Although if UEFA and FIFA have their way(Narrator's voice: They will), this Super League won't get off the ground.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/56795811

(04-18-2021 05:50 PM)Rube Dali Wrote:  Although if UEFA and FIFA have their way(Narrator's voice: They will), this Super League won't get off the ground.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/56795811

They're going pretty far with this thing if they don't think it will happen.

One of two things...

1) They either think it will work.

or

2) It's a bargaining chip. They've always threatened it to get more of what they want. This time, perhaps, they want to risk pricey legal action to get even more?

I'm just not sure.

https://thesuperleague.com/index.html

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/euro...away-plans

The big takeaway is that JP Morgan is underwriting this venture. So this has a good shot of getting off the ground.

MLS has to be watching closely to what's going on over there. FIFA and UEFA will certainly be affected, so it's going to reverberate around the world of soccer. This might be the impetus to counter with merging leagues within North America.

This is long overdue, and has to do with money. Western Europe as a whole is about the same size as the US. The National leagues are limited in their market reach. Imagine the NFL only being in the Midwest, with an AFL in the northeast, a USFL in the Southeast, a Texas League and a West Coast League.

The problem I see in this super league is it's too English heavy, with three North and three London. It does have three Spanish and three Italian. But it's missing German and French clubs. Presumably they will be some of the other three of the 15 mentioned. One also has to wonder why no Dutch club, as that is another London sized market.

The money can be there for a super league. Honestly I'm surprised it took that long to form. It's mostly a challenge to UEFA, as it pretty much replaces it, with these 15 clubs permanent members of this new operation, rather than having to qualify annually. I suspect it has to do with money distribution and a break down between these clubs and the European football leaders.

But I can't see it relating to college athletics. It's a minor league system, not the NFL. Also athletic sis not the primary function of the institutions. The majority of P5 schools athletics is only small portion of the entire budget, even at $120m a year. Apples to oranges.

(04-19-2021 10:44 AM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  https://thesuperleague.com/index.html

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/euro...away-plans

The big takeaway is that JP Morgan is underwriting this venture. So this has a good shot of getting off the ground.

MLS has to be watching closely to what's going on over there. FIFA and UEFA will certainly be affected, so it's going to reverberate around the world of soccer. This might be the impetus to counter with merging leagues within North America.

Good point about JP Morgan. They likely wouldn't get involved if it was just a bargaining chip. They want to make money, they don't care anything about a reformed Champions League.

I might add that the anticipation of something like this might be why leaders of Liga MX and MLS have discussed a merger.

The European Super League would be the dominant force in soccer outside of the World Cup. There aren't any super clubs on this continent so tapping multiple countries with the same league is probably the best way to make a splash. I won't say such a venture(MLS/Liga MX merger) would rival the typical European league in money, but it might not take long for that to be the case.

(04-19-2021 12:48 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  This is long overdue, and has to do with money. Western Europe as a whole is about the same size as the US. The National leagues are limited in their market reach. Imagine the NFL only being in the Midwest, with an AFL in the northeast, a USFL in the Southeast, a Texas League and a West Coast League.

The problem I see in this super league is it's too English heavy, with three North and three London. It does have three Spanish and three Italian. But it's missing German and French clubs. Presumably they will be some of the other three of the 15 mentioned. One also has to wonder why no Dutch club, as that is another London sized market.

The money can be there for a super league. Honestly I'm surprised it took that long to form. It's mostly a challenge to UEFA, as it pretty much replaces it, with these 15 clubs permanent members of this new operation, rather than having to qualify annually. I suspect it has to do with money distribution and a break down between these clubs and the European football leaders.

But I can't see it relating to college athletics. It's a minor league system, not the NFL. Also athletic sis not the primary function of the institutions. The majority of P5 schools athletics is only small portion of the entire budget, even at $120m a year. Apples to oranges.

I would bet a lot of money that PSG and Bayern Munich will be 2 of the next 3 involved. As to the 3rd? I think there are several good candidates, but Ajax might just be one of them. Lots of history and money there. That way, you've covered the Dutch market.

I would rather see a UCL that requires qualifying because there are so many quality clubs across Europe, but I don't blame these clubs one bit. Most fans around the world are tuning in to see those clubs compete. No one wants to see the champion from Moldova and the 3rd place team out of Portugal duke it out. And that's the thing...Champions League isn't just a European thing anymore. It's a global product so you have to cater to the global audience.

Sounds like it's falling apart already...

And the dominos are falling....

RIP ESL

(April 18, 2021 - April 20, 2021)

Shortest a league has ever lasted.

And the hits keep on coming. Ed Woodward has resigned. Agnelli from Juventus has resigned. FSG is said to be putting Liverpool up for sale. Maybe the Glazers sell Man United as well.

And now I hear Florentino Perez is going to resign.

(04-20-2021 03:19 PM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  And the hits keep on coming. Ed Woodward has resigned. Agnelli from Juventus has resigned. FSG is said to be putting Liverpool up for sale. Maybe the Glazers sell Man United as well.

And now I hear Florentino Perez is going to resign.

I expected some pushback, but I think the clubs underestimated the level and universality of the condemnation.

Well, the ESL is not dead dead but it is on life support. Real Madrid and Barcelona still believe in the concept. They're having some serious debt problems, which is why they are hoping that the other clubs would change their minds again.

I just don't see this happening now. The English fans have been activating against the Super League. Without the English clubs it's not going to have the notoriety. I could see a southern European league emerge in twenty years but La Liga has been arguably the strongest league in the last ten years. They can hold their own even without RM and FCB.

RM and FCB may have to make some very tough decisions in terms of roster and transfers. Messi is close to retirement. They'll have good players from the youth leagues coming up but the Galactico era is long over.