Bullshit Greed League (aka ESL)

[MikeO]

Stolen from the BBC site...

If, as Perez suggests that this all about reducing boring matches, then I’m in. Who wouldn’t want endless repeats of some of this season’s classics? Chelsea 0 - Man U 0, Man U 0 - Chelsea 0, Man U 0 - Man City 0, Arsenal 0 - Man U 0, Liverpool 0 - Man U 0, Chelsea 0 - Spurs 0.

[RuffRob]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56823501

Fooking falling apart after less than 48hr. . That's shame for you!!!!

 

[Zoo 2.0]

Really pleased with the Chelsea fans tonight, thousands have turned up at Stamford Bridge to protest and sat down in the street so that the team bus could not continue its journey into the ground. Petr Cech addressed the crowd telling them that it wasn't the right thing to do and to ''give them time'' but was booed and re-joined the Chelsea team to chants of ''We want our Chelsea back''. 

You really feel like people are getting behind this protest against the ESL and its wonderful to see. I actually can't wait for the Manchester United & Liverpool game to see what people can organise. This is the biggest threat to our beautiful game and it's great to see supporters fighting for what they believe in. 

There are so many points that I want to talk about on this subject but I'd be here all night, so perhaps another time. For now though I'm just so proud of the Chelsea fans for what they have done and so happy to see football fans united against what are these disgusting and outrageous plans. 

 

[Romey 1878]

City are withdrawing too.

Fucking brilliant. 

[RuffRob]

10 minutes ago, Zoo 2.0 said:

Really pleased with the Chelsea fans tonight, thousands have turned up at Stamford Bridge to protest and sat down in the street so that the team bus could not continue its journey into the ground. Petr Cech addressed the crowd telling them that it wasn't the right thing to do and to ''give them time'' but was booed and re-joined the Chelsea team to chants of ''We want our Chelsea back''. 

You really feel like people are getting behind this protest against the ESL and its wonderful to see. I actually can't wait for the Manchester United & Liverpool game to see what people can organise. This is the biggest threat to our beautiful game and it's great to see supporters fighting for what they believe in. 

There are so many points that I want to talk about on this subject but I'd be here all night, so perhaps another time. For now though I'm just so proud of the Chelsea fans for what they have done and so happy to see football fans united against what are these disgusting and outrageous plans. 

 

It just shows you how out of touch these team owners really are with the British and European game. Even fans of the clubs that are pushing for a closed shop money making competition are disgusted by it all. Bravo Chelsea fans. 

 

[Romey 1878]

Add Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to those fucking this off as well.

Oh I am loving this. 

[RuffRob]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/20/chelsea-and-manchester-city-have-super-league-doubts-says-executive

I imagine this is pretty true - a few clubs will have inevitably signed up purely out of fear of missing the boat. 

 

 

[MikeO]

Should all still be sanctioned in some way though.

[Cornish Steve]

BREAKING: Arsenal have decided to not participate in the European Super League. They are starting their own breakaway league with just themselves. The bookies currently have them as second favourites to win it.

[Bailey]

There is no way it can continue now!

[RuffRob]

2 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Should all still be sanctioned in some way though.

I was just thinking the same thing - One year European ban for all 12. Enquire made and 3 year ban for the orchestrating clubs. That will fuck up their coefficients for CL automatic entry when the new rules kick in (that where made to better suit these clubs!!). 

[Romey 1878]

8 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Should all still be sanctioned in some way though.

They should be but I bet they aren’t. I’ll keep hoping though. 

[Cornish Steve]

10 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Should all still be sanctioned in some way though.

And absolutely no compromises related to the Champions League. 

[RuffRob]

2 minutes ago, Bailey said:

There is no way it can continue now!

there's are some serious tails between legs at the moment!!!  I was almost worth these arrogant clubs doing this, just so they now feel the utter shame they have brought on to the clubs the claim to love. The world knows who and what you all are!! 

[Matt]

Damn. I was really hoping this would happen to be honest 

[Cornish Steve]

Just now, RuffRob said:

there's are some serious tails between legs at the moment!!!  I was almost worth these arrogant clubs doing this, just so they now feel the utter shame they have brought on to the clubs the claim to love. The world knows who and what you all are!! 

I wouldn't be surprised to see a move restricting foreign ownership or a push toward supporter ownership (as in Germany).

[RuffRob]

2 minutes ago, Cornish Steve said:

I wouldn't be surprised to see a move restricting foreign ownership or a push toward supporter ownership (as in Germany).

there will be some aftermath, some of these clubs have shot themselves in the foot. They all effectively tried to hold the game to ransom for nothing but greed.  

[Matt]

If anyone honestly thinks there'll be ramifications short of a fine or Transfer Window ban, neither of which will make a blind bit of difference, l've got some bad news for you. 

[RuffRob]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/12281501/chelsea-and-manchester-city-to-leave-european-super-league

 

what one owner has been saying to his board is shocking - talk about bring the game in to disrepute!! This has all got to come out. Glazers would be my bet.

 

[Zoo 2.0]

Ed Woodward has resigned, the house of cards is falling.

Edit: Agnelli has resigned as chairman of Juventus too, apparently there's massive pressure on Florentino Perez to do the same.

[barryj]

Reckon Liverpool will be the last to formally leave? 

[Cornish Steve]

MANU shares are now down almost 7% on the NYSE. Investors, so over the moon yesterday, appear to have accepted defeat.

[Bailey]

12 minutes ago, Matt said:

If anyone honestly thinks there'll be ramifications short of a fine or Transfer Window ban, neither of which will make a blind bit of difference, l've got some bad news for you. 

Unfortunately, I agree with you here.

[Romey 1878]

13 minutes ago, Zoo 2.0 said:

Ed Woodward has resigned, the house of cards is falling.

Edit: Agnelli has resigned as chairman of Juventus too, apparently there's massive pressure on Florentino Perez to do the same.

If all three go tonight I might just have some JD to celebrate. 

[Cornish Steve]

11 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

If all three go tonight I might just have some JD to celebrate. 

Jus D'orange? I'd suggest something stronger than that.

[RuffRob]

4 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

If all three go tonight I might just have some JD to celebrate. 

This could all actually end up as a positive watershed moment in the European game. These owners, which is now looking very much like within England to be the American owners wanting a US like sporting model for European football - and fook our football tradition. Looking like main culprits are Man U, Liverpool and most likely the Arsenal owners. Send them packing all. These owners have been well and truly shown what everybody thinks of the American sporting model - shove it up your arse. 

[Matt]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56824130

[markjazzbassist]

48 minutes ago, Matt said:

Damn. I was really hoping this would happen to be honest 

why?

 

[Quinn31]

1 minute ago, markjazzbassist said:

why?

 

There's a nihilistic cynical view that just wants to watch this to see the chaos and how bad the ESL and associated fallout is. Not my point of view, but there are moments where I just want to be rid of all the greed in this game and I'm like "let it happen. let these bastards have what they want"

[Matt]

2 minutes ago, markjazzbassist said:

why?

 

To see the rich fuck off, fail and come crawling back only to be entered into the lowest leagues and rebuild from there. This is just too easy for them. They tried their luck, and it's not gone their way so they sack a figurehead and continue as normal. It would've really screwed the TV companies and banks who backed them too. 

[Zoo 2.0]

[badaids]

Would honestly have liked the ESL to go ahead as it would have meant oblivion for the clubs that signed up and made the premier league much more exciting. Would have been hilarious to see.

It won’t go ahead now, but it crops up every couple of years for the last 20 years or so (remember the 39th game?) and gets closer each time. Eventually it will happen - the foreign club owners are too greedy for it to not.

And I loved Everton today proving that they are THE PEOPLE’S CLUB.

 

[barryj]

Sir Kenny Dalglish only now decides to come out and oppose it

[Palfy]

I hope they don’t walk away from this scot free, they have to be punished they were prepared to destroy the livelihoods of a lot of players by financially ruining the clubs they played for, there has to be penalties and I don’t mean punitive fines they need to be docked a minimum of 10 points, the same as a club that goes into administration, because they didn’t care how many clubs their  actions may have put into administration, so they deserve to feel the pain and in the future it may make them consider the consequences of their actions. 

[Matt]

18 minutes ago, barryj said:

Sir Kenny Dalglish only now decides to come out and oppose it

The tweet? It was hardly an declaration of opposition 

[barryj]

4 minutes ago, Matt said:

The tweet? It was hardly an declaration of opposition 

Yep - well he said to do the right thing.  But for me this is meaningless. He should have come out and said this like Neville and Carragher on Sunday or yesterday. He has a powerful voice and chose not to use it. He said it whilst the ship was sinking.  

[markjazzbassist]

9 minutes ago, Palfy said:

I hope they don’t walk away from this scot free, they have to be punished they were prepared to destroy the livelihoods of a lot of players by financially ruining the clubs they played for, there has to be penalties and I don’t mean punitive fines they need to be docked a minimum of 10 points, the same as a club that goes into administration, because they didn’t care how many clubs their  actions may have put into administration, so they deserve to feel the pain and in the future it may make them consider the consequences of their actions. 

i'm with you too palfy, let's hope the FA does the right thing and docks them points.  i'd love to see them banned from Europe for a year too, see how they like those financial ramifications.

[Matt]

Just now, barryj said:

Yep - well he said to do the right thing.  But for me this is meaningless. He should have come out and said this like Neville and Carragher on Sunday or yesterday. He has a powerful voice and chose not to use it. He said it whilst the ships nearly sunk. 

His little tweet and the copy paste message from Henderson and TAA is typically bare-minimum lipservice we come to expect from that lot. Not even their own messages on twatter, copy paste corporate slogans. They had a chance to actually distance themselves from their owners but they failed to do even that most basic task and only after it was confirmed the thing was falling down. I think only Milner and Klopp spoke out about it, or at least got coverage 

[Palfy]

City officially withdraw from ESL in a statement from the club. 

[MikeO]

All jumping ship now.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56823501

[pete0]

4 hours ago, Matt said:

If anyone honestly thinks there'll be ramifications short of a fine or Transfer Window ban, neither of which will make a blind bit of difference, l've got some bad news for you. 

Should be a minimum of a ten point defection, 15 or even relegation. That's tended to be what teams going into administration get. Should be no different, if not more severe. Any less and the FA has let the other 86 clubs down.

[Cornish Steve]

3 hours ago, pete0 said:

Should be a minimum of a ten point defection, 15 or even relegation. That's tended to be what teams going into administration get. Should be no different, if not more severe. Any less and the FA has let the other 86 clubs down.

Let's pursue the Rangers model.

[Romey 1878]

https://www.football365.com/news/mailbox-uefa-fifa-european-super-league-manchester-united-liverpool

[Romey 1878]

I keep seeing the argument being made that it's the owners that are the cause of this so you can't punish the clubs with points deductions or whatever else. But, it's the clubs that are punished when it's owners that take the clubs into administration.

They can't be treated differently just because they're 'big' clubs. That's how we got into this mess in the first place.

[Hafnia]

Something needs to happen to punish them. 

No doubt in my mind VAR will be less than generous to them and other things.... Let's not forget how the Prem seem to work.

I also fear that they may pander to them a bit. 

9 point deductions for all clubs will be a start. Ironically it will only impact the top 4 for Chelsea cos the 3 of the so called big 6 aren't in the top 4! 

[MikeO]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-56816761

Nice one.

[Hafnia]

Let's see a good collective effort to crush racism now.  Amazing what can be achieved when cages are truly rattled.

I don't think we would have fought the ESL by taking a knee. 

[Bill]

On 18/04/2021 at 22:22, Bill said:

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

But they should still be punished, bringing the game into disrepute for starters.

[Sir McGiven]

So glad to see them greedy bastards failed and now some of them have to run away.

I am not saying UEFA is the clearest and the best option out there, we all know it is a corrupt organization as well but the reason behind The ESL wasn't unfairness and even if it was, you can not make things right by doing something wrong.

I am feeling sad about that idiot "Perez" (in a sarcastic way ofc.). He was so brave to flame UEFA and smaller clubs than Real Madrid. He was even so bold by saying "If you ban our players from the international stage, we can organize our own World Cup." Damn funny, I wonder what he thinks right now? I suspect this bloody idiot is still thinking we are living in a world where Franco's fascist era still a thing...

[RuffRob]

As this is was all about guaranteeing themselves ever lasting European football and the revenue it brings, simply take it away from them for a year or so would be an apt punishment. I am still bitter about our 80's European ban (that was our time and we had it taken from us!!) - although I realise we can't compare the people dying to clubs wanting to brake away.

However, CL would be shooting themselves in the foot if the competition lost all these teams (we can't argue that they have a massive global following) for 12 months or more. viewing figure down, revenues lost etc.  If this did happen then it could help these clubs argue the point - the competition needs us in it. Also who ever won or did well in the CL in a 'ban' season - would always have that footnote against their success and also be denied great European nights against the so called giants of Europe. 

I think a points deduction has to be the only thing that would satisfy most people. At the moment the PL gives a 9 point points deduction for administration - so that has to be the benchmark for any punishment. My preference would be for the deduction to apply to the start of next season rather than this season. Maybe applied to next two seasons for those found to be ringleaders, as I think these owners do deserve a bit more of a slap!! 

A UEFA punishment to these clubs is that the coefficient that might allow then to qualify in for CL if they finish outside the normal qualifying places if stripped from them for the first 3-5years for the revamp competition. or even go as far as dumping this coefficient as that pretty much only benefits these 12 clubs anyhow - and should never be anyhow.  UEFA have bent over to try and listen to these bigger clubs and revamp the CL, and they chucked it back in their faces and tried to shaft then good style. 

[Bailey]

I will be amazed if the punishment from UEFA or the Premier League is anything more than a slap on the wrists.

I hope these last few days have opened a lot of peoples eyes because this should now lead to a much larger review of football in finances starting with the sharing of prize money and TV rights being distributed at much higher levels down the leagues, even if that means on Everton not seeing as much of the cake as we see now. If the finances aren't re-distributed then the FFP rules need to be changed to allow sides to use more of the money from their proven wealthy benefactors just as City, Southampton and Leicester have done in the past.

The likes of Neville and Carragher have done amazing work in the media to stop this in its tracks but the pyramid they are campaigning for has a fixed block right at the very top which includes our club whilst the blocks at the very bottom, which have become more damaged year after year, have been disintegrated completely by Covid.

 

[Cornish Steve]

The fairest punishment would be something that really hurts the owners financially and not the teams. I wonder what are the details of the deal they signed. After all, it's a legal document, and they committed to over 20 years of participation. JP Morgan Chase put up billions and will now be hurting. What would be really interesting is the financial community using the legal system to invoke financial penalties for withdrawal. A 9-figure fine to each set of owners should do the trick.

[RuffRob]

36 minutes ago, Bailey said:

I will be amazed if the punishment from UEFA or the Premier League is anything more than a slap on the wrists.

I hope these last few days have opened a lot of peoples eyes because this should now lead to a much larger review of football in finances starting with the sharing of prize money and TV rights being distributed at much higher levels down the leagues, even if that means on Everton not seeing as much of the cake as we see now. If the finances aren't re-distributed then the FFP rules need to be changed to allow sides to use more of the money from their proven wealthy benefactors just as City, Southampton and Leicester have done in the past.

The likes of Neville and Carragher have done amazing work in the media to stop this in its tracks but the pyramid they are campaigning for has a fixed block right at the very top which includes our club whilst the blocks at the very bottom, which have become more damaged year after year, have been disintegrated completely by Covid.

 

You are probably right, nothing much will happen - but it should. Just to bring these self claimed clubs down a peg or two. Most are grovelling like mad now!!

[Ghoat]

One year ban on European competition, and then fine them prize money portion from their table position at the end of the season. Take that windfall, and use to help the tier 2-4 teams that have really suffered mightily during the lockdown. Thereby forcing them to financially help the very teams they were going to screw over.

The only thing they are sorry about, is that it failed. If you have 5 mates go to rob a bank, and suddenly realized you're way out-gunned, you don't just put down the loot and your weapons and say "Man, we're sorry, I'm not sure what we were thinking. We're just gonna leave now and pretend this never happened." No punishment for the six clubs would be akin to that scenario for me.

[Btay]

The fa has a golden chance to grip its authority back and get some respect. No punishment or accountability will be a huge show of weakness.

I don’t want for one minute this to be the reason we make Europe but these 6 clubs made a disgraceful decision and must be made accountable. 

[Romey 1878]

https://www.football365.com/news/butt-man-utd-apology-irrelevant-after-worst-case-of-bullying

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/apr/21/back-to-normal-will-simply-not-suffice-the-super-league-12-need-to-be-punished

Jonathan Liew is one of the best around imo.

[MikeO]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56842442

[Hafnia]

1 hour ago, MikeO said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56842442

He's a 74 year old nob head who hasn't been told to fuck off enough times in his life.

Get tending to your tomatoes and spend time with your family you greedy prick.  Most important clubs?!  Fuck right off. 

[Matt]

https://twitter.com/CHAMP1ON_M1N/status/1384944082779262980?s=20

[MikeO]

Dear Mike,

At the end of a challenging week for our game, I wanted to write to you to thank you for your support.

Much has happened since we learned about the plans for a breakaway ‘European Super League’ just five days ago… And while it has been a sad and difficult period, it has also been a period in which the game has come together; supporters, clubs, the media, players and former players uniting through a determined spirit to do the right thing and uphold the ethos and principles of the game we all love.

It was very important to me and my fellow Directors that we made our position – and the views of Evertonians – absolutely clear from the outset. And, as I am sure you are aware, we did that on Tuesday morning through a public statement and the representations we made at the Premier League meeting. We made our thoughts clear – thoughts that were always, unequivocally driven by a desire to do what is right and with supporters at their heart.

I can assure you that I, along with my fellow directors, will be working closely with colleagues and shareholders at the Premier League to ensure the events of this week are not able to happen again – and that appropriate action is taken.

If there is any good to come from what has been a grossly unedifying chapter in the history of our game, it is how quickly people across football came together and spoke up, clearly and with one voice in the best interests of football. I am pleased that, eventually, those voices were heard.

And this should give us hope. The hope that through all stakeholders in the game working together in an open, collaborative way - with the principles of the game uppermost in our minds - we can find a solution which has you and your fellow supporters at its heart, reflecting your ambitions, your passion, your hopes and your dreams.

To support us with this - and to provide input into the now inevitable strategic review of our game - we will be conducting supporter consultation in the coming weeks. This is likely to be in the form of a set of surveys which will be emailed to you. I am delighted the Club will be working alongside our Fans’ Forum on this project. In advance of the commencement of this consultation, if you have strong views or ideas in relation to matters of the last week or any other subject important to you, I encourage you to contact the Forum through the dedicated email account chair@evertonfansforum.com which has been set up for this purpose. Your ideas and your feedback will help us greatly in future discussions with other stakeholders.

I, along with my fellow board members, will do everything possible to ensure the voice of Evertonians continues to be heard, loud and clear.

There will be difficult times ahead, but through working together as an Everton Family and a football family, I'm sure we will get to where you and I want our still beautiful game to be.

NSNO

Denise