The Super League | FA + PL: New Charter & Fines | UEFA: Settlement

[chesterbells]

Just woken up. Tell me it was all a bad dream. Please.

 

[Drewmanc]

Since having spent the night reading about this and discovering it's not the breakaway league people are talking it's just replacing the CL for us which I fucking hate anyway. I know this isn't going to be popular but our owners JUST managed to squeeze us through the gate with regards to FFP timing and got us sat at the main table. As irritating as it is just look at the clubs involved - all the main players from the main leagues. Look at the money. If this is the future of top table European competition it is, I'm afraid, exactly where and what our clubs strategic plans were for and as disgusting as it is they want City to be filling their bellies from the banquet not having bread and water ike those that remain. I'm against it, I hate the idea but I also hate Uefa so maybe the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The only constant in this is my team Manchester City, I've followed them since 1984 and I'll follow them should they head into this new super league.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

I would love watching Bayern, City, Barca, Madrid, PSG... constantly playing against each other, but never when that implies the death of all domestic leagues and a dictatorship in who enters their super league. That's killing football.

I cannot believe how UEFA cannot come with a better idea than the current UCL format. The problem is that there are only 7(the knockout stage) elite matches and 6 "less important and exciting" matches. The solution is evident: increase the matches between the 16 more powerful teams.

A format like:

- 2 best English teams(according to EPL) + 2 Spanish + 2 Germans (or whoever is the 3rd best league currently) + 1 Italian +1 french are qualified directly to Round of 16. The remaining 8 spots are battled out in 8 groups of 3, and the best of each group qualifies. This way you minimize the "less exciting matches", improve the competitiveness of the group stages (1/3 advancing is more competitive than 2/4), and promote the importance of each league. Now being top 2 in the EPL is more significant than being 3rd or 4th.

- Now with the 16 top teams you do whatever you want to maximize the exciting matches. 2 groups of 8 with the best 4 of each going through QF, or the 1st going directly to SF, and 2-3rd battling out for the 2 remaining spots in the SF. Or 4 groups of 4 where the best 2 advances, and then 2 groups of 4 where, again, the best 2 advances. Finally, you play SF. With both of these formats, you would at least have 13-17 elite matches.

In the worst-case scenario, a team would need to play 19-25 European matches to be champions, so it would be logical to reduce each European league to 18 teams.

I literally came up with this idea quickly, and it improves the importance of the domestic league + more money due to more elite matches.

In a discussion of why this has happened and concluding it’s because UEFA is further diluting,
not improving the CL, sent this text to my brother FIVE HOURS AGO:

Better CL system would be Top 2 from England, Germany, Spain, and Champions from France & Holland (8 teams) go into a “Second Round,” while next 1 or 2 from those leagues, plus top teams from smaller leagues play in Qualifying Groups to get another 4 teams.

Phase 2 starts after Christmas break.

12 teams, 4 groups of 3. No teams from same country. 2 legged tourney of 4 games on consecutive midweeks, with top team in each going into a 2 legged SF. Final at neutral venue.

 

[Bill Walker]

They are fuc*ed to, that what the problem is, the dream is over.

When we were relegated into the old 3rd division, with no pot to piss in, we all had a dream, one day we would come back, one day we would win a trophy. One day we would get into the Champions league, well that dream is over...shame on us

Why is the dream of these clubs getting into the premier League gone?
These six clubs will still play in the premier League every week but have their own midweek European competition instead of UEFA

 

[Gingers Dad]

I don't believe it would be anywhere near that low but accepting for a minute that it would be, that's fine, the championship works. I think it's behind only the big 5 leagues in terms of both revenue and attendance as it is. Most of the financial problems in the championship stem from overspending due to a desperation to reach the Premier league and the riches it promises.

Spending and wages would need a balancing out period but football would continue for the rest, you'd just have the numbers involved go back a decade or so. you'd get an ultra competitive league still with some of if not the highest attendance figures in Europe (post covid) and still the most watched league in Europe.

The Championship only works because they are trying to get into something better. Winning a reformed Premier league would be meaningless without promotion to the big league

 

[jimharri]

As if the media didn't need another reason to give us a kicking. You can imagine Delaney, Harris, Castles, Schindler, Conn etc etc. They'll be like dogs with two sets of bollocks to lick. The only thing is that their beloved clubs are also party to this grubby idea. Welcome to the new (footballing) world order.

 

[itisrising]

The elephant in the room is that we all support Manchester City, lots of us have done for many many years.
Nearly 50 years for me of loving City, many on here have many more years than that.
I don't agree with us being a part of this whatsoever but what do us fans do, walk away and go support someone else ?
It doesn't work like that but at the same time i'm disgusted by our owners actions with this.
Fcuking hell, what a mess

It's taking advantage of our blind loyalty to our club. As fans, we're in a horrible bleak position. Either accept a league that goes against the foundations of our game and meritocracy it was built on or support another/stop watching football all together. I'll never forgive the club for the position they've put us in.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

You may disapprove of the new generation of football fans who support their chosen club from behind a screen in their homes. But they are there. In volume. And their interest represents a big payday for the club(s). It is delusional to suppose that clubs of the stature of those involved in this breakaway tournament will attract little support. The revenues will be huge. Those fans who will walk away are the old timers who have bought season tickets for many years. Losing them is tragic from a fan perspective, but the money will still flow into the clubs regardless. And a new generation will occupy the vacated seats at the Etihad too. Especially if the clubs price access within reach of less well-off younger fans. Dynamic pricing software means that seats can be priced to sell these days.

Via text, I've spoke to seven of my American friends today (it's still today here) who support the following sides: 2 City, 2 Liverpool, 2 Utd, 1 Spurs. All seven would cease supporting their clubs if this goes through. I'm going to be polling my 95-person strong Prem fantasy league next.

While I agree what you write is precisely what the club owners think, I think you're really underestimating the global negative fan reaction (not to mention being a trifle smug about it, ahem).

Overseas fans behind screens as you describe them also -- often -- like to support winners. They like watching big matches, sure. They also like watching Barca score 7 against Eibar or some other shit side. Now imagine Barca is 14th. Of course Barca's ownership doesn't care -- that's why they're doing this. But erosion of the brand, or these brands, as winning forces is inevitable.

 

[Sir peace frog]

Maybe because only 3 countries are involved at the moment, so it not all that European yet! Maybe a non-European team or two to be invited (though I can't think of any that would be likely)

It is being run by accountants not football and if they deem a top team in Brazil, Argentina, USA ect will add "more value" then there's nothing to stop them, advert breaks will definitely come in.

 

[Akiva]

Why is the dream of these clubs getting into the premier League gone?
These six clubs will still play in the premier League every week but have their own midweek European competition instead of UEFA

Though I do see it unlikely, the FA at least are promising to dump the top 6 out of the Prem. That's not to speak of the domestic cups etc.

The more you think of it, the more you realise this just isn't City. Who gives a fiddler's fuck about some meaningless Super League? It's irrelevant to Blues, it's a soulless cash grab and nothing more. Yet we are the club of the people, the working class Manchester team? It beggars belief.

This isn't nostalgia for pre-takeover either, nothing the Super League offers will dethrone 93:20, or Toure's FA Cup semi final goal, or the Centurion season. We worked hard to attain all that and now we're pissing it up the wall, forfeiting future history in the making, all for fucking money.

This is not my club.