatically for the competition the following year.
Thus, qualification by merit no longer matters, for access to this Super League is determined solely by means and wealth (but poorly disguised as veneration of history and tradition).
I disagree. You think they didn’t invite anyone from Germany or France? I just think some club owners have more integrity than others.
So that’s you, 12 chairman and no one else in support of it. I’ve not spoken or heard from anyone who is 100% for it. Hopefully it won’t happen. It’s really easy to stop. All the PL has to do is make sure the ESL games clash with PL games.
Not really. They can send the reserve team to the PL games when they clash... actually the SuperLeague has more flexibility to re-schedule the games than the PL has.
Remember when Liverpool just sent their U-20 team for a domestic game when they were away with the main squad for the FIFA Club World Cup.
With Chelsea now preparing to withdraw, let’s hope the remaining 5 now see sense. The owners of these clubs will never be trusted again and I hope they sell.
Chelsea and Manchester City is reported to have changed their minds. Maybe this Super League disaster can be smothered in its infancy:
www.theguardian.com
Super League plan facing collapse as Premier League clubs withdraw – as it happened
All six English top-flight clubs have begun the process of withdrawing from agreements to join the European Super League
Oh, I agree, some do. But you and I have both seen what bad owners do to clubs. And that kind of behavior is not the rare exception, sadly. But I agree with you that some really are against this on principal, and that is praiseworthy.
It won’t matter whether they clash or not as they would be excluded from the EPL anyway should they leave for the super league. The cards are starting to crumble though thank goodness.
Atletico Madrid is also apparently out, and Barcelona's position is shaky. This whole dumpster fire is collapsing in real time, which is about what I expected, but the repercussions will be long lasting. Dare I dream that this is the straw that breaks the Glazers' backs and prompts them to sell United?
EDIT: United and Arsenal are apparently out. A meeting will be held tonight to officially pull the plug on this monstrosity. Florentino Perez and Real Madrid left with egg on their faces.
EDIT: United and Arsenal are apparently out. A meeting will be held tonight to officially pull the plug on this monstrosity. Florentino Perez and Real Madrid left with egg on their faces.
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European Super League is OFF as as Chelsea and Man City pull out and all 12 clubs meeting tonight to disband competition
talksport.com
Excellent news!
Victory for fans as all six Premier League clubs withdraw fro European Super League
Plans for a European Super League have been ABANDONED with all six Premier League teams involved pulling out. In a victory for fans against greedy owners, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester Ci…
talksport.com
Excellent news!
Absolutely. Everyone who said it was inevitable and necessary is welcome to eat humble pie!European Super League is OFF as as Chelsea and Man City pull out and all 12 clubs meeting tonight to disband competition
Victory for fans as all six Premier League clubs withdraw fro European Super League
Plans for a European Super League have been ABANDONED with all six Premier League teams involved pulling out. In a victory for fans against greedy owners, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester Ci…
Excellent news!
As an outsider, it sure seems like European Football fanbases are so diverse it would be impossible for a league like ESL to work or be popular.
I say this as an adopted viola fan
I wanted the Glazers out, but apparently Ed Woodward has resigned.
Wow — what a day!
Wow — what a day!
Might be first of many.
Edit: The Norwegian commentator on - the now delayed - Chelsea - Brighton match, just reported that Agnelli (sp?) of Juve is also on his way out, "according to rumours".
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Who doesn't love a good train wreck?
Looking forward to the feature film
Looking forward to the feature film
whew, there are some Chelsea Samsung kits that need some more respect sitting in the dresser draws.
I'll admit, I put on my PSG shirt from my visit to France after they announced they wanted no part in Super League
Am I allowed to back 3 clubs?
Fiorentina
PSG
Austin FC
🙃
They did themselves (along with many others) a massive favour. We now know what they mean by the big six. The six greediest clubs.