“Without fans, football is nothing.” The legendary Sir Matt Busby’s quote is maybe even more prevalent now than ever before. Plans of a European Super League may have been put on hold for now, but football’s fate is set.
The idea of the ESL is a good one, but it should remain as that. The current Champions League format already sees the best take on the best, with some of the football greatest football ever being seen on display. So why change it? Personally, I have never heard anyone complain about the current format, I’m not really sure how it can be improved?
But the idea to make a ‘European Super League’ is not about making a better standard of football. It’s about money. Arguments of which teams should be in it or deserve to be are irrelevant. It doesn’t matter how well you’ve done in your respective league, if you can’t compete financially compete, you’re not in the conversation. That’s the harsh reality.
The protests say it all really. I think the whole of the football world is against the idea. Looking across social media, it’s hard to find one argument that justifies the ESL as a legitimate plan. A doable concept. Fans having to travel across the continent just to watch their club is wrong. Playing league games exclusively on a weekday is wrong. It’s unattainable for fans to go and watch their club home and away, it’s impossible.
The disconnect between the owner and club has now been underlined. The difference in priorities between the two are so far apart, I struggle to see how it won’t come to a cross road down the line. The trend in which managers are being sacked after any sort of bump in the road is becoming clearer. It has little to do with the style of play on the pitch or their relationship with the fans, it’s about results, or as owners see it, money. They can not afford to play exciting, free-flowing football and finish 14th, it’s a business. If results aren’t up to standard things have to change.
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It’s hard to see how things are going to change as well, things are only going one way and that’s not back to the fans. The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic remains to be seen but I expect to see the bigger clubs praying on the smaller side to pick off their top talent. Clubs need money to run and they have been lacking it this season so it would be no surprise if they look else where for income and that starts with their best players.
It’s horrible to see.
These clubs now need to be reprimanded in a way that will hurt them. A financial punishment would be laughable. It does nothing. It needs to be deeper. Whether that is a ban from European Football, a point deduction or a transfer ban. For the good of the game, something has to change.
