The 5, Man United, Liverpool, Everton, Villa and Arsenal actually signed a TV contract with a rival company. This was before Premier League negotiations started. All 22 First Division clubs voted in favor of the Premier League including my own club Notts County. We never made it though, relegated immediately and suffering the consequences ever since.
If UEFA didn't stop the Big Five English clubs from having their cake and eating it too, what if any, legality will they have with this? UEFA would've been fine with this if it didn't hindered their own tournament - UCL and Europa League -- their two main source of cash cows. And again the revamped UCL format is taking the bad parts of the Super League into their own baked UCL format. Ironic.
Yes there is plenty of blame to go around. Just because UEFA and FIFA are greedy and corrupt doesn't make this suddenly a good idea. Although as Alexi Lalas and people on this board have been pointing out this is a great idea, if you're an owner.
That was 30 years ago. Contracts have been rewritten and even laws have changed. Also they continued with rel/pro, if this new league had rel/pro you would have a lot less complaints.
Right. After pro/rel was maintained between the proposed new Premier League and the Football League. Heck, the FA was actually in favour of the FA Premier League. Had "the then big five" pursued a breakaway closed league, I doubt that the FA and UEFA would have sat quietly by and let it come into existence. It's going to be messy as there are almost certainly going to be legal challenges in both the UK and EU.
Meh, the fanboys and hipsters are nothing less than Apple fanboys when they were shocked that Apple decided to remove the headphone jack on iPhone. After the initial outrage of "this is the end of the iPhone has we know it" and "people aren't going to buy an iPhone after this stunt" it turned out to be quite the contrary. What happened next? AirPods. iPhone sales hasn't decreased. Even other phone companies removed the headphone jack. Similar thing would happen here. At the end of the day these private superclubs all want the piece of the cake. If hundred millions/billions of fans don't want to watch, then don't. Soccer changes as innovation continues to change. People thought (and still think) VAR kills the "essence" in soccer.
Government official: "Mr Dowden said the English clubs could find themselves subject to a formal review under British anti-trust law, which prevents the formation of monopolies or corporate cartels." Where did I read that cartel word/thing earlier I guess the chap hasnot read what the epl 6 have signed for: Goodluck indeed. Anyway. He also puts on the table the Dutch skaters case. That's not a great example, as that case is about taking part in matches without being member of the organizers. Those were lucrative exhibition matches. The skaters werenot members of both the ISU and of the organizers of the maligned skating matches. As I already have mentioned the sl case is different, as the clubs want to be members of two competing entities, which the Europ. Supr. Court, already has ruled that it isnot reasonable to expect to be able to profit from the membership of an organisation and at the same time be member of an organisation that competes with them. On top of that the ESC has ruled in that case the membership can be terminated by default.
There still be P/R it just only 5 teams will be subject to it. I don't see how the big 6 get banned from the premier league as the super league technically doesn't affect the prem (games being played on separate dates and the clubs saying they're staying in their domestic leagues) but I can see UEFA getting bans in though. And I hope they do!
Maybe for some following a sports club is no different than buying a particular brand name. And that's clearly how the people who created this believe it is. But for me it is fundamentally different and that's the point. Of course it does, but not always for the better. There are numerous examples, from all over the world where these exact type of greed generated splits have destroyed sports. If they do my life will go on but the reality is they will have taken some joy from me and that sucks.
Anyway, the simplest way to kill the sl is using the brexit border for it. The epl6 have to jump the Channel in order to play sl matches against the latin6. But to be able to play in Europe the Brexitboys have to apply for workpermits, which the EU can refuse and vice versa the latin6 need workpermits to play in England, which the UK government can refuse. The only way to escape this barrier is to play those matches in the USA.
It affects the Premier League in that it undercuts interest at the top of the league if the "big six" automatically "qualify" for the ESL as opposed to performances on the field of play (currently) meaning the top four qualify for European competition. And how are those five going to be decided? It seems unlikely they'll want to add a seventh English team. Finally, the structure means that "the big six" could theoretically play reserve teams in the Premier League, even get relegated, and still play in the ESL every season. If that doesn't undermine competition, I don't know what does.
When has Liverpool stopped being a global brand? Professional soccer clubs and brands are not mutually exclusive. It's all a business. Entirely subjective, but okay.
And? Those clubs could have a specific SL squad that only plays sparingly in the domestic league and still not be in the wrong of that law.
"Senior men's first team" seems specific. For example, if their international players play in the ESL and the domestic league team is made up of younger players, they would fall foul of that rule. It would be similar to the way Premier League teams play weaker sides in the FA and League Cups. It's usually pretty obvious.
uh oh https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-holds-off-competition-powers-over-proposed-football-super-league/
Interesting comments by the FIFA chairman concerning NASL's bespoke rules in 1978: "It is hardly surprising that this has happened. The Secretary of FIFA, Dr. Helmut Kaser, makes no secret of his distaste for the way soccer is run in the States. He sees is as a soulless concern, with no true interest in the game except making money. Why should he think as he does is easily understood, because between the American custom of running sports franchises for profit and the rest of the world's habit of eschewing any such notion runs a deep abyss."
Yet with the amount of money discussed, they could assemble a similar quality team just for the SL. I mean 6 Billion split 20 ways is a ton of money. Granted that SL squad may be a bit older as it'll be more of a big name squad than younger players.
I'm not trying to be that guy .... Just, pro/rel ain't the rallying cry here. Is it an ASPECT of things, absolutely. There's a much bigger thing that the uproar is about though in all honesty. Aren't there supposed to be 5 rotating spots?
Good idea! How to make the European game more interesting and competitive:-salary cap for all domestic leagues -no changes to Champion's League-pro/rel remains in place.That's it. The end. No Super League, no breakaway, nothing like that. Pyramid remains open, but we add parity.— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) April 20, 2021
I believe a salary cap would be illegal under EU antitrust and freedom of movement laws. There have been lots of papers on this. FFP is pushing the antitrust laws.
So much Schadenfreude among the anti Europe sporting merit crowd in here jumping on the nearing collapse of the merit system, to be replaced by the superior money grab system. BREAKING I understand Chelsea are now preparing documentation to request withdrawing from the ESL — Dan Roan (@danroan) April 20, 2021 ManCity are doing it too. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/s...ity-face-pressure-pull-unease-signing-up.html Seems that the UK6 are being threatened with billions contract breach damages. Right. That did last 24 hours.