For Better Football or Better Income? - The Hows, Whats, and Whys of The European Super League
Opinion Analysis by Annabelle Ghanem, Contributor
April 29th, 2021
Once upon a time, in the year 2018, a German news outlet named Der Spiegel, leaked classified documents that included details about secret conversations between top European football clubs, about forming a “European Super League”, an idea first heard of in the 1980s and that was quickly pushed aside by national league supporters and established football franchises. Several teams whose names were mentioned within the documents refused to comment on the then stated allegations, and thus the story was put to bed for two years, up until April 2021...
On the 18th of April 2021, twelve of the biggest names in European football announced the creation of an entirely new sporting competition, one that would allow 20 European fan favorite teams to compete in a competition like no other, The European Super League. From Real Madrid, to Chelsea, to Juventus, some of the biggest names in European football history have announced their participation in the newly formed league, as founding members of the competition. The news broke the internet as fans were enraged with the idea of a “capitalistic competition”, said to be created as a source of revenue instead of good football. Let’s dive deeper into what the European Super League is, how will it affect the current dynamic of European football competitions, and most importantly, why it is taking place to begin with.
What is the European Super League?
Throughout the history of the sport, football fans have always looked forward to the rare moments where top notch European football teams found themselves on different sides of the field, where they would be paying top dollar to witness the passion, heart, and challenge that comes out of such classic games. However, the European Super League aims to turn those rare occurrences into mid-week matchups, where teams would find themselves competing in high-revenue games on a weekly basis.
The structure of the Super League includes fifteen permanent members, and five open slots in which European teams must compete annually to qualify for. The twelve teams who initially announced the creation and their participation within the ESL as permanent members are: The Big 6 from England (Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham), Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Barcelona from Spain, and finally, AC Milan, Juventus, and Inter Milan from Italy. The lineup comes with the noticeable exclusion of fan favorite teams Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, who have both declined their offers to join the ESL as both founding members and participants of the league.
As well, a hierarchy has already been established within the league, whereby Florentino Perez, President of Real Madrid, will serve as Chairman, alongside four Vice Chairmen: Joel Glazer from Manchester United, John Henry from Liverpool, Stan Kroenke from Arsenal, and Andrea Agnelli from Juventus.
Why do clubs want to form a Super League?
Without a doubt, the main reason behind the establishment of the European Super League is the generation of a higher income and higher revenue for participating teams. With matches between some of the best football clubs in the world taking place on a weekly basis, more and more revenue will surely be generated in return, ultimately banking more than the Champions League would on an annual basis. In fact, the broadcasting rights of the Super League alone would predictably sell for an extremely profitable price, therefore already granting each founding member hundreds of millions of US Dollars, simply because of their participation.
Surely, the Covid-19 pandemic has drastically influenced sales, particularly ticket sales, for all sporting clubs around the world, thus nudging the teams to begin establishing the ESL at a faster pace even further. However, it is important to bear in mind that this plan has been in the drafting stages for years now, as the UEFA Champions League group stages are slowly becoming more predictable, and therefore less appealing to watchers. Despite the UEFA announcing their reforms for the league by 2024, clubs took it upon themselves to generate their own form of revenue, arguably disregarding the true purpose behind the game to begin with.
How will the ESL affect European Football Competitions?
Originally, the mid-week game slots were reserved for the renowned UEFA Champions League, a tournament hosting 32 (soon to be 36) of Europe’s football teams, all of which receive their spots by qualification and merit. With the notable overlap the ESL aims to create between the two leagues by scheduling matches mid-week as well, participants of the European Super League would no longer be competing in the UEFA Champions League, which would drastically impact the number of revenues, watchers, and classic games present in the continental tournament.
This means that those goosebumps moments where underdogs become victors, and mediocre teams earn higher reputations, would almost be non-existent, completely changing the dynamic of the sport; a sport with a rich history of being a tool for inclusion and diversity, rather than a purely capitalistic revenue making machine.
Whether the European Super League would also affect the revenue and number of watchers in terms of the national leagues, such as the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A or not, has been a controversial topic amongst supporters of the sporting world. Some would argue that regardless of whether the new league would be established or not, fans would always stay loyal to their national leagues, therefore solely causing major financial and popularity strains on the Champions League.
Regardless, national leagues had no shame in sharing their disappointment towards the clubs who joined the European Super League. In fact, the Football Association threatened to ban participants of the ESL from all domestic competitions, while FIFA and UEFA threatened to exclude ESL competing players from the World Cup and Euros. The strong retaliation shook both the clubs and fans dramatically, completely turning the football scene into a cold war zone, with serious repercussions on both sides, should neither choose to surrender.
How did the World react to The Super League Announcement?
It’s safe to say that the UEFA and FA were not the only ones that were against the European Super League. In fact, the majority of football fans, clubs, and foundations were furious about the decision at hand.
Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal fans quickly took to the streets to protest against the decisions being made by their respective clubs, holding up signs such as “created by the poor, stolen by the rich,” in order to shed light on the capitalist interests that are overshadowing the true values of the game because of these club owners. Watchers were infuriated to the point where they wanted their own teams to pay for what they’ve done, whereby they saw their participation in the ESL as a complete insult to football.
April 24th, 2021, Manchester United Fans protesting outside Old Trafford via Getty Images
Also, fellow European Teams shared their disappointment with their neighbors, following their decision to join the Super League. Denise Barrett-Baxendale, CEO of Everton FC, responded to the news of the ESL with the following statement: “Throughout our history the Club has always strived to move both Everton and the game forward. But we have always done so within the parameters of the pyramid structure which maintains the principles of open competition and sporting merit. Sadly, the plans that have been made public by 12 clubs from across Europe - and six in our own Premier League - do not maintain those principles.”
The pressure was taken a step further, particularly shifting it towards the English Big 6, when government officials began sharing their particular views on the matter, ultimately showcasing the damage that the mere whisper of a super league could and has already caused. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, had no problem sharing his disapproval of the European Super League over twitter, while encouraging clubs to withdraw their participation.
April 20th, 2021, Boris Johnson tweets about ESL via Twitter
Is the European Super League still happening?
With practically all the pressure in the world being put on the selected teams’ shoulders, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City have officially withdrawn as founding members and participants of the European Super League, while simultaneously issuing formal apologies to fans and fellow competing teams for their previous decision. Manchester United’s Co-Chairman, Joel Glazer, also previously known as one of the Vice Chairmen of the ESL, issued a formal apology stating; "You made very clear your opposition to the European Super League, and we have listened. We got it wrong, and we want to show that we can put things right,"
Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, and Inter Millan soon followed suit and will no longer be participating both in the pre- and post-stages of the European Super League as well. Also, the Spanish team issued a statement in support of its fans saying that "for the club, harmony is essential for everyone involved in the Red and White family, especially our fans. The first team squad and its coach showed satisfaction with the club's decision, understanding that sporting merits must prevail over any other criteria."
It is more than likely that the European Super League will no longer be taking place, seeing as the only teams left standing are Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus, out of the 12 founding teams. Although the ESL would’ve surely paved the way for some memorable matches, it’s concept completely overshadows the true values of all sports and competitions. However, I’d like to believe that this experience has taught the world a valuable lesson. Regardless of how many years it takes to plan out situations of injustice, it doesn’t take more than a few days to dismantle it, so long as the people unite together and fight for what’s right.