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Der Spiegel Football Leaks revelations

LSUY

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2005
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If that were to happen, my money would be on a not-insignificant percentage of players plumping for the money and potential trophies of a Super League and taking the trade-off of being excluded from international football.

I'd imagine a lot would take the money, just like the players who move to China while still in their prime, but regardless of whatever the top European clubs dream up the pinnacle of football will always be the World Cup. Doing well at the domestic level will have you remembered by mainly the fans of that club whereas performing in a World Cup will immortalise you. How many people remember/know what Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Cruyff and Platini did at club level?

Rugby does something similar in making players choose between international honours and better wages and the majority opt for international caps.
 

robertgoulet

SC Resident Crooner Extraordinaire
Jul 23, 2013
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"Initial guests" is odd phrasing. "Initial" intimates that there will be more asked to join eventually, and "guests" intimates that they could be asked to leave, as they are not members. Would their home leagues let them back in? Atletico tells La Liga to f*ck off and leaves for the Super League, then Super League doesn't like their style and quality of play after a few years and tells them they're out...what's stopping La Liga from saying no we aren't having you back?
 

Tucker

Shitehawk
Jul 15, 2013
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This whole super league thing comes up every few years, it’s just the top clubs trying to lever a bigger piece of the champions league pie from uefa.

It would be an absolute disaster for football in this country.
 

robertgoulet

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Jul 23, 2013
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This whole super league thing comes up every few years, it’s just the top clubs trying to lever a bigger piece of the champions league pie from uefa.

It would be an absolute disaster for football in this country.

Honestly it seems like it would benefit the teams from the other leagues more than the Premier League clubs. More risk for the PL clubs to leave all of this guaranteed TV $ on the table for an unknown like this.
 

Tucker

Shitehawk
Jul 15, 2013
31,132
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Honestly it seems like it would benefit the teams from the other leagues more than the Premier League clubs. More risk for the PL clubs to leave all of this guaranteed TV $ on the table for an unknown like this.

I can’t imagine the fans of the British clubs involved would be at all happy either.
 

Saoirse

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
6,143
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"Initial guests" is odd phrasing. "Initial" intimates that there will be more asked to join eventually, and "guests" intimates that they could be asked to leave, as they are not members. Would their home leagues let them back in? Atletico tells La Liga to f*ck off and leaves for the Super League, then Super League doesn't like their style and quality of play after a few years and tells them they're out...what's stopping La Liga from saying no we aren't having you back?
Proposal is for the clubs to stay in their domestic competitions at least for now, with this taking the place of the Champions League. Think of it like the CL, but with matches on weekend to maximise revenue, no sharing with smaller clubs, and places only for big teams, no Champions of Cyprus or anything like that. The Founder Members are protected and can't be relegated for at least the first 20 years. The Guests will start in the Super League, but could be relegated to a proposed league below it which will likely include clubs with similar commercial appeal to the initital guests who could in turn be promoted to the Super League - not as big as the Founders, but teams like Sevilla, Valencia, Napoli, Schalke, Lyon and ourselves.
 

stevenurse

Palacios' neck fat
May 14, 2007
6,089
10,022
Only plus side would be seeing arsenal get pumped week in, week out when they actually have to play someone half decent.

I could be one of those wanky hipsters that support 'football' aka whoever is playing arsenal that week.
 

Saoirse

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
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Only plus side would be seeing arsenal get pumped week in, week out when they actually have to play someone half decent.

I could be one of those wanky hipsters that support 'football' aka whoever is playing arsenal that week.
I do wonder whether even the TV viewers would be a little peeved if Arsenal finished bottom two years running, but because they were Founder Members the team in 12th got relegated instead.
 

TheChosenOne

A dislike or neg rep = fat fingers
Dec 13, 2005
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I can’t imagine the fans of the British clubs involved would be at all happy either.

Supporters on the inside of the cartel super league looking out won't worry about who they'll leave behind
and just laugh at the outsiders.
.
As for the teams - they will quickly pull that ladder up and close ranks.
 

robertgoulet

SC Resident Crooner Extraordinaire
Jul 23, 2013
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Proposal is for the clubs to stay in their domestic competitions at least for now, with this taking the place of the Champions League. Think of it like the CL, but with matches on weekend to maximise revenue, no sharing with smaller clubs, and places only for big teams, no Champions of Cyprus or anything like that. The Founder Members are protected and can't be relegated for at least the first 20 years. The Guests will start in the Super League, but could be relegated to a proposed league below it which will likely include clubs with similar commercial appeal to the initital guests who could in turn be promoted to the Super League - not as big as the Founders, but teams like Sevilla, Valencia, Napoli, Schalke, Lyon and ourselves.

So they are recreating the Champions League and Europa League under different names just so they don't have to share $ with the PSVs and APOELs of the world.

Why not keep the crux of it the same as current CL qualification but only open it to Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A clubs. Remove the other leagues from it. Wouldn't risk pissing off the major FAs that way and still keeps the big teams happy.
 
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Seafordian Spurs

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Aug 20, 2013
2,157
4,141
Proposal is for the clubs to stay in their domestic competitions at least for now, with this taking the place of the Champions League. Think of it like the CL, but with matches on weekend to maximise revenue, no sharing with smaller clubs, and places only for big teams, no Champions of Cyprus or anything like that. The Founder Members are protected and can't be relegated for at least the first 20 years. The Guests will start in the Super League, but could be relegated to a proposed league below it which will likely include clubs with similar commercial appeal to the initital guests who could in turn be promoted to the Super League - not as big as the Founders, but teams like Sevilla, Valencia, Napoli, Schalke, Lyon and ourselves.

The Founder Members. Jesus Christ, what a bunch of wankers. Cheers for this, makes sense now. It echoes something an American sports lawyer said about the rest of the world not giving a fuck when Leicester won the league - that it would be better in terms of international revenue if a team like Manchester United won the league.
 

TheChosenOne

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Dec 13, 2005
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They tried it with G-14 which became G-18 to include Arsenal and David fucking Dein loved lording it over all and sundry.
 

Saoirse

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Aug 20, 2013
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So they are recreating the Champions League and Europa League under different names just so they don't have to share $ with the PSVs and APOELs of the world.


Why not keep the crux of it the same as current CL qualification but only open it to Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A and remove the other leagues from it? Wouldn't risk pissing off the major FAs that way.

Nearly, yeah. Main difference is they're talking about 16 clubs in the Super League and I'd wager 16 in the Not-So-Super League, whatever they end up calling it, as well. So even the lower one would have much bigger names than the Europa. Plus the weekend matches, presumably more games, etc. Not to mention that this would just be the start - I'm sure it'd replace their participation in domestic leagues eventually, according to the leaks it's just that they've realised how complex that'll be (with particular legal issues for Munich) and this is a very nice stopgap. Most importantly though, UEFA corrupt as they are could never agree to this - those countries only represent 5 of their 55 members, whoever pushed it through would just be removed from office.
 

thebenjamin

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Jul 1, 2008
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I do wonder whether even the TV viewers would be a little peeved if Arsenal finished bottom two years running, but because they were Founder Members the team in 12th got relegated instead.

Would be a familiar feeling for Arsenal
 

Saoirse

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
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The Founder Members. Jesus Christ, what a bunch of wankers. Cheers for this, makes sense now. It echoes something an American sports lawyer said about the rest of the world not giving a fuck when Leicester won the league - that it would be better in terms of international revenue if a team like Manchester United won the league.
Hole in one, yep. Leicester I think would've been a fascinating experiment to them - the media and matchgoing fans in Britain went wild for it, the people paying most of the money did not. The lesson they learnt (rightly or wrongly) is that there's zero benefit to them in letting the likes of Leicester even compete.
 

robertgoulet

SC Resident Crooner Extraordinaire
Jul 23, 2013
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Nearly, yeah. Main difference is they're talking about 16 clubs in the Super League and I'd wager 16 in the Not-So-Super League, whatever they end up calling it, as well. So even the lower one would have much bigger names than the Europa. Plus the weekend matches, presumably more games, etc. Not to mention that this would just be the start - I'm sure it'd replace their participation in domestic leagues eventually, according to the leaks it's just that they've realised how complex that'll be (with particular legal issues for Munich) and this is a very nice stopgap. Most importantly though, UEFA corrupt as they are could never agree to this - those countries only represent 5 of their 55 members, whoever pushed it through would just be removed from office.

Why not just drop out of UEFA all together then?
 

Saoirse

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
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Why not just drop out of UEFA all together then?
If I've read it right that's exactly the plan. Keep playing their domestic competitions, but turn down the Champions League places (or if that's not allowed just deliberately fail the UEFA licensing requirements or financial fair play) and play the Super League instead. UEFA could possibly try to keep the Champions League going without them, so if us and Everton for instance were also involved in the lower league of this England qualifiers for 18-19 would've been Burnley, Leicester, Newcastle and Crystal Palace.
 

NinjaTuna

Well-Known Member
Jul 9, 2017
1,878
7,155
Eventually fans will stop going to games. Who wants to be spunking all that money travelling to foreign lands every week? Not your usual cult-follower type. It'd be too costly
 

robertgoulet

SC Resident Crooner Extraordinaire
Jul 23, 2013
3,610
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If I've read it right that's exactly the plan. Keep playing their domestic competitions, but turn down the Champions League places (or if that's not allowed just deliberately fail the UEFA licensing requirements or financial fair play) and play the Super League instead. UEFA could possibly try to keep the Champions League going without them, so if us and Everton for instance were also involved in the lower league of this England qualifiers for 18-19 would've been Burnley, Leicester, Newcastle and Crystal Palace.

My argument is that, if they are going to have to drop from UEFA anyway, wouldn't it make more sense for the top 5 leagues to join together and form this Super League competition? They wouldn't have to worry about their top teams leaving to form this other league, and the top teams wouldn't have to split their winnings with APOEL.

Super League
4 pots of 4 teams from the top 5 leagues

Better than Europa League
4 pots of 4 teams from the top 5 leagues
 

TheChosenOne

A dislike or neg rep = fat fingers
Dec 13, 2005
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I personally think the interest in our 'wonderful game' may have reached saturation point.

I half heartedly mentioned earlier the fact that there is top level football on every night for the next 6 strait straight days...
 
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