I see it going ahead but without clubs from England, Germany and Italy. PSG has said no and they're the only candidate from France. It could end up with teams from Spain, Portugal, Scotland and a few other tertiary nations. Hypothetically there are some traditional big names across Europe playing in uncompetitive leagues. Belgrade, Zagreb, Split, Warsaw, Donetsk, Malmo, Brøndby, Ferencváros, the big 3 in Greece etc. In the longer term there are possible franchises in Dublin and Luxembourg.
Of course it makes sense. Originally the clubs simply wanted to bypass the UEFA comp for one controlled by them. Unfortunately the press and smaller clubs thought it meant leaving their respective leagues, which the Super League clubs did NOT intend to do. UEFA big-footed them because they didn't want to lose their golden goose and used their "monopoly" power to try to crush anyone that decided to join. The courts have ruled that that was an abuse by UEFA and kicked the case back to the Spanish courts to rule on in light of their finding. As a result, we shall see what the Spanish Court rules soon enough. The end result may be a true super league where the clubs DON'T play in their respective leagues if the leagues try to abuse their powers as well. Both the Prem and Serie A have already tried to do this preemptively. I know you hate the idea for some reason. People don't like change. But the new UEFA comps will be boring as heck and will end up burning out the players even more than they are now. Most English clubs hated the idea of the Premier League forming when the top clubs formed it. Now it is the richest league in the world, when it didn't used to be. If a true Super League is formed, the same thing will happen. In time the Super League will dwarf all of the domestic leagues. If the leagues were smart, they would take a page out of the Prem model, get onboard but negotiate with the Super League to stay connected to the national leagues.But if they keep fighting it they may end up on their own. One thing is for sure. To continue on the same course we are on now over time will result in nearly every league in Europe resembling the Dutch league as the Prem will become the de facto Super League.
I don't see how it's abusing the league's power when the clubs are the league. The Premier League has 20 shareholders. If 11 shareholders vote to prevent teams from joining the ESL that's not abuse, it's company politics. I'm sure since 2010 Serie A has operated the same way. The clubs are shareholders in the league. They are affiliated with their domestic federation which is affiliated to UEFA. If the clubs want to change that they can by getting a majority of clubs to join them or by resigning. They have the freedom to do so.
Indeed. The very first proposal for the esl, I call it the esl 1.0, was discussed already years ago, might be already 10 years ago, in another thread was with alot of noise about billions worth of tv deals already in the making and PE firms eager to jump in. That very first one was set up to be formed by clubs leaving their domestic leagues and completely go their own way. If that was done that way, I wouldnot be opposed to it, as it's in your rights to start a business as you like. However from that very start I questioned the money that was mentioned to back it. Esl 1.0 was ment to become a closed league copied from the USA's NFL/MLB etc. with iirc 11 clubs permanent members. The money to be made was projected and based on the premise that the esl 1.0 would syphon off all revenues that now goes into the UEFA silverware matches, but also from the domestic leagues. The ones behind it were convinced the esl would take over the market as a monopolist, like in the USA almost all the money goes to the clubs in the closed leagues and hardly anything remains on the table for the rest. I questioned that from the vey beginning. The first thing I pointed at was the fact that the USA for pro sports is one national market, while in Europe you have about 50 with their national sentiments. You can't successfully start a cross border league from day one, apart from the fact it wouldnot be viable a all. So I calculated what was necesary in money to make the league/clubs survive. Clubs want to have an equal part and at least as much as what they make in their domestic leagues and in the UEFA tournements. So for a club like Real and Barcelona that would mean, apart from their merchandise revenues, at least 700 million a year. The other clubs have revenues lower than that, but not that much lower. To start something like that, as a club you want to make more than what you leave behind. So Real and Barcelona want to make at least a billion, but the rest isnot going to want much less. The initial cost a year would be for the league without much revenue in the start up phase would at least be between 8 to 10 billion, and that multiplied by about 3 years to get things running. So you have to have investors to poney up 24-30 billions before any revenues come up. Then you have the problems with prime time slots for matches. CL matches are played without any competition for eyeballs world wide. When you want to target the international market, to take the CL money, you must do so without competition for eyeballs, but the CL isnot going away, and fans are going to watch their own clubs in the CL, not some club they have no affinity with in an esl 1.0! That esl 1.0 silently went down without any fuzz, until the infamous esl 2.0 raid with the 16 clubs ready to start it, but now with the twist that it no longer was a league, but a closed "CL"-tournement, while the clubs stayed in the domestic leagues, because the going all alone concept turned out to be a fata morgana, an illusion. So they threw in the parasite form, staying in the league, but at the same time trying to rob the other clubs from billions of UEFA tournementsmoney, redistributed as solidarity payments to the leagues and clubs. This was torpedoed by the fans themselves and A22 knows that that particular ship has sailed and gunned down to never re-appear. Hence that stupid esl 3.0 form, with 3 "leagues" proposed. I'm very much in favour of those 11/16 clubs leaving the leagues and go their own way. Please do it, I can't wait. Nobody can prevent you from doing so, even before the ECJ decision. But when you want to stay in the leagues, you need permission from UEFA to start the esl, as has been decided by the ECJ, but with proper rules used, not by simply threats and blocks.
About that A22 survey: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/foo...ns-support-it-but-there-s-a-catch/ar-BB1jkjZT
The Spanish court will follow the law. It's what courts do. You may disagree with their interpretation of the law.
Not if they follow it. UEFA and FIFA both are walking antitrust/monopolistic/anticompetitve violations. And they both abused their monopoly power. We shall see.
Only the Spanish constitutional court "decides what the law is." Other courts in Spain are civil courts. Not the same as the US.
Anyhoo, courts are not supposed to MAKE law, they are supposed to apply it. Unfortunately too many these days think otherwise.
European Super League loses trademark battle to Danish Superliga SportsPro|10 hours ago EU's IP office rules the breakaway league's claim is 'conceptually identical' to Denmark's top soccer competition.
Madrid judge hears arguments for and against Super League The Associated Press – Sports on MSN.com|9 hours ago MADRID (AP) — A Madrid judge heard arguments for and against the Super League on Thursday, less than three months after the European Union's top court said UEFA and FIFA acted unlawfully to block the rebel competition.
Wild. Talk about the dilution of the CL. Back in the day you had to actually win something to get into the Euro comps. Now, with the new format, if things fall just right Serie A could get 6 teams in the CL next year! https://football-italia.net/what-must-happen-for-serie-a-to-get-6-champions-league-teams/
This is the Champion's League not the Conference League. 6 teams from one league. What does that have to do with "Champions"?
Is having more leagues than the Premier league diluting English football? I know alot of people, in the press and here in BS, who enjoy watching matches of the EL, but especially the Conf. League more than the CL, because it's unpredictable. And the fans of the clubs love it. UEFA hadnot expected that when they had set the first final in Tirana in a 25,000 stadium. The ticket demand from Roma and Feyenoord each was about 300,000!! Diluting means adding something without demand for it. That's certainly not the case.
Court rules in Super Leagues favor: https://leadership.ng/spanish-court-rules-in-favour-of-super-league/