A few nights ago, a report came out that 12 teams have accepted the invitation to form a “European Super League,” but it came at a cost. The teams that have decided to form this league will have to resign from all UEFA and FIFA events; some examples are the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and their respected divisions (Premiere League, La Liga, and Serie A). Fans are torn by this decision, some fans feel like this is the end of “football” and is the beginning of “soccer”, figuratively speaking. Some fans have a positive mindset and think this will make soccer more marketable and fun to watch. However, since that night four clubs have left the Super League. Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United have just reportedly left and it is big deal because there is now hope that this league won’t happen. These 9 clubs, that I will name, are going to making A LOT of more money than what they do now. Here are the now 9 teams:
– AC Milan (Serie A)
– Arsenal (English Premiere League)
– Atletico Madrid (La Liga)
– FC Barcelona (La Liga)
– Inter Milan (Serie A)
– Juventus (Serie A)
– Liverpool (English Premiere League)
– Real Madrid (La Liga)
– Tottenham (English Premiere League)
3 Serie A Teams, 2 La Liga Teams, 3 English Premiere League Teams
Negatives:
- Competition: Another negative is that in certain tournaments like the Champions League and Europa League there won’t be any competition at all since those elite teams are leaving for the Super League. However, there are about two big elite teams that have stayed back. So, expect them to rule those tournaments for the future. Since those elite teams will be ruling the tournaments, that leaves all the “meh” and “bad” teams to compete against them for the title and it may bore fans
- Small Market Clubs: The sport that was adored and loved will be forever changed and will not be the same, it simply won’t. This shift will cut off a lot of underdog stories and puts small-market teams in a bad spot. Since those elite/big-name teams won’t face off against those small-market clubs it may impact the revenue they make from their games and ticket sales.
- Possible Revolution: The worst part is that it may actually lead to a revolution in the soccer world. Some players, coaches and owners are going to be mad and may decide to sit out the season. A lot of players are using a slogan in form of protest, “Created by the poor, stolen by the rich.” This is no joke, fans are going to stadiums and putting up signs and sitting outside. The Revolution has already begun because a few days ago when this all came out, Tottenham made the decision to fire their very well respected coach Jose Mourinho. People think that he asked to be let go because he doesn’t agree with this Super League. There are also rumors that Liverpool may do this to their own coach as well, Jürgen Klopp. It’s getting ugly..
- Impact on History: Lastly, it will ruin the sport’s HISTORY. 10 years from now when the next generation of fans are getting into the sport they will throw shade onto today’s legends. They’ll say that Messi and Ronaldo were “stat padders” in the Champions League; stat padding meaning that they were just boosting their own stats versus meh competition, not a compliment. However, I’m quite glad fans are realizing this because this is what they’ve done to Pele and Maradona in the past few years.
Positive:
- Simpler Terms: With the culmination of the Super League, it will finally invite non-soccer fans to want to watch the sport. Turning soccer into one big league with the best teams is terrible for the original fans but will be much more simpler for the new and younger audience. Nobody will have to worry about their team playing in the Premiere League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, or etc because they’ll all be in the same respected conference/division. This is a positive for the sport because it will finally stop the hatred it receives from soccer haters because the sport will now be simpler for all audiences. I’m not going to lie, keeping up with all the leagues is the worst part of soccer. It’s just too complicated and unnecessary.
- The revenue is going to skyrocket: Everyone can say they’ll never support this disaster but they can’t restrain themselves. If your on your couch and bored because there’s nothing to watch and there is a Juventus v. Barcelona game starting soon, I can say with 100% full confidence that you’ll click on it. The amount of dream matches we’re about to witness is insane. Messi v. Ronaldo will be a thing once again, Liverpool v. Real Madrid on a weekly basis, and Manchester United v. Atletico Madrid is tempting.
There is a lot of negative but there are some positive to this Super League, we have to come to terms with ourselves that this may be the future of the sport. Now, apparently there some reports saying that there are TWO English clubs that are growing “tiresome” and “inpatient” with the process and may withdraw. Those two teams have now been confirmed as Chelsea and Manchester City, and they’ve just withdrawn from Super League. After they withdrew, Manchester United followed them and that’s why I listed 9 teams instead of 12. On top of all of that, Barcelona is also reportedly mulling over it and won’t make an official statement on joining and Atletico was reportedly also out of it but it was a false report. However, there are also conflicting reports saying that the deal is done and certain teams have inked the contract and teams like Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain may also be on the brink of joining. Nothing is official yet, but we do know that a Super League is in the works and these 9 teams will be a part of it. Will UEFA and FIFA allow it? That’s the major question…..
Thanks for reading everybody. This has been Jose Calderon III with FiveBorough Dispatch. Have a great day, everybody!
TheDyspatch 