Is football heading for a European Super League?
It’s the perennial rumour that just won’t go away – that Europe’s elite clubs will breakaway from their domestic divisions and form a Super League. But the recent resurfacing of this revolutionary and highly controversial suggestion appears to be based on more than just Chinese whispers. Respected German publication Der Spiegel reported on what it claims are leaked documents that show how secret talks have been held that could create a European Super League as early as 2021.
Here, we look at what the report says about the proposed Super League, the reaction and assess how likely this is to come to fruition.
The context
As ever in football, much of the rationale around change seems to be about money. A Super League of elite clubs would guarantee high profile matches involving the best players and that would be highly sought-after by television executives and sponsors alike. It might also pave the way for matches to be taken overseas – with the US keen to host elite European fixtures on its shores.
Some feel that the existing financial disparity between the top clubs and the rest is also creating a competitive reason for a Super League too. The likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid or Barcelona have, largely, been winning their domestic leagues with apparent ease. Manchester City, meanwhile, are sweeping aside lesser sides with an almost-embarrassing ease in the Premier League. Betting sites like Betway would make them red hot favourites to win their respective titles every year.
Plus, there are others who feel that the game needs to move to a system in which fewer league fixtures are played. A 16-team elite league might address recent fears that players are being burned out and forced to play through pain – although no-one would doubt that this would be far down the list of push factors.
The idea
So, what would a Super League look like? Well, if the leaks are to be believed, it would involve 16 teams leaving behind their respective leagues. This would include 11 ‘founder members’ in Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and AC Milan and five ‘initial guests’ in Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, Inter Milan and Roma.
Der Speigel’s report – based on information provided by Football Leaks – suggested that the 11 founders would be guaranteed to avoid relegation for 20 years. It’s thought that the competition would most probably replace the Champions League.
It quoted a whistleblower, ‘John’, as saying: “All of this has to come to light. The people who truly love football and who constantly pay for it have a right to know how it really works. Football has spun completely out of control. The Super League plans clearly show who has the say in the sport: Rich investors and a few top clubs are bullying everyone else.”
The reaction
Most of the clubs named in the Der Spiegel report have declined to comment, although Bayern Munich has issued a statement in which it said it was ‘unaware’ of the plans and had not taken part in negotiations.
Football fans, meanwhile, are not surprised and many seem to be facing a weary acceptance that a Super League in some form will happen whether they like it or not. The arguments are well worn – away fans will struggle to get to games, traditional rivalries such as Liverpool/Everton might be removed from the fixture list and fairytale one-offs such as Leicester City’s Premier League triumph would be impossible. For all this, Alan Shearer described the idea as a ‘smack in the face’ of the fans.
Will it happen?
Fans could be forgiven for thinking that such a league is inevitable, not least because the idea will not go away. Money talks, and commercial pressures and opportunities will be weighed up by the big clubs.
Yet the fans do have some power here. The recent Croatia vs England game showed how dull and soulless a football match can seem without a crowd and should serve as a warning to the authorities that they need to keep paying punters in mind. A big part of the appeal to overseas audiences is the atmosphere and sense of occasion after all. In order to have real power, fans will need to unite across geographical boundaries and put their club rivalries to one side. Whether they can stop a Super League or not, however, remains to be seen.
Football fans, who are pretty savvy with their betting brains, would surely not bet against it.