European Super League

Do you want the ESL to happen?


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    1,921
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This Crossy fella must be some sort of American NFL fan because I find it unfathomable that one can grow up in the UK and not realise why this ESL is a problem on so many levels.

And before anyone says it's racist, it's not. The lack of cultural awareness of his point of view is so obvious, my statement is the least of a number of suggestions I can make.
 
European competition shouldn’t be about seeing United play Barca or madrid multiple times a season. European competition is about the romance of being drawn against competition we wouldn’t otherwise play and having a big match if you get through. The CL need to build on that. Not this..: this power grab: if anyone thinks it’s a reason for the glazers to spend more.. it’s a reason for them to take even more money out
I mean, I’ve argued this for years and have really enjoyed participating in the Europa League for this reason, but we seem to be in the distinct minority.
 
Its all falling apart and the game we know is dying. Its all about how much they can rinse from fans for a long time but this is a whole new level.

Horrible that United are involved.
I was feeling really optimistic about United and how Ole has been doing. Now I just feel sick. It is like a kick to the stomach.
 
European competition shouldn’t be about seeing United play Barca or madrid multiple times a season. European competition is about the romance of being drawn against competition we wouldn’t otherwise play and having a big match if you get through. The CL need to build on that. Not this..: this power grab: if anyone thinks it’s a reason for the glazers to spend more.. it’s a reason for them to take even more money out

That is exactly where UCL reform is headed from 2024-25 : larger group stages where you only play every opponent once.

The maximum number of times you could play an opponent would be twice in knock-out rounds. I would trust UEFA to anticipate watchers' tastes when they make these decisions.

Club owners doing exactly the opposite is not surprising considering they, erm... have no idea how to run a competition.
 
They're pissing away the history of the club and some fans are still failing to grasp that. It honestly feels like we won those three European Cups for nothing. Not going to be viewed the same in 20 years. Same with the league titles.
 
So it feels like finishing in the top 4 or winning the Europa league is completely pointless now anyway?
100% its taken the wind out of our sails. All that progress from last season and the potential of a trophy is rendered meaningless because of greed.
 
As a Manchester United fan, I honestly don't care what happens to Leeds, or MK Dons, or Bromma Pojkarna. Do you think they'd give a shit it we went into administration? Why is it our responsibility to pay them?

We've actually signed several youngsters from Brommapojkarna over the past 10 years.
We have a young goalkeeper in our folds from their clubs right now. Them folding would affect us.

And smaller clubs affects the overall level of competition. For all the youngsters that have been brought up by United, there's a dozen who developed at smaller clubs.
Even for the players that came through United's ranks, quite a lot started their footballing at smaller clubs, like Fletcher Moss Rangers, who were responsible for early development for Wes Brown, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Danny Welbeck, and so on.
 
City fans should be more concerned than anyone. The guys pushing this are following a NFL model, there is zero reason they will be against franchise location changes which as we know are very much an accepted part of that model.

Why be clear second club in a city like Manchester when you can be the first club in New York, Tokyo? Or the club of Abu Dhabi? Being in Manchester is only a limit to their potential in franchise terms. Same goes for some of these other clubs. Why are the owners going to give a shit about being the 3rd team in London finishing bottom every season? Become Singapore Spurs and tie up the South East Asia market.

United should be ok from that perspective, too much marketing potential based on the status quo. You'll just have to put up with half your games being played globally as theSuper League global tour bringing the game to the world. #ForTheFans
 
People say the Glazers will spend less money... but they won't be able to hide when they are 15th in the SuperLeague instead of a weak 2nd in the EPL

If anything their weaknesses will be exposed and they will have to spend more to keep up with the other "super" teams.

It's a work in progress... so I reserve judgment until this actually plays out awhile... if indeed it does get off the ground.
I think the problem will be even if the Glazers spend trying to compete with Madrid or Barca on an even playing field is going to be a real struggle. Players have always prefered to go to Spain due to the climate. At the moment because of the financial strength of the premier league, we have had an advantage. That would go out the window with this.
 
But what is the incentive of Mbappe doing that when right now he could run his contract down and let the best paying club sign him in a location he actually wants to go to?

The club might have power over governance but they don't have power over the players here.

I don't follow your question, Mbappé wouldn't have a choice if he wanted to play in the ESL, play against the best for the biggest contract he would have to follow the path designed by the ESL Players don't have a right to play even today, they are licensed to play and the way to get a license depends on the will of the organizers.
 
Didn't say they haven't done that. I said they haven't taken out more than Manchester United have spent which was what was implied

They've spent nothing though. They put zero pounds of their own money up to buy the club and have invested zero pounds in the club.

But that wasn't what was said. What was said was that they've taken more money out over the past 8 years than ever.
 
Can we have a mega thread for reactions? Sassuolo has commented, so has Hasenhuttl.
 
Winning the Europa League for the sense of achievement is exactly what football is all about. Why are you even interested in United and football in general otherwise?
It’s amazing isn’t it. The major argument against it is it’s all about money and devalues the achievement of finishing 4th...which was only an achievement because it got you money...
 
All eyes on Klopp this evening. Really hope he speaks out against it. If he does and the likes of Pep and Ole can follow. Maybe even some players too, this could be all over within a week

He seems the type to go on a massive rant about this. Hope I'm right.
 
This Crossy fella must be some sort of American NFL fan because I find it unfathomable that one can grow up in the UK and not realise why this ESL is a problem on so many levels.

And before anyone says it's racist, it's not. The lack of cultural awareness of his point of view is so obvious, my statement is the least of a number of suggestions I can make.
I'm an NFL and American sports fan. I follow NFL more than I follow footy these days and I know how much of a fecking joke this is. You can't compare the two sports. Totally different.
 
There's far too many posts for me to catch up on from last night, so apologise if this has been covered ad nauseum...

From the statement, there'll be 2 groups of 10 and playing home and away - so that means there'll be 18 group games plus a 2-legged play off and knockouts from the Q/F. Which is between 18 and 25 games in a season.

I guess that definitely means the plan is to not enter the domestic cups (if they're allowed to stay in the leagues that is). And if they're still in the domestic leagues, they can't even create an extra SL Cup of their own with that schedule (which they might do if they're denied entrance to their leagues). So we'd be playing for a maximum of two trophies in a season instead of four?

Absolutely awful idea. I hate everything about it - especially just from a 'watching United compete in competitions for trophies' way, which is the main thing for me. All the rest of it - the ethics, other teams finances, etc, is obviously hugely important. But just from the standard 'being a United fan' viewpoint it's gut wrenching enough.
 
Winning the Europa League for the sense of achievement is exactly what football is all about. Why are you even interested in United and football in general otherwise?
Because we won't even exist in these competitions anymore. It just feels like a hollow victory now.

3x CL titles are now worthless, Europa league titles mean nothing. Who knows if we will be even allowed to finish the competition? we might get thrown out before the semi finals even start :lol:
 
European competition shouldn’t be about seeing United play Barca or madrid multiple times a season. European competition is about the romance of being drawn against competition we wouldn’t otherwise play and having a big match if you get through. The CL need to build on that. Not this..: this power grab: if anyone thinks it’s a reason for the glazers to spend more.. it’s a reason for them to take even more money out
UEFA is already moving away from the old cup format with the swiss model. 36 teams, you play 10 group stage games against new opponents every game. More games, more fodder. On top of that the teams that make the knockout stages are automatically qualified for the next season. The CL will go to shit whether or not this super league happens, it's basically just a question of what shade of shite will be going forward.
 
I think people enjoy the fantasy that Real, Juve, Bayern, MU, Liverpool, Arsenal, PSG could be relegated in the modern era... rather than the reality.

It's like the American illusion that if you compete hard enough and find a niche that you can defeat Amazon or Walmart in retail.

But I suppose keeping that illusion intact would make it much more palatable for fans who actually think the game is played on a level playing field.

Leicester Premier League Champions
West Ham competing for a CL spot
Tottenham suddenly became a CL club
Liverpool won the Premier League - Remember they were hot garbage for nearly 30 years until 4~ years ago.

You're misreading the point when you see "relegation". The point isn't direclty relegation, it's the inability to not qualify for the competition through success in the domestic league

The domestic competition and the Champions League are intimately joined. Now that is threatened.

Imagine a world where third placed Manchester United who are 7 points behind Mancheter City with 8 games left on the season make the choice to rest players in the league against Chelsea, thinking there's no point in risking injuries for a maybe-shot at going up in the table, because they're placing Barcelona in the midweek in a competiton to qualify for the tournament playoffs in the Super League.

That is the reality you're advocating for. The domestic leagues WILL becomes second priority.
 
Have any players released statements yet? I think the longer they're silent, the worse it looks.

I'd fully support the first team threatening strike action and/or a mass exodus. Surely they have a legal right if they haven't been consulted.
 
Because we won't even exist in these competitions anymore. It just feels like a hollow victory now.

3x CL titles are now worthless, Europa league titles mean nothing. Who knows if we will be even allowed to finish the competition? we might get thrown out before the semi finals even start :lol:
I can't see them letting us play another match.
 
Guaranteed participation is THE problem. Why in the feck should they be allowed to squirrel away all of the games money and leave feck all for every one else?

From their perspective, they are the ones paying large salaries, transfer fees, agent commissions etc and they think why should they be investing all this money when finishing 5th in a competitive league would rob them of champions league competition and revenue when some backwater club in Ukraine can get in by winning a mickey mouse league. Its not an idea that's totally out of order.
 
A massive, massive own goal for us to leave the ECA at this early stage, complete stupidity. So that's that - we're not in the Champions League next season.

Notice how the others have not yet left, they will surely be allowed to participate if this falls apart. I can see these plans failing and we will be left with a massive custard pie on our faces. We're pinned our flag to the mast and we will go down with this ship..
 
seeing no one is reading the article, no it wouldn't affect our participation in the premier league. this would basically replace the CL.
UEFA are saying that the founding member teams will be banned from all its affiliated competitions. That includes the premiere league.
 
They're called for sheep for a reason my friend. Completely different sentiment if the media put out a positive story yesterday instead of a "football is dead" vibe. I can't believe people are this easily led to be honest
Everybody was of the same opinion every time the idea has been floated for a couple of years, before any media reaction. People are also making valid points that aren't even being picked up on by the media.

Do you have an ulterior motive, are you a troll or do you just not understand football in the same way as the rest of us do?
 
Yeah thats it, the super league is great because it is for some reason going to end discrimination. #ForTheFans #BLM #AbuDhabiCup2024

Embarassing people actually fall for that corporate nonsense. If yelling racial slurs was profitable these teams would have all the players doing it. There's no morality here.

You reiterate my argument.
 
You really think all this planning will be shelved because a few people are unhappy?

These billionaires have all banded together to take the power for themselves. If the leagues kick them out then they'll just make their own.

All the top brass have been resigning from their UEFA positions, I don't think there is any going back.

I fear this might be correct. Lots of things here spell out that they've taken the decision, and won't easily turn back. The website, the resignations, the JP Morgan bankrolling. If they have half-competent market analysis people the fan reaction won't surprise them, especially not after the response they got the last time the idea was floated. They know that UEFA's main response tools - throwing the clubs out of national leagues and banning players from international tournaments - is going to hurt UEFA, the national leagues and international tournaments more than it will hurt them, and therefore is not a very credible threat. And most likely, they'll have decided that if it comes to that, they can afford to go it alone. It's going to take a lot to stop this train.
 
Have any players released statements yet? I think the longer they're silent, the worse it looks.

I'd fully support the first team threatening strike action and/or a mass exodus. Surely they have a legal right if they haven't been consulted.
Players will be confused as feck right now. I expect hope they all come together along with the managers and take a stance against it.
 
This has nothing to do with merit. This is Americans stealing the most recognizable brands in the game and franchising them. One step away from "New Trafford" being built away from Manchester.

The FA needs to work with the government to shake up the whole system. There are laws to prevent oligopolies - where the market is dominated by small group of large organizations who collude to prevent market competition. This is now what we have in football and a forced sale of shares is the only option in my opinion. All clubs must now be owned 50% by the fans.
Amen.
 
He seems the type to go on a massive rant about this. Hope I'm right.
Can't see him going too much against the will of the owners here to be honest, although I'm pretty sure that he himself is firmly against the idea.

I'm an NFL and American sports fan. I follow NFL more than I follow footy these days and I know how much of a fecking joke this is. You can't compare the two sports. Totally different.
Seconded.