Bullshit Greed League (aka ESL)

[Romey 1878]

The new Super League is supposed to be getting officially announced tonight.

[MikeO]

38 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

The new Super League is supposed to be getting officially announced tonight.

https://news.sky.com/story/european-super-league-plans-set-to-be-announced-six-english-teams-involved-sky-news-understands-12279432

[MikeO]

BBC saying it's only five English teams involved, not six.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56794673

[markjazzbassist]

Disgusting, American media reporting it’s United, Liverpool, Chelsea, arsenal, and Spurs.  Also atletico, Real Madrid, Barca, and juve.  Not sure on the German and French sides.

 

the FA should deduct points from each of those sides.  No surprise most of the clubs are run by greedy Americans.

 

I have a lot more respect for City now.

[MikeO]

Just now, markjazzbassist said:

Disgusting, American media reporting it’s United, Liverpool, Chelsea, arsenal, and Spurs.  Also atletico, Real Madrid, Barca, and juve.  Not sure on the German and French sides.

 

the FA should deduct points from each of those sides.  No surprise most of the clubs are run by greedy Americans.

 

I have a lot more respect for City now.

No German sides involved because they're all 51% fan owned and they're fans rather than financial institutions so not interested, and apparently no French sides either.

[Bailey]

I don't see how this can happen and for those clubs to still remain in the Premier League and current European competitions. 

The owners of those sides are a disgrace.

[markjazzbassist]

I am reading that city are involved too, Italian sides are juve, inter Milan, ac Milan.

 

im reading that Bayern and PSG were invited but neither has accepted/responded due to what mike said and the fact PSG people are heavily involved in UEFA positions so they don’t want to sour that.

[Hafnia]

Absolutely disgraceful. I'd be ashamed if we were part of it. 

The mancs demeaned the fa cup back in early 00s by going to Brazil ... This is a new level of bollocks

[MikeO]

7 minutes ago, Bailey said:

I don't see how this can happen and for those clubs to still remain in the Premier League and current European competitions. 

The owners of those sides are a disgrace.

Indeed, if they decide to go ahead they need to be expelled from all existing competitions and all bridges back should be burned, and any player that takes part should be banned from international football.

[dunlopp9987]

This is not going to happen. The outcry from literally everyone, bar the owners of the clubs involved, will be too damning for these clubs to go forward. They might make the announcement today, but between the public backlash and the sanctions that might be put in place, the club owners will eventually cave and this league will be scrapped. We've seen this time and time again recently in other aspects of life. A company makes a horrible PR decision, then social media (and the fact that basically anyone in the entire world has a public voice now) speaks up, and the company backtracks. It's great on one hand, that there is now accountability due to everyone having social media to voice their opinions, but you also can't forget that these companies or clubs wanted to go ahead with these awful decisions. 

Have to continue to hold them accountable and keep holding their feet to the proverbial fire

[Romey 1878]

Even if they backtrack on it each and every club involved should face some sort of punishment for accepting it in the first place.

No surprise to me that so many of the clubs involved are American owned either. They do love a closed shop.

[dunlopp9987]

3 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

Even if they backtrack on it each and every club involved should face some sort of punishment for accepting it in the first place.

No surprise to me that so many of the clubs involved are American owned either. They do love a closed shop.

Exactly. It's great that there's accountability now due to public pressure and outcry, but it's just too easy for companies to backtrack and say "Oopsies! Our bad!" and then go on as if nothing happened

[MikeO]

Just scanning social media nobody wants this other than the club owners, even fans of the clubs involved are almost universally opposed as far as I can see, really don't see how it can happen.

[Romey 1878]

2 minutes ago, dunlopp9987 said:

Exactly. It's great that there's accountability now due to public pressure and outcry, but it's just too easy for companies to backtrack and say "Oopsies! Our bad!" and then go on as if nothing happened

They shouldn't even have this excuse to be honest. This came out a few months ago and there was a terrible reaction then, so to come out after this as if it's a surprise that people are dead against it is a load of shite. They simply thought they could trample over every one to grab more power for themselves.

[MikeO]

1 hour ago, markjazzbassist said:

I have a lot more respect for City now.

BBC now saying that City are in on it.

[Romey 1878]

2 minutes ago, MikeO said:

BBC now saying that City are in on it.

They were the last ones to sign up. Not that that makes it any better or anything, they're all cunts.

[Zoo 2.0]

I used to be terrified and against a European Super League but the sooner the "Big Six" fuck off the better. The game is corrupt and dying on its arse and has been for ages, whether we like it or not some shite is always around the corner so if this is somehow put on hold something else will be next.

"Project Big Picture this, European Super League that". I'm just fed up of listening to this money grabbing, evil shit and the sooner it happens the better.

A massive "fuck you" to the matchday fan of the likes of Liverpool and United, but the owners don't care and would rather push some diabolical American style shite - they just don't get what it means to be a matchday fan, or come from the area of the team you support. It's just not possible to understand a club when you watch their games via YouTube.

It makes me angry beyond belief that when we are in a global pandemic, where many don't see their families and look to football as some sort of mental comfort they push this agenda. Because, y'know, fuck you - money.

Stan Kroenke, FGS, The Glazers, Liverpool, Manchester United, City, Arsenal, Daniel Levy, Spurs, Chelsea - you are all an absolute disgrace. If Everton were ever involved in something like this I would genuinely turn my back on them and if I'm being totally honest, I can see me being someone who follows non-league football in 15-20 years time as the way football is heading, this kinda bollocks will be the norm as it'll start with the Super League, then morph into "Super League II, Super Conference and Platinum League" just to shove as much shite in as they can, Everton vs. Sydney will be a "domestic" fixture in 15 years, played in Saudi Arabia too to "attract a wider audience". 

[c1982]

Well said Gary
 

 

[MikeO]

9 minutes ago, c1982 said:

Well said Gary
 

 

Brilliant that, good on him.

[Matt]

I think before you get to punishing the clubs, the players and managers of these clubs should just walk off in protest and forfeit games until this idiotic greed machine gets the message - no team, no game, no breakaway league.  

Its not just the owners that need a message sent to, its the TV channels that throw the money at them and enable this idea in the first place. So if you've got BT Sport or Sky etc, I'd be thinking of voting with your wallets and cancelling subscriptions. 

[c1982]

6 minutes ago, Matt said:

I think before you get to punishing the clubs, the players and managers of these clubs should just walk off in protest and forfeit games until this idiotic greed machine gets the message - no team, no game, no breakaway league.  

Its not just the owners that need a message sent to, its the TV channels that throw the money at them and enable this idea in the first place. So if you've got BT Sport or Sky etc, I'd be thinking of voting with your wallets and cancelling subscriptions. 

The players and the managers of these clubs are likely to get a huge slice of the billions on offer from a ‘Super League’ so they may not feel as strongly about it as us fans.

[MikeO]

7 minutes ago, c1982 said:

The players and the managers of these clubs are likely to get a huge slice of the billions on offer from a ‘Super League’ so they may not feel as strongly about it as us fans.

I just despair of people, the average top flight footballer earns more in a year than the vast majority of their fans will make in their lifetime, but they want more? How much do you need to live on? If you're earning £5m a year why in the world do you need to sell your soul for £10m? Are you finding yourself short on the run up to pay-day? It's gone crazy.

[Bill]

Don't worry folks, this is never going to happen.

[Bailey]

4 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

Even if they backtrack on it each and every club involved should face some sort of punishment for accepting it in the first place.

No surprise to me that so many of the clubs involved are American owned either. They do love a closed shop.

This. Their actions have brought the game into disrepute and they need to be punished.

It is interesting that these clubs are completely silent and this announcement doesnt seem to be coming. I imagine their PR / management teams are furiously trying to find a way out of it. 

I also very much doubt that these 6 clubs would be the only ones that would have signed up had they had the chance. You can also bet there are a few clubs who were waiting to see what happened before signing up and if it did go live, you can imagine they might try and join in. 

[Romey 1878]

Well, the announcement came and I am fucking fuming. I don’t think I’m going to sleep for a good while yet. 

[Btay]

Disgusting. Football has been corrupt for a long time but this is a new level 

[Palfy]

10 hours ago, MikeO said:

Just scanning social media nobody wants this other than the club owners, even fans of the clubs involved are almost universally opposed as far as I can see, really don't see how it can happen.

It will happen if TV money which would normally be pumped into the the league’s involved is directed solely to this super league, I have no doubt that the Sky BT and the equivalent channels in other countries will have a big part to play in this. The only way I can see this not happening is if there revenues are cut off, which is the supporters don’t take up any TV subscriptions for the this league, then the advertising revenue which this will highly depend on won’t be forthcoming, so imo whether this happens is entirely down to the fans of football, and what concerns me is that there a millions of fans who will buy into this and make it a commercially viable proposition for huge advertising revenues. This is the next step from the PL and the CL, only this time the clubs are the governing body and in control of the finances. 

[nyblue23]

10 hours ago, MikeO said:

I just despair of people, the average top flight footballer earns more in a year than the vast majority of their fans will make in their lifetime, but they want more? How much do you need to live on? If you're earning £5m a year why in the world do you need to sell your soul for £10m? Are you finding yourself short on the run up to pay-day? It's gone crazy.

It's American corporate greed run rampant. I stumbled my way into an elite university's law school in the states this year in my nearing mid-life (got tired of being drunk all the time behind the bar) and I've finally seen what the other side truly believes. My casebook for my business law class argues that insider trading is a good thing and I've learned that not only do American courts appear to protect shareholder interests (as I thought before entering law school)—it's actually the fucking law that shareholder interests are the only thing that matters and that directors of a corporation cannot make decisions that don't benefit shareholders even for humanitarian reasons.

We can't blame this on the footballers. The players themselves are still mere peons compared to the owners. This is just what pure capitalism does. I'll welcome all the supporters—even the shite supporters—who abandon their clubs over this.

[Bailey]

The cheek of this lot.

Oh dont worry its just to replace the Champions League and we will still let 5 Willy Wonker teams compete if they prove their worth. It doesnt matter that we will we will give extraordinary sums to the already richest clubs in the league because we will make some other payments lower down the leagues as well. 

Oh and yep our special 12 teams will still want to play in the domestic leagues where they can suffer the ups and downs of relegation. Obviously this would never happen given the sums we will invedt into these clubs. We want to the top clubs in each league to stay at the top to protect the quality of the product we offer. 

[Hafnia]

Special mention to Liverpool...... They probably stopped us being a European superpower after Hysel - the irony is that they have gone in to finish the job of excluding Europe for all....

maybe when Liverpool and Juventus play their meaningless fixtures they can remember this. 

[Romey 1878]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/18/only-someone-who-truly-hates-football-can-be-behind-a-european-super-league

[Romey 1878]

Still absolutely livid this morning. Even if it doesn't end up going ahead I will never forgive the clubs involved in this and will hate them forever.

[Matt]

13 hours ago, c1982 said:

The players and the managers of these clubs are likely to get a huge slice of the billions on offer from a ‘Super League’ so they may not feel as strongly about it as us fans.

But doesn't mean they shouldn't have the opportunity to speak up. Chances of any of them going against their employers openly let alone giving up even more money is unlikely, but they should at least get given the chance.

[Matt]

2 hours ago, nyblue23 said:

It's American corporate greed run rampant. I stumbled my way into an elite university's law school in the states this year in my nearing mid-life (got tired of being drunk all the time behind the bar) and I've finally seen what the other side truly believes. My casebook for my business law class argues that insider trading is a good thing and I've learned that not only do American courts appear to protect shareholder interests (as I thought before entering law school)—it's actually the fucking law that shareholder interests are the only thing that matters and that directors of a corporation cannot make decisions that don't benefit shareholders even for humanitarian reasons.

We can't blame this on the footballers. The players themselves are still mere peons compared to the owners. This is just what pure capitalism does. I'll welcome all the supporters—even the shite supporters—who abandon their clubs over this.

Congratulations mate on making such a big, positive change for yourself

[Romey 1878]

Mourinho "sacked" this morning. But a lot of speculation it's all due to him being set against this bullshit.

If so, I'll respect him a lot more and I hope he comes out and says if that is what has happened.

[Hafnia]

8 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

Mourinho "sacked" this morning. But a lot of speculation it's all due to him being set against this bullshit.

If so, I'll respect him a lot more and I hope he comes out and says if that is what has happened.

Nah. He's got very little morals like that but he will no doubt use it to distract from the real reason.

Someone reckons it's cos of something going on in Germany and they can get nagelsmann

[Zoo 2.0]

9 minutes ago, Hafnia said:

Nah. He's got very little morals like that but he will no doubt use it to distract from the real reason.

Someone reckons it's cos of something going on in Germany and they can get nagelsmann

It's been rumoured that Spurs' main target if they sack Mourinho is Nagelsmann, who is currently managing Red Bull Leipzig. With Flick resigning from Bayern yesterday (effective at the end of the season) to move to the German NT it seems as though this may have accelerated the process and forced Levy's hand.

I'd like Mourinho to have been fired because he's refused to work in the ESL and told the club where the shove their plans, but expect it's just down to how poor they have been and how much discontent is currently surrounding the club. 

Edit: Not confirmed, but rumours that Mourinho refused to take the players out to train in protest against the ESL.

[Palfy]

44 minutes ago, Zoo 2.0 said:

Not confirmed, but rumours that Mourinho refused to take the players out to train in protest against the ESL.

As much as he’s a hated figure with a lot of fans I wouldn’t be totally surprised if he did something along those lines, he’s a principled man who would stand by his own principles even if they don’t meet the standards of others, so if this does have some truth in it then fair play. 

[Tonsta]

Funny how there is no sign of carra on the media he represents, no opinion on this then, the biggest news i football, for many a year, Gary Nev did not hide.

[Romey 1878]

4 minutes ago, Tonsta said:

Funny how there is no sign of carra on the media he represents, no opinion on this then, the biggest news i football, for many a year, Gary Nev did not hide.

Carragher has said something actually.

And he'll be on MNF tonight with Neville where I imagine there will be fireworks galore.

[Palfy]

Morgan Stanley are putting up around 4 billion to get this off the ground, so they are the company that any decent fans need to dissociate themselves from, in the way of credit cards or any other types of finance. 
 

Also I read an article that 10,000 Liverpool supporters were asked on line for their opinions and nearly all condemned the move, if true then credit to them it show’s fans are more sportsman like than some of their team’s. 

[Tonsta]

28 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

Carragher has said something actually.

And he'll be on MNF tonight with Neville where I imagine there will be fireworks galore.

Ok i must have missed that, but having watched ssn for 4 hours this morning, no sign of Carra.

[Matt]

44 minutes ago, Tonsta said:

Funny how there is no sign of carra on the media he represents, no opinion on this then, the biggest news i football, for many a year, Gary Nev did not hide.

https://www.beinsports.com/en/football/news/european-super-league-carragher-brands-live-1/1672658

 

Better link if you can get through the shitshow of ads

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1424917/Liverpool-news-Jamie-Carragher-FSG-European-Super-League-betrayal

[MikeO]

1 hour ago, Zoo 2.0 said:

Not confirmed, but rumours that Mourinho refused to take the players out to train in protest against the ESL.

"On Sunday, Tottenham were one of six Premier League clubs to announce they were joining a new European Super League, but it is not related to Mourinho's sacking."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56799400

[Romey 1878]

http://www.skysports.com/share/12280287 

[barryj]

If it goes ahead which I dearly hope it doesn’t. This would surely put Bramley Moore in jeopardy. Let’s not kid ourselves there will be less money around for those that are left behind.

[MikeO]

Just now, barryj said:

If it goes ahead which I dearly hope it doesn’t. This would surely put Brantley Moore in jeopardy. Let’s not kid ourselves there will be less money around for those that are left behind.

Crossed my mind that.

[markjazzbassist]

i have a feeling it's the ESL clubs testing the waters.  If the leagues/UEFA take action against them, they'll know it's not possible and will give it up. But currently with the FA and UEFA doing Fuck all they are probably thinking we grease some more hands and pay off some more here and there and we are in.  GROW A PAIR FA, ban the fuckers, drop points, DO SOMETHING

[barryj]

10 minutes ago, markjazzbassist said:

i have a feeling it's the ESL clubs testing the waters.  If the leagues/UEFA take action against them, they'll know it's not possible and will give it up. But currently with the FA and UEFA doing Fuck all they are probably thinking we grease some more hands and pay off some more here and there and we are in.  GROW A PAIR FA, ban the fuckers, drop points, DO SOMETHING

The Premier league won’t and shouldn’t let them play in it. That’ll kill the interest dead. Let them play against the same 15 teams for the next 23 years they’ll all be bored to death with it and I hope it flops. In the mean time like Gary Neville said ban them from Europe, give them a points deduction and cripple them before it all kicks off and then it won’t be the spectacle they all hope for. 

[Bill]

Stop panicking, this will never happen. 

[barryj]

4 minutes ago, Bill said:

Stop panicking, this will never happen. 

I can’t see it happening but at the same time it’s an absolute disgrace they’re even at this point. How can they do this to their own fan base? Still while there is uncertainty I doubt we’ll break ground at Bramley. 

[Matt]

7 minutes ago, Bill said:

Stop panicking, this will never happen. 

It's not panic, Bill. It's venting anger. 

[Matt]

2 minutes ago, barryj said:

I can’t see it happening but at the same time it’s an absolute disgrace they’re even at this point. How can they do this to their own fan base? Still while there is uncertainty I doubt we’ll break ground at Bramley. 

The same way massive companies cam twist governments to make exceptions. Money. 

[Elston Gunnn]

Bayern and Dortmund say no.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/bayern-munich-and-borussia-dortmund-not-joining-european-super-league

[Bill]

If the premier league ban them from both cups and the Premier league, on the understanding that you will never be accepted back into the league if it all goes wrong, I can't see it happening.

On the other hand if it does happen all the other clubs in the Prem and the lower leagues will be very pleased. Six clubs from each league promoted and we will stand a good chance of being League champions.   bring it on.

[Tonsta]

It said on SSN they have signed a 23 year contract commitment to the so called super league.

[Bailey]

I don't see how it doesn't go ahead. Why go through all this only to pull the plug.

I am not sure how they will attract the other 8 clubs they need though.

[RuffRob]

Greedy greedy selfish bastards!!! 

I think all these signed up clubs should all be docked PL points and the likes of Leicester City, West Ham and Everton and another club represent Premier League in next seasons CL. Period.  

And how the fuck have Spurs managed to get themselves in to this Elite group of English football clubs - when where they last 'Champions' of England? half a dozen decent seasons in and around the top 4 and they become part of an Elite group of clubs for ever more!!  I would love to know the criteria!! In the last 25years Spurs have won a single League cup!!! Why not Leicester City if on recent achievements? and why not Everton if on longer term history or tradition? Money driven bullshit the lot of it.

If they leave and then wanted to come back in future - should be in the lower divisions and have to earn your way back up - imagine the six clubs trying to scrap over promotions spots and trying to get the worlds best player to sign for them !! I would love it.

Like most said will not happed and these six are flexing their financial muscle - PL should just flex their back at them. 

[Elston Gunnn]

2 minutes ago, Bailey said:

I don't see how it doesn't go ahead. Why go through all this only to pull the plug.

Like others, I think this development is outrageous.  So I admit to being desperate to think of what can stop it.  Best I can tell this early, the answers are: (1) EPL kicking them out; (2) FIFA barring players from World Cup; (3) fans of traitorous clubs saying No.  Will any/all of these things happen?

[markjazzbassist]

SAF comments on it, mentions everton

 

“Talk of a Super League is a move away from 70 years of European club football. Both as a player for a provincial team Dunfermline in the 60s and as a manager at Aberdeen winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup, for a small provincial club in Scotland it was like climbing Mount Everest,” Ferguson told the Reuters news agency. “Everton are spending £500 million to build a new stadium with the ambition to play in Champions League. Fans all over love the competition as it is,” he said.