The following day, Joe Tanner and Husmukh Kerai of Sky Sports informed us thus:
"The new format has been put forward as a rival to the UEFA Champions League, not as a replacement to domestic leagues, but there are fears it could have wider ramifications.A statement from the European Super League read:
UEFA, in a joint statement with FA, Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A, blasted the plans and did not rule out taking legal action over the proposals, insisting players involved would be banned from all other competitions at domestic, European or world level and could be prevented from representing their national teams.
FIFA and the European Club Association (ECA) have also criticised the creation of a breakaway competition...
American investment bank JP Morgan has announced it will be financing the competition...
Manchester United have stood down from the European Club Association (ECA), which represents all 246 European clubs. It is the sole such body recognised by UEFA, and has member clubs in each UEFA member association. United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has also stepped down from his UEFA roles
Serie A clubs Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan have also left the ECA. Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli has also resigned as ECA chairman, a position he held since 2012, and left his post as member of the UEFA Executive Committee to take up the Super League vice-president role.
Borussia Dortmund chief executive, Hans-Joachim Watzke, says they and Bayern Munich vehemently reject all involvement in the plans for a breakaway league and are instead focused on reforming the Champions League. The German Football Association backed the stance held by the national associations from England, Italy and Spain."
"Twelve of Europe's leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs. The formation of the Super League comes at a time when the global pandemic has accelerated the instability in the existing European football economic model.Former Manchester United and England player, Gary Neville, did not mince his words:
Further, for a number of years, the Founding Clubs have had the objective of improving the quality and intensity of existing European competitions throughout each season, and of creating a format for top clubs and players to compete on a regular basis. The pandemic has shown that a strategic vision and a sustainable commercial approach are required to enhance value and support for the benefit of the entire European football pyramid.
In recent months extensive dialogue has taken place with football stakeholders regarding the future format of European competitions. The Founding Clubs believe the solutions proposed following these talks do not solve fundamental issues, including the need to provide higher quality matches and additional financial resources for the overall football pyramid."
"The proposal will get kicked out because the fans will hate it, the governments will hate it, FIFA will hate, UEFA will hate it, the Premier League have come out already and say they hate it, you'll hate it, I'll hate it. And they are so disconnected from reality to think they could put this forward at any time, let alone now...
I've been critical of the people at this football club over the past few years for some of their football decisions, but this is another level - this is another level. And you can put all the other five owners in the same box as far as I'm concerned...
I said during the game that I thought the clubs that signed up to it should be deducted points, that includes this club [Manchester United] - the club that I love and I've supported all my life. But I'm ashamed of them, absolutely ashamed - for two reasons. Firstly, that they would want to sign up to a competition that is franchise football essentially, with no promotion or relegation, almost like that right to play the biggest games all the time - that's not the ethic and ethos Manchester United was built on.
Forget [the owners]. They have nothing to do with this football club... The fans that come into this ground that supported this club for 100 years are the people that matter and we want competition and the ethos of the club. Now some might say that's gone already, but forget [the owners] - they have nothing to do with this football club... They're just passengers in the night, as far as I'm concerned...
I'm fuming, that Manchester United football club, that have been pioneers, that should be leading from the front, that should be looking after everyone in this country. National League, North and South clubs are in disarray, National League cubs are going bust and furloughing players, there are League Two clubs on the edge. The whole system and pyramid at this moment is struggling.
And the timing is my second point. So Man Utd as a football club to vote for this is disgusting. The timing of it, the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of an economic crisis, not just in football but in this world, to demonstrate greed rather than compassion is an absolute shocker as far as I'm concerned.
Liverpool football club? Liverpool? The club of the people? You're a shambles. Just like [Manchester United] are, you're all the same. You'll never walk alone and all that rubbish we listen to? And the stuff here about looking after things? Honestly, I'm absolutely livid. The timing is as bad as the proposal. It won't go through, not a chance."
BBC pundits, Danny Murphy and Dion Dublin, were forthright in their condemnation of those behind the project.
DANNY: "It's it's about money... It doesn't doesn't help players, it doesn't help managers, coaches, it certainly doesn't help supporters, it's a nonsensical idea. It just shows that the owners of the big six clubs do not care about the supporters or the tradition or the history or the passion of the fans and the clubs... Those those top six clubs who have agreed to this want more money. I just think it's absolutely disgusting...
Football is nothing without the fans... Sir matt busby knew what football meant to the working man and woman who worked all week and needed entertainment at the weekend, and the owners of that club at the moment are destroying the legacy of that man
You can't take away players dreams... you can't take away the supporters choices."
DION: "I honestly thought that football, like, was a working-class sport for working-class people that work really hard... Save their money to go to watch a game... They want the fans to spend more money and travel further...
I just think this is all about, 'I don't care about anybody else... My pocket, let's get more money in there and we'll be okay! Forget them, forget the players, forget the staff, forget the fans, this is about me!' I think it's bang out of order!"
DANNY: "I can't see it happening... It's it's beyond belief actually that they can think that they can put this idea forward and for it just to be brought in smoothly and everyone accept it. That's just a complete lack of understanding of our game, our traditions, what we love about football, what's in our hearts when we go and watch football and when we play the game."
DION: "The heart of the game... just, just ripping it out of us and just, just stealing our game, I just think it's out of order. What conversations have they had? Have they had conversations with managers? Have they have conversations with players? Have they had a forum with the fans?"
DANNY: "What players are going to not want to play for his country and play in all the other competitions."
DION: "What they'll say is... we'll give you more money. Players aren't all about money... Don't think players just want to take as much money out the game they love... why the hell would they want to do that? I just think it's terrible."At Twitter et al, my own thoughts on the matter ran as follows:
So who wants a European Super League?
Globalism's trough-gobbling hogs want it.
Very few others do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment