European Super League.

[NorthernLights]

Barca statement on the situation, definitely not an apology in any sense of the word but a right ramble.

https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club/news/2114445/fc-barcelona-announcement-on-the-super-league?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=fcbarcelona&utm_campaign=4b5e891a-1dc8-498b-8377-8fd95ac48965

Edited April 23, 2021 by NorthernLights

[topcat(The most tip top)]

29 minutes ago, NorthernLights said:

Barca statement on the situation, definitely not an apology in any sense of the word but a right ramble.

https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club/news/2114445/fc-barcelona-announcement-on-the-super-league?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=fcbarcelona&utm_campaign=4b5e891a-1dc8-498b-8377-8fd95ac48965

Their statement was never going to be full and frank given that their protection from League Sanctions by the Spanish Court  is only preliminary 
 

[Guest TheJTS98]

We're already back to normal.

The Guardian is carrying an article framed as a 'proper fitba man' article by a West Ham fan about how great it'll be if West Ham qualify for the Champions League.

The whole fucking point is that West Ham being near the Champions League is ridiculous.

As you were, everyone.

Edited April 23, 2021 by TheJTS98

[Monkey Tennis]

3 hours ago, NorthernLights said:

Barca statement on the situation, definitely not an apology in any sense of the word but a right ramble.

https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club/news/2114445/fc-barcelona-announcement-on-the-super-league?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=fcbarcelona&utm_campaign=4b5e891a-1dc8-498b-8377-8fd95ac48965

More of a Rambla.

Is that the joke?

[CambieBud]

Watching Sky News just now and the other 14 clubs want the rebel chairmen and Chief Executives to be replaced! Just utter spin. That is like Asda demanding Tesco change their owners. Ludicrous. Now the Scottish guy( sorry, don’t know his name), claiming it collapsed because of Brexit, implying Boris can change any law he likes as we are not in the EU. This is incredible nonsense.

[Jambomo]

2 hours ago, CambieBud said:

Watching Sky News just now and the other 14 clubs want the rebel chairmen and Chief Executives to be replaced! Just utter spin. That is like Asda demanding Tesco change their owners. Ludicrous. Now the Scottish guy( sorry, don’t know his name), claiming it collapsed because of Brexit, implying Boris can change any law he likes as we are not in the EU. This is incredible nonsense.

It does seem wishful thinking.

Though I think the other 14 clubs are more pissed about them turning up to meetings etc for the last few years and I think it was Sky who said they used info from those meetings in forming Super league plans. It might be they have other avenues to force some change. 

[CambieBud]

The other thing that strikes me is the media led rabble rousing. I understand why the other clubs are totally opposed to this but don’t really get the attitude of the fans of the rebels. They were intending to stay in the EPL but not play in UEFA competitions, in order to guarantee income. Why would fans of the 6 be opposed to this? As I say, Sky etc I understand but not the big 6 fans

[Bairnardo]

The other thing that strikes me is the media led rabble rousing. I understand why the other clubs are totally opposed to this but don’t really get the attitude of the fans of the rebels. They were intending to stay in the EPL but not play in UEFA competitions, in order to guarantee income. Why would fans of the 6 be opposed to this? As I say, Sky etc I understand but not the big 6 fans

They probably knew that it was the thin end of the wedge for totally pricing them out of attending matches for one, and didnt want to see their team move from competing for leagues and trohies (lol @ spurs and arsenal) to playing in a closed shop, franchise league of show ponies

[CambieBud]

They probably knew that it was the thin end of the wedge for totally pricing them out of attending matches for one, and didnt want to see their team move from competing for leagues and trohies (lol @ spurs and arsenal) to playing in a closed shop, franchise league of show ponies

True but that’s what the Champions League is anyway

[Bairnardo]

30 minutes ago, CambieBud said:

 

True but that’s what the Champions League is anyway

 

Agree. Boiled frog that one though. Happened over years once its prestige was well established

[GNU_Linux]

That's my mind made up on the whole thing.

 

[Jambomo]

7 hours ago, CambieBud said:

The other thing that strikes me is the media led rabble rousing. I understand why the other clubs are totally opposed to this but don’t really get the attitude of the fans of the rebels. They were intending to stay in the EPL but not play in UEFA competitions, in order to guarantee income. Why would fans of the 6 be opposed to this? As I say, Sky etc I understand but not the big 6 fans

From what I read most were basically expecting to be the also rans in that league and didn’t fancy constant mid-bottom finishes. There were also a lot of comments about playing these games all the time becoming boring and more to their credit, that they prefer to earn the right to ply them.

They knew they wouldn’t be able to stay in the EPL, I do think they’d have kicked them out simply because they know it’s the end of the league if it happens either way. They’ll either leave eventually of their own volition anyway or destroy the league by having so much more income that nobody could even do what say Leicester or even West Ham are doing with a top 4 (or 5!) finish. 

[craigkillie]

21 hours ago, CambieBud said:

The other thing that strikes me is the media led rabble rousing. I understand why the other clubs are totally opposed to this but don’t really get the attitude of the fans of the rebels. They were intending to stay in the EPL but not play in UEFA competitions, in order to guarantee income. Why would fans of the 6 be opposed to this? As I say, Sky etc I understand but not the big 6 fans

 

The better question would be why even the fans of the clubs involved don't want it, but a neutral like you seemingly supports it. The fans, like most football supporters, want the sport to be based on merit, rather than a bunch of handpicked invitational events with absolutely no genuine stakes.

They may have been intending to stay in domestic football, but that was never going to be their actual plan in the long-term, and was probably not even going to be allowed to happen in the short term. Despite your claims, the Champions League is very much not a closed shop, which is why (barring a Europa League win) Arsenal are about to make it to half a decade without taking part.

Edited April 25, 2021 by craigkillie

[CambieBud]

 
The better question would be why even the fans of the clubs invovled don't want it, but a neutral like you seemingly supports it. The fans, like most football supporters, want the sport to be based on merit, rather than a bunch of handpicked invitational events with absolutely no genuine stakes.
They may have been intending to stay in domestic football, but that was never going to be their actual plan in the long-term, and was probably not even going to be allowed to happen in the short term. Despite your claims, the Champions League is very much not a closed shop, which is why (barring a Europa League win) Arsenal are about to make it to half a decade without taking part.

I don’t support it CK. just playing devils advocate. If the cheeks were invited to the EPL, the media and their fans would not be demonstrating but would embrace it for” the good of the game”. It seems to me to be exactly the same principle.
As for the Champions League, the changes announced this week mean that clubs that don’t qualify through merit will qualify through historical performances. That is as close to a closed shop as you can get.

[Forest_Fifer]

I don’t support it CK. just playing devils advocate. If the cheeks were invited to the EPL, the media and their fans would not be demonstrating but would embrace it for” the good of the game”. It seems to me to be exactly the same principle.
As for the Champions League, the changes announced this week mean that clubs that don’t qualify through merit will qualify through historical performances. That is as close to a closed shop as you can get.

2 clubs will qualify through historic performances, but it's already been suggested this week that there will be pushback on that from some of the mid level leagues to try to get another 2 direct champion entries.

[Thistle_do_nicely]

12 hours ago, CambieBud said:

The other thing that strikes me is the media led rabble rousing. I understand why the other clubs are totally opposed to this but don’t really get the attitude of the fans of the rebels. They were intending to stay in the EPL but not play in UEFA competitions, in order to guarantee income. Why would fans of the 6 be opposed to this? As I say, Sky etc I understand but not the big 6 fans

 

4 hours ago, craigkillie said:

 

The better question would be why even the fans of the clubs invovled don't want it, but a neutral like you seemingly supports it. The fans, like most football supporters, want the sport to be based on merit, rather than a bunch of handpicked invitational events with absolutely no genuine stakes.

They may have been intending to stay in domestic football, but that was never going to be their actual plan in the long-term, and was probably not even going to be allowed to happen in the short term. Despite your claims, the Champions League is very much not a closed shop, which is why (barring a Europa League win) Arsenal are about to make it to half a decade without taking part.

I wondered whether it would be leading to a death of any home vs. away format as we know it too, cant mind if it was on the back of a fag packet press release (that iirc wasnt actually letterheaded either!) but i do remember something about there eventually being at least quarter finals onwards in the ESL at some point. I could see the aim being for World Cup/Euros style bidding to be host nations for the latter knockout stage format that actually matters with the earlier regular season matches held at each clubs stadium.

So broadly it'd mean a massive change to how season tickets etc. work and are priced since you're all of a sudden needing to think about accommodation and flights based on how your team performs, which would be nigh on impossible to predict in reasonable time.

Legacy fans and their season ticket/matchday interests < potential revenue from getting pissing contests on the go from nations to host the """product""", basically.

Edited April 25, 2021 by Thistle_do_nicely

[Merkie84]

On 20/04/2021 at 21:48, Richey Edwards said:

Football has been dead to me since the late noughties. Yes, I know that I support Ayr United and Scotland. However, my interest in football outside of the admittedly very limited sphere of these two football teams is pretty much non-existent. I don't think I have watched more than ten non-Ayr United matches in any year that hasn't had a World Cup since. I have absolutely zero interest in the English Premiership, the Champions League or any league for that matter.

Do you know what has killed football as a genuine sport? Money.

Despite the old saying that "football is a business", it most definitely is not. It is a sport. Football is a sport that belongs to everybody. The clubs belong to the fans and the communities that they represent. They do not belong to these arsehole billionaires - who only care about money.

The plans for a European Super League are the final nail in the coffin. This is what happens when you let money take precedence over the actual sport of football.

The "top leagues" in the world are not what they once were. They are now a Disney-like caricature of football - and have been for some time.

I am aware that I am posting this on a football forum, so you might question what I'm even doing here if I'm not all that interested in football. To be honest, I love Pie and Bovril and always have.

Pretty much where I am too. 

Outside my team (Aberdeen) and Scotland, and summer international tournaments  my interest in top level football has been on the  wane slowly but surely over the past decade and more. 

No interest in the EPL anymore with what it has become. 

Not watched a group game in the Champions league in over a decade because it is a boring procession. 
By the time it gets competitive from the quarter finals onwards it is the same teams year after year. 
Maybe  watched 3 of the last 5-6 finals and that is about it. 

Actually relieved this super league thing has come out. I am now officially done with it. I won’t watch matches involving these teams again ( unless the dons somehow get to play them in a competitive fixture, which is highly unlikely). Not in an angry toys out the pram way, more that this is straw that breaks the camels back . 
 

Im done.

 

[djchapsticks]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56873448

See this c**t is still not giving it up, even going so far as blaming the failure on the fury of certain people who don't want to lose their 'priveleges', with privelege in this instance being fair and open competition. 

You couldn't mark this old b*****d's neck with a blowtorch for him to claim others are exercising privelege in this case. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

10 minutes ago, djchapsticks said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56873448

See this c**t is still not giving it up, even going so far as blaming the failure on the fury of certain people who don't want to lose their 'priveleges', with privelege in this instance being fair and open competition. 

You couldn't mark this old b*****d's neck with a blowtorch for him to claim others are exercising privelege in this case. 

Things must be bad. I see they’ve roped in Raith Rovers third biggest fan to provide a (somewhat ironic) greed counter argument.

[Sarto Mutiny]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56873448
See this c**t is still not giving it up, even going so far as blaming the failure on the fury of certain people who don't want to lose their 'priveleges', with privelege in this instance being fair and open competition. 
You couldn't mark this old b*****d's neck with a blowtorch for him to claim others are exercising privelege in this case. 

Mind you, if he's right and the clubs have signed a legally binding agreement, things could get interesting. JP Morgan will have very expensive lawyers