The Big Six Are Off

**St Charles Owl** · 19-04-2021, 19:31

As it stands this super league seems to be their way of replacing the CL, and it is there intention to stay in their domestic leagues as well. They seem to think this does not affect the domestic leagues, but it does in a massive way. Each of these clubs will get at least 350m more in revenue irrespective of their league position than the other 14 teams in the PL. This will render the PL useless in a season like this one or the last one as the fight for the top 4 will also go away if there is no CL and no way to get into their super league, so as soon as a top 6 team is out of the title race, as 4 of them are already this season, then they will play reserve sides in the PL to focus on the Super League. If they are out of contention in that as well, then ok they can just go through the motions as there is no chance of relegation anyway.

Its going to be interesting to see what the other 14 teams in the PL say about this, without the top 6 the tv money will diminish as there will be more focus on this new league, so are we once again maybe heading for those 14 teams agreeing to remove promotion and relegation from the PL, something certain top 6 clubs have advocated before? If they want their super league, let them have it but kick them out of the domestic leagues and cups, most football fans measure their clubs not by European success but by domestic success, lets remove the domestic for them!!

Salopbaggie · 19-04-2021, 20:06

Interesting statement from UEFA suggesting they will look into banning any player who plays in the ESL from partisipainting in both the World Cup and the European Championships.

Blue Baggie · 20-04-2021, 00:29

That much media objections it's bound to just happen. A new ESL will begin and all the clubs will stay in the PL. Money turns heads and we know senior figures in the game like a bung
The top 6 clubs in the UK will, carry on as the always have playing a midweek game in the ESL.

**St Charles Owl** · 20-04-2021, 01:04

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footbal...30535.html

Friday can't come quick enough!! Lets see if UEFA has the courage of its words!!!

**Ska'dForLife-WBA** · 20-04-2021, 02:51

If there's one thing I'm glad of, it's that this travesty has provoked so much nationwide and worldwide anger in the last twenty-four hours. For a long time now, I've despaired of football's future. In the space of thirty years, the whole sport managed to go from nearly dying on its arse due to violence, poverty and neglect, to the opposite extreme of choking on its own wealth. The free market brought money to fix dilapidated old stadiums - even to build some shiny new ones - and to invest in facilities, young talent and countless other good things. But without adequate regulation and oversight by people with actual principles, it also brought a class system with it: it divided football into haves and have-nots more starkly than it had ever been before. And too many people nodded those changes through with a shrug of the shoulders, often getting fat off the proceeds themselves. When Graham Potter was interviewed on the radio last month, and said that Premier League finishing positions were 95% down to finances, and his job was to work within the 5% window of actal merit, no one argued with him or tried to deny the truth of his words, because even the staunchest advocates of modern football had given up pretending that it's remotely fair.

But it's increasingly looking like this stunt from the ESL12 is the straw that's going to break the camel's back. They've chosen to try and push their monopoly over the game from 95% to 100% on the back of the pandemic year, with thousands of clubs teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. If football fans are a kid who's spent weeks hoping that his missing pet is still alive somewhere, these clubs are the guy who shows up at the kid's birthday party with some mangled dog remains in a box, a card with a tyre mark on the front and a message on the inside saying "for squashing Fido I'm truly sorry, but at least it wasn't a f**king great lorry." Even if they back down in the face of the threats from UEFA, the FA and the government, it's not going to be forgotten that they conspired to do this. A backlash is coming, and even if the authorities bottle the punishment, from the fans and other powerful voices in the game it's going to be big.

hibeejim21 · (This post was last modified: 20-04-2021, 11:36 by hibeejim21.)

Perez basically admitted last night that his club are skinto but because they have no intention of downsizing so this is the solution to 'save football'. Then to witter on about shortening the length of a game !! You couldn't make it up.

This was inevitable as soon as SKY pushed to have a 4th place champions league spots because they think some leagues are more important, or when the leagues started allowing owners of pretty dodgy provenance a free rein or UEFA having the nerve to send clubs like Ajax and Celtic to the Middle East for qualifiers in the summer to satisfy the needs of clubs with oodles of cash......Well you get the picture.

The likes of Neville will be happy if some compromise gets reached because it will mean Uncle Ruperts in with a chance of the tv rights. Because ultimately thats what the outrage is all about - not "competition".

Salopbaggie · 20-04-2021, 13:18

If we are being honest about all this, the issue is not about us fans, but it is all about fans, the billions of potential fans around the world who have never heard of West Brom or Everton, but know all about Man Utd, Real Madrid or Liverpool. While for the game as we know it, this is devastating, it is a different story for those billionaires with no real connection to the game other than the money.

They will never understand, having not been brought up teasing your friends when your team beats their team and suffering the torment of their team beating yours. Something carried across into adult life and we still turn into little boys and girls even now, at appropriate times, 'Wo1ve5', these people will never understand that football is our heritage, something which has passed down generation to generation.

They are looking at this purely commercially, 'why would they worry about the fan base in the UK or any other European country, when they have the fan base in China, India and the likes, a base running into billions of people. Any backtracking by the ESL now will just be short term and this or something similar will happen at some point, as sure as the Premier League happened and Champions League happened

Stairs · 20-04-2021, 16:50

If this European Super League was to become the replacement to the Champions League then because of the wealth it will bring them and the size of the prize based on league position then they would not look beyond that as a priority.

If they were allowed to compete in their domestic 'Premier' League then it would be with the same distain they have shown for the last 10 year plus for the FA and League Cup (I hate using the sponsorship names)

They would have a 'B' Team Squad that played at weekends allowing the 'Elite & Mercenary' players to relax and prepare for the next all important (position = money) ESL game.

This already happens in Spain, and might do elsewhere, where a club can run an A & B Team. But they are not allowed to compete in the same league. That's what will happen here, the ESL clubs would play B teams in the Premier League and most likely a Youth/C team in the cup games.

Disgusting and must be stopped.

**St Charles Owl** · (This post was last modified: 20-04-2021, 20:35 by St Charles Owl.)

There are now news reports that Chelsea are preparing documentation to withdraw from the ESL. Apparently them and City didn't want to get on this train but were on the train so as not to miss it. Neither of them are traditional top 6 teams, same for Spurs and both seem to be more in touch of with the fans.

Man City have now announced they are pulling out. Meeting taking place tonight between the 12 teams, this thing will now fall apart. Chelsea and Man City will save some face by pulling out, the others not so much!!

**Ska'dForLife-WBA** · 20-04-2021, 20:36

(20-04-2021, 19:59)St Charles Owl Wrote: There are now news reports that Chelsea are preparing documentation to withdraw from the ESL. Apparently them and City didn't want to get on this train but were on the train so as not to miss it. Neither of them are traditional top 6 teams, same for Spurs and both seem to be more in touch of with the fans.

Also, the elephant in the room: none of those three are American-owned. This ESL bollocks has US-style closed league format all over it. Trying to create an NFL of football, but without even bothering to adopt the more positive elements of the American system such as first draft pick for the weakest team, etc.

If it goes ahead, I give it five years before they introduce post-season playoffs culminating in an annual Soccer Bowl to crown the champions Rolleyes