European Super League Mega Thread

[Indisguise]

 

[PLTuck]

A board member from one of the PL 6 is being reported by sky as saying;

1. They expected a fallout and don't particularly care.
2. "The wider good of the game is of secondary concern"
3. The owners would secretly be delighted in FIFA banned their players from internationals.
4. Boards are split among the 6.
5. One owner of the 6 has said they would still go ahead with ESL even if kicked out of PL
6. They will prioritise the midweek games, fielding weakened teams in the PL if allowed to stay in it.

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

The point is simply that it's clear in my view we can't fill out stadiums no matter what. In fact if nothing at all happened I highly doubt tickets would be particularly hard to get. Europa league games, for example, haven't been sell-outs even in the old white hart lane. The idea that there is a never ending stream of fans desperate to get tickets regardless of what happens isn't really true. Arsenal don't have a smaller fan base than us and they've had poor attendances during particular times.

Completely agree , pretty sure the new stadium has never completely sold out , there were always tickets available on the ticket exchange . Another point is that covid has caused the membership to shrink and the ST waiting list is down by about 40,000 , that's how far a member I know has moved down the list in one season

 

[N17TJK]

For every fan who stops going to the games, there’s another delighted that they’ll be able to go more often, and the club know it.

Let them have them, I’ve been a ST holder for 13 years of my 30year life. If the sterile dross of the MLS is what they want, let them have it.

 

[mr ashley]

Still have a lot of pages to get through in this thread, but there is something I want to address.
There have been plenty of people saying that they will be done with Spurs and/or football completely if this goes ahead. And there have been several posts saying that these people are talking bollocks. I want to address this latter group.

Many of us have been becoming increasingly disillusioned with football over a long period, and this is exactly why. This has been coming for at least three decades, and many people have seen it coming. Football is not football any more, it's just another money-making exercise for the greedy few. Football stopped being about sport a long time ago, it stopped being about the fans a long time ago. It doesn't give many of us what it used to.

Putting morals to one side for a moment- and there will be a LOT of people who genuinely will walk away from either Spurs or football as a whole purely on moral issues- why would anybody think people would stick with something they no longer have a connection to just because they have a lifetime of commitment to it? Would the majority of people stay in a marriage that had gone extremely sour purely because that marriage had lasted for decades? Football has become a one-sided abusive relationship. It is no longer about the fans, the sport or even the clubs- it's about a handful of greedy people abusing the folk who love the game for monetary and/or political gain, and no more than that.

Now, maybe some of you can live with what football has become. Maybe some of you weren't around back when there was a genuine connection between a club and its supporters. Maybe some of you are absolutely fine with this, or more than that, this is something that you actively want. And that's great, you're allowed to be. It's your choice, and so far I haven't seen anybody tell you otherwise. But if you genuinely believe that vast numbers of people won't be walking away from their club/the game because of this, which is a pretty huge final straw, then your belief is misguided and wrong. I would suggest that what you really mean is that you can't see any way that your support would wane, your interest die or your love end and are therefore incapable of understanding that other people don't hold the club/the game as dear as you do. But for many of us, no matter how important Spurs and football have been in our lives, the love has been dying for a while, and the end of the relationship is upon us.

So please stop telling people that they are not going to do what they say they are. You'r probably right about a few of them, but the majority...I believe them. Because I am just about done with football and with Spurs, and I'm pretty certain if this super league goes ahead that will be the end of my involvement with the game. The same way that if the club I have supported my whole life was to be bought by people who have made their money from slavery or murder it would instantly bring about the end of my involvement with the club. Some people might be fine with those things, some people aren't. Just because you can't understand another viewpoint does not mean that viewpoint is invalid, or that the people who hold it will not be true to themselves and their moral beliefs.

tl;dr People WILL walk away from the club and the game. You may not, but don't judge everybody else by your own position.

This is fair enough and a well written approach describing how people may feel.
It’s not how I feel but I’ve never been a season ticket holder or even lived close enough to regularly go to games as much as I have in the last 15years so my experience will no doubt be skewed just as much in the other direction.

But like I challenged some exaggerated reactions to mourinho and the football we played over the last 18months, I do find it hard to align my beliefs with fellow spurs fans who can simply walk away from it all. Even when I can’t watch a game on tv I still find myself checking the score, looking for updates anywhere and then obsessing about the next game/signing/manager.
And I’d say that if you’ve gone as far as creating an account on SC and posting regularly as most do, it’s hard to believe that people can so easily detach themselves from something that has frankly been a huge part of their lives.

I don’t get that POV so in the main I think people will be upset but they won’t leave for good (even if they leave SC).

Personally I’m not yet overly upset with these ESL plans because:
A) I don’t think they’re the final version and
B) I’m glad we are in the plan not outside of it.

But that doesn’t mean I think it’s right to have a competition that automatically excludes teams. If I was a Leicester fan I’d be livid for example.

I am surprised that supporting spurs is as transactional for some as it appears to be. I wasn’t expecting that and I whilst I do think for some it’s a bit dramatic and over the top, I can appreciate that the advent of the PL and CL has priced a lot of fans out of the game, and this may well be the final straw.

 

[Rob]

A board member from one of the PL 6 is being reported by sky as saying;

1. They expected a fallout and don't particularly care.
2. "The wider good of the game is of secondary concern"
3. The owners would secretly be delighted in FIFA banned their players from internationals.
4. Boards are split among the 6.
5. One owner of the 6 has said they would still go ahead with ESL even if kicked out of PL
6. They will prioritise the midweek games, fielding weakened teams in the PL if allowed to stay in it.

Oh Donna!

 

[LeParisien]

I understand that but trying to ban players who have done nothing wrong from playing in international matches that are completely unrelated? Lawyers would drive a bus through that. Also good luck getting Qatar to agree to that course of action, and as we know they have FIFA in their pocket.

Same Qatar who have chosen not to enter PSG?

Let’s see how things play out. Early doors.

 

[14/04/91]

Sickening people like Neville are using this to get on their high horse. Sky, his employer, started this with the formation of the PL.

But they didn't. The PL retained promotion and relegation to/from the football league.
The PL was just a re-brand with more money (from Sky) going to the clubs, it was never a closed shop like this farce.

And by the way, the main individual behind Sky obtaining the PL rights was Alan Sugar, chairman of THFC but also the company who made the satellite dishes for Sky.......

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

We need every major musician, who left a successful group and proceeded to enjoy solo success, to come together to create the ESL anthem.

 

[thebenjamin]

Same Qatar who have chosen not to enter PSG?

Let’s see how things play out. Early doors.

Yes because of Bein's broadcasting rights to the CL. Plus wouldn't be a great look for Qatar just before their world cup.

You're right, early days. But I can't believe the ESL clubs wouldn't have had legals going over all of this before making their move.

 

[Indisguise]

I'll see ya and raise ya with this:

 

[14/04/91]

The Premier League (and Serie A, La Liga etc) is essentially finished if this goes ahead.
Other than winning the league (and avoiding relegation), there's nothing to play for. We could finish 2nd or 17th and it wouldn't really make any difference, we'd still be part of this stitch up the following season.
So basically at least half the teams will be playing dead rubbers from January onwards.

Oh and how much more money will be going to the players and their agents now?! £1m a week for Pogba to stroll around not breaking sweat?? £250k for Winks to cry like a baby when he's not picked.

Horrendous day for football, possibly the worst day in every football club's history.

 

[EastLondonYid]

The foreign owners could not give s flying fuck if their fans in the UK protest or threaten to boycott the games.
And the reason.....they will take the new super League globally, fans in Asia ,USA etc will pack the stadia and the world TV audience will tune in

We don't matter anymore

 

[Grapo2001]

But they didn't. The PL retained promotion and relegation to/from the football league.
The PL was just a re-brand with more money (from Sky) going to the clubs, it was never a closed shop like this farce.

And by the way, the main individual behind Sky obtaining the PL rights was Alan Sugar, chairman of THFC but also the company who made the satellite dishes for Sky.......

It was a money grab, the same as this. Sky cannot hold their heads up high and condemn this new super league .

 

[PrettyColors]

UEFA announces new format for club competitions to be introduced as of 2024/25 season | Inside UEFA

UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League reforms conclude two years of widespread consultations.

www.uefa.com

Very interesting new format announced by UEFA...

in 2024

“
Taking the total number of teams from 32 to 36 in the UEFA Champions League, the biggest change will see a transformation from the traditional group stage to a single league stage including all participating teams. Every club will now be guaranteed a minimum of 10 league stage games against 10 different opponents (five home games, five away) rather than the previous six matches against three teams, played on a home and away basis.

The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stage, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure their path to the last 16 of the competition.”

So basically a knock off Super League, more meaningless group stage matches, less knockout matches, what a piss take.

 

[14/04/91]

It was a money grab, the same as this. Sky cannot hold their heads up high and condemn this new super league .

It's nothing like this. This removes any kind of competition, any kind of reward for success and failure. Surely you see the difference??

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

I'll see ya and raise ya with this:

Levy's pitch to be included

 

[Grapo2001]

It's nothing like this. This removes any kind of competition, any kind of reward for success and failure. Surely you see the difference??

I understand the difference of promotion and no promotion yes.

 

[stov]

I know a lot of people hate this, but one of the things you have to understand is that this is the result of several years worth of grumbling about the champions league by big clubs.

When it comes to business, football is doing better than ever financially, but the European competitions are still stuck 50-100 years in the past. It makes no sense financially for a club like Barcelona to be playing say, Apoel Nicosia or Besiktas, when it would be far more profitable to play clubs like Juventus or Man United every week.

The position for most of these clubs collectively is that something had to change. Either the Champions League needed a revamp or a new superleague would have to be formed. UEFA recently announced changes to the Champions League, increasing the number of participating clubs, which is literally the opposite of what the top clubs wanted, so now the superleague plans are moving forward.

As for Spurs, the decision to sign up is an absolute no-brainer, and not signing up would be grossly incompetent. We are in the process of paying off a 500m stadium debt, and we cannot afford to be left behind. You can accuse Levy of being greedy all you want, but if he chooses not to sign up, it becomes exponentially more difficult to sustain ourselves financially, and all the work he did for the last 20 years would be all for nothing.

All the above makes sense. It is the inevitable evolution of the commercialisation of football.

I think for many this is a step too far and is unpalatable. It pretty much makes the dotted line of a closed shop (TV money and cl prize money) a permanent black marker one. It will be virtually impossible for smaller clubs to compete. You will only be able to dine at the top table if you make the incumbents richer.

esl - What you're a well run club, with a good youth system and innovative manager. No we won't vote you in but we will sign all your best players (saves us developing our own) and poach your manger. Thanks.

 

[StephenM]

The Premier League (and Serie A, La Liga etc) is essentially finished if this goes ahead.
Other than winning the league (and avoiding relegation), there's nothing to play for. We could finish 2nd or 17th and it wouldn't really make any difference, we'd still be part of this stitch up the following season.
So basically at least half the teams will be playing dead rubbers from January onwards.

Oh and how much more money will be going to the players and their agents now?! £1m a week for Pogba to stroll around not breaking sweat?? £250k for Winks to cry like a baby when he's not picked.

Horrendous day for football, possibly the worst day in every football club's history.

There is actually a very simple way to rectify this which involves breaking a 100+ year tradition: a finals series (playoffs in americaspeak). The top 8 at the end of the season could play off in a series of knockout rounds that decide who wins the league.

Is it an american idea? Yes.
Would it result in lesser clubs winning the title more frequently? Probably.