Why the European Super League Can't Be Good News!

By now, every football fan and many who watch football only occasionally, would have heard about the proposed European Super League. In the last 48 hours, there have been announcements from the ‘founding member’ clubs of this new tournament format, followed swiftly by threats from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), as well as severe condemnations from the Football Authorities of the domestic football leagues of England, Spain and Italy, the countries that host the founding clubs as well as from Football's patriarch body, FIFA. Numerous football pundits, former players, commentators, newspersons and other people related to the sport, have also come forward to air their views on this divisive issue that has rocked the world of football. 

SO, WHAT IS THIS SUPER LEAGUE? 

Without going into too much details, it is a breakaway tournament proposed by 12 major European clubs, to be held annually, and is expected to take over from the UEFA Champions League, presently the most coveted continental football tournament of Europe. The 12 clubs associated so far include the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs from England, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from Spain, and Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan from Italy. The other two major European leagues in France and Germany have no club signed up for this new format yet, but by the looks of it, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint Germain are the ones who would be automatic choices for the remaining 3 spots for the group of 15 founder clubs. 

THE PROPOSED FORMAT.

The format proposed is that of an annual tournament, with these 15 founding clubs getting automatic qualification every year, with 5 more clubs qualifying each year based on their domestic performances. The 20 teams will be split into two groups of 10 each, and will play against each other in a home and away format, with the top three from each group proceeding to the quarter finals, where they will be joined by two more teams that would evolve from the fourth and fifth placed teams of each group competing through a two legged play-off showdown.    

Thereafter, it follows the same format as the present Champions League, ending in a single fixture final to determine the winners.

WHO BENEFITS AND HOW?

Primarily, the participating clubs, and in particular the founding clubs are expected to benefit most. Since this is intended as a tournament only for the so called ‘elite’ clubs, it is expected to generate far more revenue from viewership, sponsorship and media rights, that will directly enrich the coffers of these top clubs, who are expected to receive over €10 billion in ‘solidarity payments’ during their initial commitment period. To add to that, they will also receive €3.5 billion for infrastructure investment. To put in context, the present UEFA competitions generated between €3.0 and €4.4 billion in TV earnings every year.   

WHO TENDS TO LOSE?

Almost everyone else!

Clubs:

But let’s start with all the clubs that would not qualify for The Super League. In the present format of the Champions League (CL), 32 clubs qualify each year after a rigorous process that includes some teams qualifying due to their position in their respective domestic leagues, some qualifying from their performances in certain domestic and continental Cup competitions, as well as others qualifying from preliminary, qualifying and play-off rounds, to add up to the final teams that compete in the Group stages. While the top leagues like Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 have a higher quota of participating teams, there is still a good chance for many clubs playing outside of the big five leagues to qualify and compete in this elite tournament for European supremacy.

In the new format, while there are still 5 slots left to be filled, it will be unlikely to see the likes of RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Marseilles, Celtic or even legacy clubs like Benfica and Ajax giving the bigger clubs a run for their money.

Football Associations and Domestic Leagues: 

Most European domestic leagues have clubs competing for three different targets, usually in this order:

1) To win the league

2) To qualify for the Champions League

3) To avoid relegation to the lower division.

To take the example of the Premier League, while Manchester City is expected to lift the trophy this season, there is a fierce battle ensuing between Chelsea, Leicester City, West Ham, Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton for the last two Champions League spots. At the bottom end of the table, Sheffield United has just been relegated, but there is still no room to relax for Fulham, West Brom, Burnley, Brighton and Newcastle, as every poor performance can significantly shatter their dream of playing in the top division next season.

With Super League replacing the CL, and with 15 spots pre determined for many seasons to come, that excitement of fighting for continental qualification disappears into thin air, thereby taking a large chunk of the attractiveness of the domestic leagues. And, God forbid, if UEFA were to ban the founder clubs from participating in their respective domestic leagues, the Premier Leagues and the La Ligas will never be the same again.

Meritocracy and Competition:

With a tournament exclusively for the elite, where qualification is predetermined, it takes away that element of opportunity for the smaller clubs to compete at the highest level, and takes the big clubs completely out of the reach of those outside the band of elites. The rich become richer and the poor become poorer, defeating the purpose of a game that has been seeking and craving for inclusion.  

The Players:

UEFA has also threatened to ban players playing in the Super League, from playing for their national teams in UEFA and FIFA competitions, like the Euros, Cup of African Nations, Confederations Cup and the World Cup. While this is widely seen as a scare tactic used by UEFA, if there is the slightest chance of this happening, it can be very damaging for Football in general. Most of the big clubs have a number of their players getting selected for their respective countries, for big and small tournaments, as well as for friendlies and qualifying matches. Many of these matches are unnecessary and against the interest of the clubs, who believe they 'own' the players due to their contractual obligations. However, while national football has long taken a back seat compared to the more commercialised club football, for most players, representing their country and contributing to its glory in a tournament like the World Cup, is still the most coveted of all achievements. Imagine a Portugal team without Cristiano Ronaldo or an Argentina team without Lionel Messi, and it all feels fake.   

The Fans:

And last but not the least, the football fans are the ones to lose out eventually. For the fans of those premium clubs, life might still be somewhat the same, but for those outside of this band of elites, their existence is suddenly under severe cloud. It is equivalent to bringing in a class or caste based structure, where entertainment is limited to the upper echelons of the footballing society, while those from the lower strata of the society will need to sort out a fundamental, existential crisis. If you are not a fan of one of these mammoth clubs, with a global fan following, a stacked up trophy cabinet and decades of legacy, it is better you don’t exist, because you don’t count any more.

THE BOTTOMLINE.

Let me admit at this point, that I am a devoted fan of Liverpool FC, and few things bring me more joy in life, than watching my beloved club do well and win trophies. Like most Liverpool fans, I have been delighted with our team’s performance over the last few seasons, despite being largely disappointed in the present season. I would love to see my club prosper and succeed even more commercially, thereby allowing us to compete against our cash rich rivals.

But before being a Liverpool fan, it is imperative that I identify myself as a football fan, and acknowledge the fact that this beautiful game comes before any club. So, if something is not good for football, it can’t be good for a football club, or rephrasing it, if something is not good for football, it doesn’t matter if it is good for any, some or my football club.   

So no, the Super League is not good news for football!

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