It would be an understatement to suggest that those pushing for the plan to create a European Super League (ESL), in which the most important clubs in the sport would participate, were wrong to read it dramatically, before to reveal his self-proclaimed “strategic vision” for the “benefit of the whole pyramid of European football.”
The clubs sitting 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) they will have seen the approval signals of their fellow executives from nine other big clubs; However, football is far beyond this unique boardroom flow. The feelings of the rest of those who have an emotional bond with this sport have been completely ignored and set aside, all in pursuit of monetary benefits.
In short, ESL is an idea that no one wants, with the exception of the owners of the largest and wealthiest clubs in world football, those who simply want to get bigger and richer, despite the sweetened claims of its main members. .
“We will help football at all levels and take it to the place it belongs in the world,” Perez said in a statement released by the ESL on Sunday. “Football is the only global sport in the world with over four billion fans and our responsibility as a big club is to respond to the wishes of the fans.”
Agnelli, Juventus faces multiple difficulties on the court and could be eliminated from the next edition of the Champions League, after falling to fourth place in the table of Serie A in the current campaign, located just two points ahead of Naples, declared that “our 12 founding clubs represent billions of fans around the world,” before adding: “We have joined in this critical moment, allowing European competition to be transformed, putting the sport we love on a sustainable basis for the long-term future. “
Well here they are: instead of being a vehicle that allows each ESL member club to get richer, at a rate close to £ 300 million a year, the Super League proposal was really designed to become a savior. of football and for that, his fans around the world should feel eternal gratitude.
Unfortunately for ESL leaders, the reaction from followers has been universally hostile. Social media has been ignited with the repudiation of fans of all clubs, with statements full of anger from bars linked to Manchester United (“These proposals are completely unacceptable”), Arsenal (“The death of all that should be football ”), Chelsea (“ We are dismayed ”) and Manchester City (“ motivated by greed ”), among others.
We already know that UEFA and FIFA are opposed to the plans and that each and every one of the participating clubs has been warned of the risk of being expelled from their domestic leagues, along with the veto of their players in international competitions, if they continue with the his attempt. So, with so much opposition from fans and governing bodies in equal parts, why do the owners of the 12 founding members (the ESL has confirmed that the group will grow to 15 in the coming weeks) be so determined to collapse the current model to move forward with their plans?
Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many things, in the fields of sport and society. One element that we understood well from a sports perspective is the reality that the money generated by television rights is what keeps clubs alive, not the fans who pay to enter the stadium. As for the mere spectacle, the presence of fans in the stadiums has been greatly missed; but, from a strictly economic standpoint, first-class football has proven to be able to survive without fans paying to place in front of the court.
It is obvious that football fans will return to the stadium once the pandemic is over; however, the owners of ESL member clubs are well aware that even if the hostility continues and deepens, most fans will continue to pay to watch matches inside the arenas. Failing that, the owners know that millions of football fans worldwide will pay for subscriptions to watch Super League matches, with sponsors desperate to link up with a competition involving the top clubs and top footballers. .
It is a ruthless, and even cynical mentality; but the people who handle the realms of football know well how things work. And if the Super League becomes a closed store without fear of decline, as the NFL and NBA are highly successful business models to emulate. United, Arsenal and Liverpool (three founding members of the USL) are all owned by Americans who participate in their country’s sport; therefore, they already know very well how to monetize the ownership of a franchise in a similar environment. It is also clear that, with a future that does not contemplate the possibility of being relegated, all ESL member clubs would be even more valuable to their owners.
But again we ask ourselves: what about the fans? What about the families who have supported their club for generations, seen them have successes and failures, bought tickets and shirts, went to the stadium in the middle of the cold and rain? The current owners have acquired their clubs, in many cases without any prior association or bond. In the case of the Glazer family and the United, its acquisition in 2005 was financed using the club’s own resources. And today, these same owners use historic clubs, with deep roots in their communities, as currency to create a closed money-making machine that only they want.
It is not the clubs that threaten to destroy the fabric of football. They are their masters, and they have proven to be alien to the wishes of the followers. However, while they go ahead without consulting the fans, they also do so at a time when, due to the pandemic, the stadiums remain closed to the access of the football fan. This means that passionate groups of fans from all clubs have missed the opportunity to protest (visibly and noisily). Just imagine the scenes that would take place at Anfield, Old Trafford or San Siro, if the presence of fans in the matches played this weekend has been allowed, as has happened in the past. Still, fans will get a way to make themselves heard, whether through social media campaigns or other forms of protest, making sure their voices are heard.
It is likely that the owners have made a terrible reading of the situation. They may even have pretended to be deaf and lowered their heads on purpose; but at this point they can have no doubt what the football world thinks of them and their plans.