European Super League announced; collapses

[Jimmy]

Loads of quotes flying around twitter from that interview, one of which is he supports the idea of potentially making matches shorter if fans aren't engaging for the full 90. Cunt. 

[Kaney]

Seriously?

Look, are we sure this isn't just a big wind up, a big old prank by the lads to distract us from the shitty pandemic?

......seriously?

[Tigerstyle]

I saw some click bait article that had some legislation from the Premier League rules that teams can’t join other tournaments, how is this only on a click bait article?

[Jimmy]

 

 

There it is. 

If this is in any way backed up by dwindling TV numbers or whatever, maybe they need to consider that parasites like Perez have helped make TV packages and subscriptions unaffordable to most. 

The game of football isn't the problem here. 

[DavidMarrio]

 

[Kaney]

Best bot so far.

Spurs should only have to play Gary Neville once or twice a year, not every bloody week.

[Malenko]

" Real Madrid are in a very bad economic situation. Real Madrid, in two seasons, have lost more than 400 million euros — and that’s just Real Madrid!"

I feel really sorry for them. Why can't someone just help them. 

 

"We had to adapt. The same thing happened in the 50’s, UEFA and FIFA were opposed to Bernabéu and the European Cup.”

Lies. 1 - Bernabéu had nothing to do with the creation of the European Cup. He was part of several people who wanted something of the sort because South America already had a continental tournament. 2- There were european tournaments - mostly regional - beforehand, such as the Mitropa and Latin Cup or the Coupe des Nations. They weren't as successful financially but those were different times. Everyone seemed to be at war - or about to - with everyone else in the first half of the century. The 50s were the right time to start such a competition. The first time an actual formal proposal was raised, it was immediately approved. What's this opposition Florentino speaks of?

 

“No one has interest in the Champions League until the quarter-finals."

Doubt this is true for a lot of people, but definitely not true for the millions of people from poorer countries or even supporters of smaller clubs on big leagues who don't get the opportunity to see their teams playing against all of those rich clubs every year, and are happy enough any time they manage to beat the giants and getting to the knockout stages is reason enough to celebrate.

 

“The television rights are what make us money. That money is for everyone. If those at the top have money, it goes to everyone because we buy players from those other clubs and we can be in solidarity.”

I can't even...

 

"We’re not UEFA’s property, they can’t govern us. UEFA’s monopoly is over, a new era is coming.”

It's time for our monopoly!

 

"Any team can enter. It will not be closed. We believe in what the clubs can offer so they will fight to play in the competition.”

They will fight to play in the competition... We don't need to.

It's our ball. Pass me the ball or I'll take it home and nobody else plays.

 

“This Super League is not a competition for the rich, it’s a competition of solidarity to save football, by the great and the modest. "

Stop it. You're making me cry.  

 

"We have problems even with our sponsors. Adidas and Emirates have had difficulties (financially), we also have to be in solidarity with them."

Good to know there are more companies that need saving besides Real Madrid!

Lemme do a quick check:

"Adidas is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the world, just behind Nike, with nearly 20 billion euros in annual revenue and a brand value of approximately 16.5 billion U.S. dollars. "

"Emirates Airlines flies to over 150 destinations across 6 continents, operating a fleet of over 250 wide-bodied aircraft. The airline has 170 aircraft on order worth US$58 billion."

 

I totally get it now!! Thanks Florentino for changing my mind.

[JasonM]

Florentino has always been a deluded entitled prick, but he's really taken the cake with this interview.

How can I feel bad for any of these clubs that they face financial ruination due to a policy of decades long financial hubris and giving IOU's to banks.

Let them burn.

[Lineker]

 

Quote

Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol reports that among the six ESL clubs, there are differing opinions, with some unhappy with how this has been handled and saying “this isn’t what we signed up for”. They were expecting a controlled media policy, is “shocked and taken aback” at the lack of a media policy, and unhappy at players, managers, and some board members being kept in the dark. Clubs involved aren’t close to pulling the plan ... “not yet”.

 

 

Liverpool chief exec Billy Hogan's email, sent yesterday:

Spoiler

Dear Colleagues,

You will be aware of the announcement published late last night regarding Europe’s leading football Clubs coming together to establish a new mid-week competition, the European Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs.

It’s important as a member of our team that I share with you some of the context.

For quite some time now, Clubs, including our own, have held numerous longstanding concerns about not only the future of European football but also the way football is run by UEFA. The global pandemic has also accelerated the instability in the existing European football economic model.

We have therefore joined AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur as Founding Clubs of the Super League. It is anticipated that a further three Clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable.

The Super League will be the future of European football and if we want to continue our journey of being a sustainable Club with ambition to grow and continue winning trophies then we should absolutely be part of that process and have a seat at the table rather than outside that group.

The new annual tournament will provide significantly greater economic growth and support for European football via a long-term commitment to uncapped solidarity payments which will grow in line with league revenues. These solidarity payments are expected to be roughly three times what is currently achieved from UEFA competitions. One of the core commitments of the European Super League is to vastly increase financial support for the football pyramid.

After the start of the men’s competition, a corresponding women’s league will also be launched, helping to advance and develop the women’s game.

We know that this announcement has provoked strong feelings within the game and elsewhere but we believe this decision is in the best long-term interests of Liverpool Football Club.

Importantly, this is the beginning of the journey and we can now start an engagement process with you, supporters and key stakeholders to help shape this process in the right way.

There is still much more information to come in due course.

I will keep you updated as we progress on this journey and discuss further on our Town Hall tomorrow.

Thank you for your continued support.

 

Revealed: unpublished Super League document justifying breakaway

[Hobo]

As well as Gary Neville speaks on the issue. I agree with this tbh

[DavidMarrio]

The city was absolutely booming the night we won the Champions League in Madrid

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-48472068

Nearly a million people saw the trophy get paraded. 

After the Barcelona match.

Yet you wanna basically go against the fans for your own greed. You must surely know what this competition means for the fans and the club and yet you just want to throw that all away. 

[Colly]

59 minutes ago, Hobo said:

As well as Gary Neville speaks on the issue. I agree with this tbh

I think fan ownership is a bit of a pipe dream at the top level in England, there's no fans can afford to buy out the owners. Proper regulation though is doable of there's the will, but the fact League 1 voted to remove the salary cap suggests it would be fought.

[Lineker]

The UK government is considering withdrawing police funding for ESL matchdays.

[TEOL]

1 hour ago, DavidMarrio said:

The city was absolutely booming the night we won the Champions League in Madrid

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-48472068

Nearly a million people saw the trophy get paraded. 

After the Barcelona match.

Yet you wanna basically go against the fans for your own greed. You must surely know what this competition means for the fans and the club and yet you just want to throw that all away. 

Well apparently Florentino reckons the history of the European Cup and Champions League should transfer across to the Super League and therefore Real have won the Super League 13 times before a game has ever been played.

[Colly]

Here's hoping Gary Neville's theory that City will be the first to fold pays off. Pretty clear from Pep.

[METALMAN]

Discussing this has actually been very entertaining. It will be even more fun if/when it collapses before it even starts.

[gunnar hendershow]

Theoretically how many clubs do we reckon it would take dropping out of this after backlash from players/coaches/fans to kill off the whole thing?

[METALMAN]

I have a feeling that as soon as the German clubs and PSG said they weren’t joining it was unworkable. You can’t make a particularly convincing claim to be a “Super League” when you don’t have last year’s finalists. That, and the inclusion of joke teams like Arsenal and Tottenham make it lack a bit of credibility.

[Moses Julep]

15 minutes ago, metalman said:

Discussing this has actually been very entertaining. It will be even more fun if/when it collapses before it even starts.

It will be very entertaining because I can see Fiorentino Perez being the last hold out and having a meltdown.

[Colly]

It's dead. Thankfully footballers tend to be interested in football.