European Super League Starts, Gets Cancelled

Posted on by

By Jahir Poz

What a month it was for soccer.

We had the MLS start again in the U.S., and in Europe the Champions League had an exciting week. However, during all this, the news broke of a so-called “European Super League” that was in the works and ready to take part in the next two years. Multiple big teams in Europe from across the top 5 leagues came together and agreed to start their own league apart from UEFA and FIFA: AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, all of which are very prestigious clubs in Europe.

Just hours after receiving all the criticism and rants, two teams decided to pull out of the “Super League” competition immediately. Days later more teams were pulling out of the league due to the backlash. Only two teams were left–Real and Atletico de Madrid, who are both from Spain. The Super League, which would have rivaled the pan-European Champions League organized by the European football body UEFA, was presented as a way to “provide significantly greater economic growth and support for European football.”

Real Madrid’s president Florentino Perez was the man behind all this when he came up with the idea to make a new league. Even though he said the move was designed “to make football better,” this clearly would have made it worse. He even said in an interview that, “When money does not flow from the rich clubs to the poor clubs, everyone suffers… It’s impossible to make signings like Mbappe and Haaland, in general, not just for Real Madrid, without the Super League… If we don’t sign Mbappe this summer, I don’t think any fan will shoot himself in the head. They know we’re doing our best, and if things don’t happen, it’s because they’re impossible.”

A key problem was the proposal for all founding members of the 20-team league to keep their place regardless of their performance. Soccer teams across Europe have to perform well in their domestic leagues in order to qualify for the lucrative Champions League. And, unlike in most American league sports, teams who aren’t performing well face the possibility of being sent to the league below in the structure.

“The dream in football is that the smallest team can rise from the bottom to the top,” Michael Brunskill, a spokesman for the Football Supporters’ Association, said.

There’s a saying going on that states, “Created by the poor; stolen by the riches.” That is exactly what has happened here–it’s not about the passion of the fans or the players, it is all about the money for the owners who just want more and more. It is pathetic that all the rich soccer history just wanted to be thrown away for money. Every fan had the right to voice their opinion on this and not one fan said anything good that supported this decision made solely by the owners.

Fans can all agree that this Super League would have ruined football forever. As profitable as it may have been for owners, with fans, football would not be the same and it’s good that they realized it before it was too late.

tagged with , , ,