It would be an understatement to suggest that those promoting the plan to create a European Super League (ESL), in which the major clubs in this sport would participate, made a spectacular mistake in reading, before making their self-proclaimed “Strategic vision” to benefit “the whole pyramid of European football. “
The clubs that sat at the table, led by Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez (also ESL President), Manchester United Co-President Joel Glazer (ESL Vice President) and Juventus President Andrea Agnelli (ESL Vice President), have signed seen approval from fellow executives at nine other major clubs; Football, however, extends far beyond that exclusive boardroom clique. The feelings of the rest of those with an emotional connection to the sport were completely ignored and set aside, all in pursuit of monetary gain.
Simply put, ESL is an idea that no one wants, except for the owners of the biggest and richest clubs in the world, who simply want to get bigger and richer, despite the sugar-coated claims of their core members.
“We will help football at all levels and we will bring it to where it belongs in the world,” Pérez said in a statement released by the ESL on Sunday. “Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and it is our responsibility as a big club to respond to the needs of the fans.”
Agnelli, whose Juventus is facing multiple difficulties on the field and could be eliminated from the next edition of the Champions League, having dropped to fourth place on the Serie A table this season, just two points ahead of Napoli, stated, “Our 12 founding clubs represent billions of fans around the world,” before adding, “We have come together at this critical time, which will transform European competition and give the sport we love a sustainable foundation for the future. long term future “.
Well, there you have it: instead of being a vehicle that could make any ESL member club richer, at a rate of nearly £ 300 million a year, the Super League proposal was actually designed to be the savior of football and for that, his fans around the world should feel eternal gratitude.
Unfortunately for the ESL leaders, the fans’ reaction has been universally hostile. Social networks have been inflamed with the rejection of the followers of all clubs, with outrageous statements from bars linked to Manchester United (‘These proposals are completely unacceptable’), Arsenal (‘The death of all that football should be’ ), Chelsea (“We are horrified”) and Manchester City (“motivated by greed”), among others.
We already know that UEFA and FIFA are against the plans and that every participating club has been warned of the risk of exclusion from their national competitions, along with the veto of their players from international competitions, if they continue with their attempt. So, with so much opposition from fans and football boards alike, why are the 12 founding members owners (ESL confirmed the group will grow to 15 in the coming weeks) Are you so determined to tear down the current model to ahead of your plans?
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us a lot in the past year, in the field of sports and society. One element that we understood well from a sports perspective is the reality that the money generated by television rights is currently keeping the clubs alive, not the fans who pay to enter the stadium. As far as the spectacle is concerned alone, the presence of fans in the stadiums has been sorely missed; However, from a strictly economic point of view, top football has proven to be able to survive without the fans paying to stand in front of the field.
Clearly, football fans will return to the stadium once the pandemic is over; However, ESL member owners are well aware that even as the animosity continues and deepens, most fans will continue to pay to watch games in the arenas. If not, the owners know that millions of football fans around the world will pay subscriptions to watch Super League matches, with sponsors desperate to compete with the biggest clubs and the best footballers.
It’s a relentless and even cynical mindset; But the people who control football know very well how it works. And if the Super League becomes a closed store with no fear of relegation, then the NFL and NBA are very successful business models to rival. United, Arsenal and Liverpool (three founders of the USL) are all owned by Americans who participate in their country’s sport; therefore, they already know very well how to make money from owning a franchise in a similar environment. It’s also clear that, with a future that doesn’t take relegation into account, all ESL clubs would be even more valuable to their owners.
But again, we wonder: what about the fans? What about the families who have supported your club for generations, seen them succeed and fail, bought tickets and jerseys, went to the stadium in the cold and rain? The current owners have taken over their clubs, in many cases without any previous association or link. In the case of the Glazer and United family, their acquisition was self-financed in 2005. And today, those same owners use historic clubs, deeply rooted in their communities, as bargaining chips to create a closed money machine that only they want.
It is not the clubs that threaten to destroy the football fabric. They are their owners and they have proven to be unaware of the fans’ wishes. Although they continue without consulting the fans, they do so at a time when the stadiums remain closed to football fan access due to the pandemic. This means that passionate fan groups from all clubs have lost the opportunity to protest (visibly and loudly). You just have to imagine the scenes that would take place at Anfield, Old Trafford or San Siro, if the presence of fans were allowed in the games played this weekend, as has happened in the past. Despite this, fans will find a way to make themselves felt, whether through social media campaigns or other forms of protest, by making sure their voices are heard.
The owners have probably had a terrible reading of the situation. They may even feign deafness and deliberately lower their heads; but right now they can have no doubt what the football world thinks of them and their plans.