The Failure Of The Super League | Sports Recap
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Good day ladies and gents of the X-Army, I hope you are doing well. It’s been a mad few days in the world of Football (Soccer) and I feel the need to give my perspective on it. The Super League or European Super League was the most controversial proposal as of late in the football world and the amazing failure of it has been amazing to see. Let’s dive in and see, from my perspective, where this fell off a cliff.
The Proposal |
So I am both an Arsenal and a Sheffield United fan, also of other various clubs from other leagues, but an overall fan of football. When I initially heard the conversation of having the best teams in one competition that is not the UEFA Champions League I was both hot and cold on the idea. This was back in the early 2010s when I was in college and I saw what they were trying. Excluding the smaller teams, having only the bigger teams, and generating more revenue based on the match-ups that are in the competition. I could see from back then that is would not have been a good idea because you are excusing the competition aspect of having everyone in there fighting for glory and only limiting the teams that are the most notable.
Fast-forward to the pandemic where clubs were affected by not having fans and having to let go of employees, the clubs with the biggest wage bills were losing money and being bled dry. The idea was presented under the quiet after Bayern Munich won the Champions League in 2020, but no one really gave it that much attention. Now on the weekend of April 17–18 of 2021 the initial idea became a reality where all the top teams in the Premier League, Spanish Premiera, and Italy’s Serie A forced the governing bodies and leagues hands by plotting to break away to the Super League. With each plotting to leave their legacy and glory behind, the football community got scared and fought back.
What Would The Super League Have Been? |
The Super League would have consisted Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Juventus. Wow that’s a ton of top teams right there. They would exclusively be in the Super League for 23 years with no relegation for the founding member, with invitations being sent to other top teams to go in and play. Each team would soley play this competition in place of the other European Competitions and continue to play in their own domestic divisions. With the sum of money the clubs get for being in this league being a barrel ton of money, you can see the incentive to jump in it. If the respective leagues of these clubs were to expel them from playing in their countries, they would just jump ship and only play in the Super League.
It Didn’t Make Sense |
So as you can see from just the description of this proposed league it would dilute the competition in each countries football pyramid. The incentive of the best teams giving it their all would be at a minimum. If the best teams are guaranteed a place in a luxurious competition without giving it their all in the leagues then you would see them only play their kids or development players and not fearing being relegated. Their would be literally no edge for them to even play their best players or utilize risk if they know they are playing Real Madrid during the week. The less visible teams that have been disrespected in this proposed move would surely win domestic competitions and have glory, but it would be empty. Imagine this, if you play a game knowing that the team you are playing against is not giving their best and are letting you win, is it rewarding? Is it valid or worth it? No, and that was the overall problem. Every achievement any team would win, with or without the Super League teams in the leagues, would not be a rewarding feeling. Simply because those Super League teams would have no repercussions for failing. If they lose to a team like Harrogate Town in the bottom division it would no matter at all since they are playing Barcelona during the week for a ton of cash. So the victory a small club would have over a massive club in their respective country would not be rewarding since they will be playing a bunch of development players and not their best. So it’s overall disrespect and a spit in the face to the teams on all other competitions. Plus this was only for money anyway.
Much Respect To Other Clubs & Fans |
The reaction from the football world has been amazing to see over the past few days. The fact that everyone besides the owners of these clubs saw this as a ridiculous idea and would destroy the integrity of the game. The fact that Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and other distinguished teams called this out for what it was and weren’t even approached shows what a closed viewpoint this thing would have been. Seeing actual peaceful protests for once was also refreshing. Rivals coming together and joining arms for a cause like this makes me proud to be a fan. Not seeing the sport be stolen like the election was the driving force behind this and everyone’s voice got heard. Well done everyone and I hope we can move past this farce. Football is already corrupt and the fact Qatar has the World Cup with all their human rights issues is something else. Racism against white, asian, latino, muslim, and black players is something we need to come together on too. No racist attacks on ALL is what we need to confront next and I am with that. Not just black people because surprising to some, black people are as racist as anyone. Human nature. Overall, what we saw in reaction to this is the voice of people who love the sport and I know that with this same energy we can change a lot more things.
In Conclusion |
This will not stop here. Even though it stopped here with the proposed idea, it will happen happen. The desire for more money and power is great in all, but specifically with the elites in football. We will here something like this again somewhere down the road, so be prepared. The teams involved will have to get some consequences to their actions to teach them a lesson. Loss of point, titles stripped, or something has to be done to prevent anyone from doing something similar to this in the future. Let’s keep the sport we love clean enough to pass on to the future generation.
I hope you enjoyed this Sport Recap of the failed Super League. It was trash from day one, but the fact it got that far was a joke. Please like, follow, and stay tuned for more great content. Take it easy!
Originally published at http://xagonspeaks.wordpress.com on April 22, 2021.