AuthorBoth Outcasts As you may have seen from our twitter feed, we recently ran a poll asking opinions on whether a European Super League would be a good idea. The results that we got from the poll were interesting in that it appears that the fans of the bigger teams (or rather the sides currently doing well in the continents big leagues or European Competition) would be happy to have a European Super League set up. We are not sure how much trolling was going on there with the poll, but we thought about what would the actual benefits of a European Super League be? Now, the idea of a European Super League has been around for as long as any of us can probably remember. A league of 20 or so sides which would be made up of the G20 power teams most likely (i.e. those with the most cash and marketing clout), playing each other on a regular basis with no promotion or relegation. It’s the TV networks and marketing man’s dream!
In essence, we have already got a version of a European Super League – it’s called the Champions League. The minute the old European Cup knock out format was dispensed with in the early 90’s, and more than just the Champions from a domestic leagues were admitted to the competition, the Super League seeds had officially been sown. Recently UEFA has been in discussions with the big clubs about the future of the Champions League competition. Obviously, the bigger sides in Europe – the Barca’s, Real’s, Juve’s Bayerns, Man Citys’s etc – are all keen on tweaks to the existing format. These tweaks would come from potentially more group games and continued seeding of the larger sides, to ensure these big teams get as many games in the competition as they can thus maximising their earnings and revenue streams. Wild cards for the competition have been suggested as well. These would be able to be used when the larger sides have an “off year” and don’t qualify as of right through their domestic league. An example of this would be Man Utd and Chelsea this year. They didn't qualify for the Champions League for this season, so if the Wild Card was available, they could have played that to ensure they get to enter the European competition (most likely at the expense of smaller, less glamorous countries clubs). The maddest idea of the lot which has been touted recently is also that a “Heritage Card” could be played each year for teams that haven’t qualified, but have shown pedigree in the competition in the past. With this suggestion I would like to think that teams such as Notts Forest and Parma would get a look in for past European wins, however I can’t help but only see this option being another way the likes of an under performing Man Utd or Inter Milan would get in the competition each year. All the aforementioned information above is what has been reported as being discussed by the big sides in recent meetings with UEFA, but what if things were completely shaken up and the competition was re-invented as an official European Super League? Here at Footy Outcast HQ, we have been hypothesizing the future of a European Super League, and how it might work… First off let’s consider the potential format and teams. We would think that a league format which consisted of between 20-24 teams would be the most obvious choice of format, with potentially no relegation or promotion. The reason for this set up would be two fold – maximum opportunity for big glamour fixtures and the big clubs would never have to fear relegation and the subsequent loss of income that would follow. Then, lets imagine that 20-24 teams would need to be decided on for entry in the league, based on current and recent success (as this is what the Big Clubs currently want). Teams that would currently fall in to this category would be Bayern, PSG, Juve, PSV, Barca, Leicester, Sevilla etc as they have all won domestic leagues or European Cups recently. Add to these, other “big clubs” from around Europe – Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Ajax, AC Milan, Roma, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Celtic. You could then look at putting in some of the other larger teams from smaller leagues such as Benfica, Zenit, Galatasary, Basel etc. Before you know it, you have 24 big sides to form a league, all with significant appeal to TV audiences! The above asks questions though of certain teams that would be included. Straight off the bat, Leicester – should they get a place in a European Super League just off the back of winning the Premier League for the 1st time? They say timing is everything, but should they get a spot at the top table of Europe ahead of the likes of Liverpool who have won the Competition 5 times down the years? Questions such as this aren’t easily answered, but I would imagine if the option was put to the current football super powers to answer from a purely cash making point of view, I am pretty sure there would be an extra team in red playing in a Super League and not a fox in sight! With all these top teams into one league it would provide a great spectacle for fans and TV audiences around the world. It would bring in more sponsorship and potentially greater TV deals to see the biggest teams play against each other. So what other things could potentially happen now that Europe has a football super league? Now we said there wouldn’t be a promotion or relegation but maybe there could be one slot each season reserved for this. Maybe at the end of the other domestic leagues a mini tournament could be played between the champions and cup winners and the overall winner could play the last placed team in the Super League, winner gets into the Super League? Or if a team finishes bottom three seasons in a row then they are ‘relegated’ and a new team takes their place. It would add the potential for teams to get into the rich pickings and keep the competition fresh. Again this would be good for fans and potentially for chairmen too. It would provide new teams to play against, keeping it fresh and teams not included straight away know that one day they could make it. It would provide an incentive to chairmen and fans alike to dream to make it into the new Super League. The fans would also be treated to being able to go to various European venues every few weeks. With increased use, flight prices could be reduced potentially, or deals for fans with clubs and airlines completed. Maybe even a new airline? Who doesn’t want to see a Real Madrid Airline (Barcelona fans presumably!)? So with all those teams out of their respective domestic leagues it would allow for less glamourous teams to potentially compete and win their respective leagues and cups. This would bring joy to fans that might otherwise not happen. The leagues would also be more competitive and there is potential for more winners, think of it like the English Championship, where numerous teams could feasibly win the domestic competition. Additionally with those pesky big clubs shifted out ticket prices could potentially be reduced too? The lack of the ‘bigger’ teams might also help towards increasing the domestic players within each country as well. The European Super League might be where the big teams and players end up but they have to start somewhere. Academies could have increased funding and bring through more players without the pressure of them being poached at such a young age. If superstars are produced then a quota on the number of seasons they need to have played in the domestic leagues before moving to the Super League could be used to stop wholesale poaching? This would have a knock on effect on the international scene. The best players playing against each other every week would improve them for internationals, with tactics playing more of a part. Additionally, the increased numbers of players coming through the ranks in the domestic leagues would provide more opportunities and more potential players for countries to choose from. The pool will get bigger. Disclaimer: We think it is worth just indicating that we don’t think a European Super League is a particularly good idea. The Champions League is already becoming duller and duller every year, with the same teams progressing and the same fixtures happening season after season. For us, if UEFA are to do anything to spice this competition up, they need to go back to a straight knock out cup format as per the old European Cup. Let the genuine winners of all Europes’ leagues play in this, unseeded, with all the other top sides going in to the Europa League (this move would instantly make the Europa League more interesting and competitive also). #Football OutcastsUEFATakeover |
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June 2018
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