European Super League/Expanded Champions League Format Discussion

Would you favour the idea of a New European super league as reported?

  • Yes

    Votes: 17 10.1%
  • No

    Votes: 139 82.7%
  • Undecided

    Votes: 12 7.1%

  • Total voters
    168

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DaRick

Norm Smith Medallist
Jan 12, 2008
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I haven't seen a thread about this, so I think that I'll create one.

Apparently news has been making the rounds on other websites that a European league, consisting of 16 teams, wish to breakaway from the UEFA Champions League and maybe even their own national associations to play in a special European super league from 2021 onwards.

It's been said that a letter of intent has been drawn up by said clubs, with Bayern Munich, specifically the head of their legal department (Michael Gerlinger), leading the way by legally reviewing how they can depart the Bundesliga/Champions League.


https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...lsea-manchester-city-united-arsenal-liverpool

The 11 core clubs, or founders, are as follows:

- Bayern Munich
- Real Madrid
- FC Barcelona
- Manchester United
- Chelsea FC
- Arsenal FC
- Manchester City
- Liverpool FC
- Juventus
- Paris Saint-Germain
- AC Milan

They will apparently be joined initially by Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, Inter Milan and Roma.

The 11 founding teams apparently cannot be relegated and would be part of the league for at least the first 20 years.

My thoughts on this whole affair are as follows, ripped almost verbatim from another website:

Even as a foreign fan, one of the highlights of my year is watching this great football club trek through a 38-game season where surprises abound, anyone can defeat anyone and glory awaits. Not to mention the added lure of the historic FA Cup and Champions League. Even the League Cup and Europa League have value. You also play a diverse range of teams, each with its own distinct character, style and history.

...replacing all of that history and all those clubs and trophies with some soulless, corporatised 'Super League' where you get to play the same few elite teams for at least the next two decades would become very monotonous very fast and would estrange the club from its roots and history. So it's a definite 'no' from me.

I have no idea how I would react if this dastardly plan came to fruition, but it would at the very least be a drain on my support for the club and at worst turn me away from the club altogether, for a very long time if not forever.

Fans need to come out very strongly against this. I would sign a petition opposing the idea if directed to one.

Thoughts?
 
Jun 18, 2014
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The fact that the founding members couldn't be relegated for 20 years shows what a farce of an idea it is and the number one motive behind it ($$).

I think one day something will need to be done about lack of competitiveness in the top leagues because it's only going to get worse but not sure this is it, certainly not in the way they've proposed it anyway.
 

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Shoei

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Sep 26, 2011
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Would instantly stop watching Arsenal. Have absolutely no interest in watching such an abomination of a "league". I have barely a passing interest in the bloated Champions League format as it is.

How the * would it even work for the fans? Every second game having to travel around Europe? That's going to be cheap.

Then imagine how many "league" games are going to be played in the USA, China, Japan, Africa, South America as the teams cash in on the international supporters every chance they get.

If these clubs leave there respective leagues then UEFA and the FAs of the Nations involved should ban them from ever returning and ban their players from International representation. You want to have your cake and eat it too? Well choke on it you fat campaigners.
 

WealstoneRaider

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Part of me says something like this is inevitable (the way money dictates everything in football now) while the other part of me thinks it could never happen such would be the damage it would do to the sport. If those clubs exited their national leagues it would decimate the Premier League and probably the Italian league too. The Spanish league would lose almost all its global interest also. However the German league might prosper but for the fact all interest would be on this new league. Players of these clubs may also be banned from representing their country so it would severely affect international football too.

At this point if all this is true the actual goal may be to put pressure on UEFA to distribute more cash to these bigger clubs and perhaps more CL places to the top leagues.
 
Don’t like the no relegation part of it for the core clubs.

Would rather take say
Top 3 England, Spain, Germany
Top 2 Italy, France
Then the Russian, Ukrainian, Portuguese, Dutch and Turkish champs

Then promote/relegate on country

Say shakhtar Donetsk finishes last, in comes dynamo Kiev.
Or Tottenham finish 2nd last, Arsenal comes up

Hate the idea of core clubs with a passion, ESPECIALLY with clubs who’ve just had an influx of money in the last 10 years like man city and psg.
And how the **** is ac Milan a core team.
Inter is a lot more logical, and even Roma has an argument too.
 
Oct 5, 2009
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If they leave then want to return to England they can start at the bottom of the pyramid. That would be fun.
i never knew before all this came out that bundesliga players had a clause in the contract saying that the only league they're allowed to represent while at a bundesliga club is the bundesliga.

bayern pushing this hard while also trying to be the beacon of all that is holy, headed by a man who went to jail for tax fraud and another who is meant to be representing the best interests of 200+ clubs. must be exhausting.
 
i never knew before all this came out that bundesliga players had a clause in the contract saying that the only league they're allowed to represent while at a bundesliga club is the bundesliga.

bayern pushing this hard while also trying to be the beacon of all that is holy, headed by a man who went to jail for tax fraud and another who is meant to be representing the best interests of 200+ clubs. must be exhausting.

What happens with the Champions League then? Or is that not technically considered a League?
 

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Jan 13, 2015
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If any club accepts that, you might as well say the locals don't matter. It's all about the international audiance, only interested in the brand, not giving two hoots about the area it represents.

Then again, in this day and age, gate revenue is becoming increasingly irrelevant, and that is a massive shame. Part of the appeal is the audiance.

I also do wonder what will happen to those clubs that find themselves stuck midtable or lower for many years, unable to bring home trophies like they once were? They'll just become fodder and lose that fanbase really quickly.

Also, the whole novelty of the CL was being able to play big teams from other leagues twice a year. We already had conplaints about how certain teams have played each other a lot, and have become stale. Imagine if all your matches are with some big team? The novelty wears off very quickly if all you ever play are big teams.

Also, if you come knocking on our doors, we will demand premium prices from you.

I understand that its really the product of certain foregin clubs that have outgrown their leagues, and maybe something should be done about their domestic leagues. I don't see how any English club benefits from this at all, even Man City.

This won't happen, but if it does... then good luck. You're gonna need it.
 

jd2010

Well done boys. Good process, carry on
Feb 1, 2010
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Surely it's just a tactic by these clubs to re-negotiate prize money deals with UEFA. It's a lazy way of doing it with the non-promotion aspect. If they had a way of having promotion/relegation from/to their national leagues it might be worth talking about
 

Sausages

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https://www.bbc.com/sport/av/football/47177690

Cheered by the responses of the City and Liverpool people interviewed - I guess for clubs like Barcelona and Real, their rivalry would remain, but I'd wonder how much fans of either club would miss smashing other local rivals like Espanyol and Atletico. Bayern also have local rivalries that fans would possibly miss seeing.

I think, eventually, it will happen. Money will win out.
 
It would be the worst thing to happen to the game since the 'Champions League' included teams that finished fifth!
 
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