Football talks!

This week, at the general assembly of the Pro League, a declaration of intent was voted in which the clubs indicated that they would agree to negotiate about the Beneliga, a joint football league with Belgian and Dutch topclubs.

Belgian top clubs see in this Beneliga a means to increase their revenues through TV-fees and extra sponsor income. The smaller clubs in turn hope for a solidarity contribution from the big clubs to expand their financial resources and be able to play a fully-fledged league at the national level. 

For the first time, this intention has been confirmed by a vote, and it appears that the minds in Belgium have matured enough to develop this project further and to actually take the step within a few years. The fact that the current competition formula is doomed, as well as the indecisiveness and back-room politics in the current system, will certainly aid to this decision.

But, it takes two to tango. 

In the Netherlands, the enthusiasm for this joint competition formula is not so great. Especially the smaller clubs see more benefit in the current competition formula than in a joint Belgian - Dutch project. They fear being relegated to the background and having to compete in an inferior national league. The fact that a 5/6 majority is needed in the Netherlands to push through this decision does not make things any easier.

Moreover, there are many questions that remain unanswered. For example, it is not certain that UEFA will address the question of whether the number of European places (currently 10) will be retained for both countries. If some of these places are lost, the formula would obviously become less interesting for the bigger teams as their chances of winning European football and the money it would bring would diminish. Another question that arises is what will happen to the national leagues and whether the clubs participating in them will be able to promote to the Beneliga. Finally, the calculations of a possible TV deal are very optimistic and the question is whether these figures are feasible. The French example where the TV deal cannot be fulfilled by the winning side, makes everyone think. Also the fact that the national TV deals are currently not aligned could cause a whole series of legal problems.

The current target date is 2025, but the fear is that a lot of water will still have to flow through the Schelde and the Maas before the Beneliga will be effectively introduced.