soccer

Super League breakaway in tatters after 6 English clubs quit

30 Comments
By Simon Evans

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While being presented in the media as a victory for the fans, John Barnes points out it is just a victory for the status quo. He makes some good points. The Super League versus the current situation. The fans don't play much part in either.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-56829809

More importantly, where do Raith Rovers fit into this?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

This is a real loss to the global soccer market (including USA, Asia, Africa, etc). It's a shame they'll be denied what would've been a magnificent spectacle to pacify a few UK based so called fans!

English fans of English clubs. The reaction of fans in Spain was similar too.

The spectacle of weekly mega matches would have severely damaged the game. After all, in Japan you have two professional baseball leagues of 6 teams who play each other over and over again - so dull.

The big spectacles at the time of the Champions League will still be there - enjoy them when they happen as a special event.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

the Premier League Six made the right decision eventually, no need for punishment

They effectively tried to lock teams that will finish above them out of the Champions League. It would render lots of fixtures in the Premier League meaningless. Of course they should be punished. They wanted to destroy the integrity of the league.

The best way is to allow the Saudis to take over Newcastle and indeed any other takeover that does not involve buying the club with its own future revenue, like the Glazers, Gillette/Hicks, and lots of takeovers in the lower leagues. That is the only test necessary. Abandon financial fair play, because it is a joke and if actually applied would simply pull up the ladder to the top. If a billionaire, say Rishi Sunak or Kim Kardashian, wants to bankroll a team, let him/her.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

fantastic. i am ashamed my club took part in this shameful exercise, but glad they got the guts to get out. apologies needed though, especially to the fans of all other clubs.

the americans, or at least american influence, has a lot to answer for.

We will never accept american style run sports competitions. ever.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

John Henry, owner of Liverpool, released a half arsed apology video this morning which oozes fake contrition and sincerity. Referring to the club as “LFC” throughout the video just shows he still doesn’t get it.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The Game of Football is a beautiful sport and not a Rat Race. Long live the Game.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

JimizoToday  07:35 am JST

All six English clubs have now pulled out. 

Great news but still punish them.

I’d relegate all six. Hit them in the pocket properly.

I think that would hit the whole league in the pocket as the TV and sponsorship deals dry up. If anything the big clubs would emerge stronger in the long run.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is a real loss to the global soccer market (including USA, Asia, Africa, etc). It's a shame they'll be denied what would've been a magnificent spectacle to pacify a few UK based so called fans!

Your ignorance of English football is impressive.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Soccer is only about money nowadays.

It is rare when players show their guts (=give all you have) while earning 100 times your salary per match.

I am a fan of sports, not players running after money. Clubs or players, for vast majority same struggle. That Superleague is the tip of the iceberg only.

I remember Portuguese C. Ronaldo as an exceptional player because while injured he still through pain give all his energy shouting relentlessly to his fellow country players. That is sport.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

This is a real loss to the global soccer market (including USA, Asia, Africa, etc). It's a shame they'll be denied what would've been a magnificent spectacle to pacify a few UK based so called fans!

-9 ( +0 / -9 )

ESL, the concept is unlikely to simply fade away.

zichi, posted the player revenue, add in branding and image rights.

However I am a business women.

These footy stars come from mostly working class back grounds.

I have no problem with them receiving serious amounts of money for plying there trade.

Hedge fund mangers lie low, incognito.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@zichi

agree with the idea of a salary cap.

It works in many sporting competitions around the world - evening the playing field as well.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Apparently this was mainly the doing of the English clubs with American owners, Man U, Liverpool, and Arsenal. Spurs were also really up for it because they have just built a mega stadium and are the most indebted club in Europe. Given that Europe includes Real, Barcelona, and Monaco, that is saying something. Man City were last in and first out, and come out of this with relative credit. Like Chelsea before them, their long-running sin has been buying the league, which is a shame but has always happened. Alex Ferguson's first title at Man U was with a super expensive team and even Cloughie's Forest (complete legends) were assembled with money, including the first million pound player Trevor Francis.

I don't think anyone has ever had any doubts about the Americans at Man U or Arsenal, or indeed Liverpool's previous American owners, but this has done major self-inflicted damage to Fenway, the current owners, who were spun as "the good Americans" and supposedly fine stewards of the club.

Now this has completely backfired, one quick and convenient way the Premier League can punish the six is to allow the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United, which was blocked last year. This was claimed to be for various reasons, some of them PR friendly ones about human rights (as if!), but the main driver was opposition from Liverpool and Spurs. As we have seen here, they are terrified of actual competition and simply want to lock in their precious revenue as a divine right. The UK sells a large amount of weapons to Saudi Arabia to kill people in Yemen, so any energy spent focusing on ownership of a football club as a moral battleground is wasted.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Are you then hoping your team Everton would move up the league?

What you suggest would hurt the players and fans who didn't support the formation nor part of any consultations.

I understand that but these owners need to be firmly slapped into line. Money is the only thing they care about. Apparently, Man U, Liverpool and Arsenal were the ringleaders of this from England. They should definitely be sent down a division.

The fans of these clubs have been happy to reap the rewards from these vulture owners. You hear the odd moan about football being taken away from the working people, but that quickly gives way to excitement when you read about a £80,000,000 player coming in.

You go down with them.

English football is in need of a reset. Now’s the time to do it.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

This is what you get when you have Americans and Arabs in charge of ( European ) football clubs / the best in the world. Luckily, this thing was over before it even started.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

"It has never been about the money," the source told CNN Sport, who added that Chelsea's intention in joining the Super League was based on a desire to improve the game, a priority for club owner Roman Abramovich.

the fans & joe public aren’t so naive as to believe this tripe - It was only about the money

2 ( +4 / -2 )

You really gotta wonder, what did the idiots upstairs of each of these club think when they announced this inane project? That football fans around the world would all applaud and rejoice?? Goes to show how completely detached from reality they are. Glad to see theuniversal response was as swift as it was violent (in its rejection) and this silliness has now ended.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@jimizu

agree - at the bare minimum, dock them points

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Fantastic news.

No one in the game wanted it except the greedy owners of the clubs.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

While I'm glad that City's owners have withdrawn the club from this horrorshow, it begs the question of why they didn't understand what the reaction from supporters, players, media and the British government would be.

They surely can't be as clueless as the Indian chicken farmers who bought Blackburn Rovers few years ago, and were stunned to hear the word relegation at the first board meeting they attended. "What is this relegation?" the new chairman asked the board member who broached the subject.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson considered introducing laws to stop them forming a new European competition he called a “cartel."

Remarkable how quickly Johnson galvanised himself when an opportunity for easy points-scoring with the masses presented itself. Let's see if he moves so fast when the investigation into the Tories' awarding of billion pound Covid contracts to their chums starts.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

All six English clubs have now pulled out. 

Great news but still punish them.

I’d relegate all six. Hit them in the pocket properly.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

All six English clubs have now pulled out. Shows just how little the owners of these clubs know about football, it’s fans, heritage and it’s cultural importance. Shame on them.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

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