In the past few days, the world of football has been shaken to its core by the news of a proposed European super league (ESL). Some of Europe’s biggest clubs came together and signed a deal to enter a league consisting of a few hand-picked clubs. 15 of these clubs were to be founding clubs (they are unable to get relegated or promoted) whilst a further 5 would be promoted and relegated depending on their level of success in their respective leagues.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and some of the other club owners publicly backed the competition. The pace at which this was coming together was met by disgust and disapproval by many fans as well as elite footballing figures globally. The uproar and cries for abolishment put pressure on the various club owners and chairmen, resulting in the eventual withdrawal of most clubs that signed up for the ESL.

Although some clubs are still contracted to the super league, it is expected that plans will fall through and that the ESL will not happen. The identity and integrity of our beautiful game were under threat due to an idea backed by wealthy club owners who were looking to drastically increase revenue.

The questions we all want to know is: Why did this happen? What are the problems with the way UEFA currently operate? What would the ramifications have been for the ‘football pyramid’ in the UK if the ESL were to have taken place? This blog post will look to explore the reasons as to why clubs were/are in support of the European super league and what could be done to prevent such plans from materialising in the future.

A sporting perspective:

As a sporting spectacle, the ESL promised to deliver high-quality games every week between some of the best players in the world. At first mention, this may sound exciting. Household names such as Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo competing against each other every week! However, this would surely take away from the anticipation and the feeling of big European games as we know it.

What makes Manchester United vs Real Madrid special is that it is not a fixture played very often, if that fixture were to happen at least twice every year, the intrigue would certainly dissipate, and people would start to lose interest eventually. The ESL would have most definitely put an end to the ‘special European nights’ that we all look forward to in the champions league.

Furthermore, the odd rule stating that the 15 founding clubs could not be relegated would have taken away the fear of losing, the elation of winning and discredited ‘footballing merit’. A competition that has no consequences for losing. Would that really be competitive? This elitist mentality is completely biased against smaller clubs who have ambitions of reaching the levels and stature of the founding clubs. Equality and opportunity are essential, from competition to society.

The financial perspective:

Financially, the ESL made a lot of sense for club owners and shareholders. Different games played all over the world between the biggest stars in football would have attracted a wide range of new markets. With no regulatory bodies to mediate and distribute money, the profits made from this league would go directly to the clubs rather than UEFA as it does currently.

This revenue is comprised of commercial rights, broadcasting rights and ticket sales. A mouth-watering prospect for private investors and chairmen. The distribution model that UEFA use for champions league sides has been widely criticized by different clubs. They have been criticized for only distributing a fraction of the total revenue to clubs. Perhaps this is an issue UEFA can address soon.

Covid-19 has had a tremendous effect on everybody in this past year. The same can be said for the big footballing clubs. With a higher wage bill to pay out, a reduction in revenue can severely affect the amount of money that can be spent in the transfer window. The financial problems for big clubs are already evident.

An example being Arsenal making dozens of workers redundant. Florentino Perez stated ‘Somebody must give us another format, to earn more money. Without earning more money, this will all die’.

A possible solution

Many fans have protested in the last couple of days. Some of which were campaigning for premier league clubs to switch to a German model of club ownership where the clubs and fans own most of their voting rights. In Germany, this means no club can compete in the Bundesliga if commercial investors have more than a 49% stake in the club.

This model protects against private investor takeovers and puts the wishes of the fans as a priority. This could be a perfect model to introduce to the premier league and all European leagues as a measure to protect the club’s values and keep power in the right people’s hands: the fans.

Written by Joshua Iyobhebhe InZone Plug (Sport).