European and Global Super League Plans

[Jordinho]

They should make football more like cycling. Abolish all existing competitions and have little mini tournaments all over the world. Trophies galore.

Set up a pool of super clubs and let them have as many players as they want . That way they can enter more than one cup at a time and compete all around the globe.

 

[Craig_J]

This is nothing new to be honest, older supporters will remember the so called big clubs going on about doing this decades ago and is the reason the European Cup was replaced by the Champs Lge.

Indeed. My uncle gave me a load of his old football programmes from games he'd been too. One was from a Cup Winners Cup Quarter final against Feyenoord. At one of the back pages where the advertisments are it had a small parapgraph saying something along the lines off "Can you imagine watching Tottenham Hotspur playing the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan and Rangers every week?" and went on to basically promote the idea of a super league.

I think something like this will happen eventually sadly and when it does I will honestly give up football for good.

I also can't see how any Liverpool fan could possibly be in favour of this. They've compained a lot over the last few weeks about the price of Premier League tickets. Wonder how much they'll complain about European Super League tickets and the price of plane tickets to Japan.

 

[Whiffler]

They should make football more like cycling. Abolish all existing competitions and have little mini tournaments all over the world. Trophies galore.

Set up a pool of super clubs and let them have as many players as they want . That way they can enter more than one cup at a time and compete all around the globe.

If I might put an alternate view.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Un un-bowdlerised version is available.

 

[Baleforce]

There’s a very thin line between “well if you look at our net spend and wage bill” and “Stillitano is insulting football”, the soul was sold a long time ago.

I'm obviously ambivalent to many considered ills
of the modern game, and I'm sure that sooner or later domestic leagues will effectively be a closed shop based on movable franchises, but, the European Cup has to have the sporting integrity of qualification, that's the whole point, who's the best team, now.

 

[Jordinho]

UEFA are now apparently planning talks on how to make the CL more appealing for the big clubs. One more qualifying round where the top 16 seeds play 16 qualifiers for a place in a new group stage with two groups of 8 teams.

According to a source:

“The Champions League is losing audiences and interest lately – you have seen games like Barcelona v BATE Borisov. So there is an ongoing discussion about how the system can be changed so there are more relevant games, so the way the group system is in the future ensures there are more interesting games and less uninteresting ones.

“That's a long conversation, Uefa is involved, and there is pressure from the European clubs to change the format, and Uefa is saying ‘yes, we will do that, because commercially it's not working well enough’.”

That would kill it off entirely as far as my interest goes. Letting the biggest clubs in the biggest leagues have even more money is sure to make football better.

 

[Lemonade Money]

The reason people are losing interest is precisely because the big teams are protected.

 

[Modric THFC]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/23/uefa-champions-league-revamp

Uefa is considering a major revamp of the Champions League format
Jamie Jackson
Uefa is considering a major revamp of the Champions League, with the group stage potentially cut to 16 teams. The move is being driven by continental clubs’ concern that they are being left behind by huge revenues generated by the Premier League and the revised format may mean so-called lesser teams having a reduced presence in the group phase.

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Changing the group stage into what would effectively be two mini super-leagues is being considered by European football’s governing body, according to sources at a major Premier League club. Uefa is expected to announce any changes to their flagship competition next season, before the sale of the next cycle of commercial deals. As the Champions League is in the first term of a three-year rights contract it would be difficult for any change until after the 2017-18 edition.

A Uefa spokesperson told the Guardian: “Uefa is in constant contact with all stakeholders, including the clubs, on all football matters. Therefore, any plans to evolve the format of our club competitions would be coordinated and negotiated together with them. There are currently no concrete proposals on the table since we are at the beginning of a new cycle (2015-18) of our club competitions.”

The transformation of Europe’s blue riband club tournament might also include more knockout rounds before the revamped group phase. If there was one extra round the top-seeded 16 clubs might enter the competition at this point and would not be able to draw each other. The established continental clubs believe this would allow them a better chance of avoiding lesser teams at the group stage, which in an eight-team format would mean 14 matches, played home and away.

An example cited during discussions with Uefa came in 2008-09 when Real Madrid were drawn in a group that included Bate Borisov. The ties between the two sides attracted low viewing figures and there is a firm desire to avoid repeats in the future by having more high-profile games, generating a bigger income.

The Premier League’s record new domestic broadcast deal from next year of £5.14bn – plus an expected further ¤3bn (£2.37bn) from overseas rights – is causing concern. The budgets of all 20 Premier League teams will be greater than most of their overseas counterparts who compete at the top end of their domestic leagues.

Next season, the side relegated bottom from the Premier League will receive £100m, as much as Chelsea received when becoming claiming the title in May. The champions in May 2017 will be rewarded with prize-money of around £150m.

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When monies from ticket sales and commercial deals– each worth £15m-£20m – are factored in, then Aston Villa, who are likely to be relegatedbottom this term, would receive a reward of around £140m next season, nearly three times the budget of many continental clubs. La Liga’s Sevilla, for example, operate on around £50m a year. Winning the Champions League offers a reward of £40m-£50m, a third of the prize-money received by next year’s Premier League champions.

The possible move to a larger group format could be seen as a first step towards a European Super League. At the start of the month senior executives from Chelsea, Manchester United, Emirates Marketing Project, Arsenal and Liverpool, the Premier League’s “big five” met in London to discuss the Champions League with the American tycoon Charlie Stillitano, chairman of Relevent Sports, which organises of the close season International Champions Cup. The clubs were forced to deny there are plans for a breakaway European Super League.

But two days later Stillitano suggested a change to the Champions League might be for it to become a closed shop. “What would Manchester United argue: did we create soccer or did Leicester create [it]?” said Stillitano. “Let’s call it the money pot created by soccer and the fandom around the world. Who has had more of an integral role, Manchester United or Leicester? It’s a wonderful, wonderful story – but you could see it from Manchester United’s point of view, too. It’s the age-old argument: US sports franchises [which do not have relegation] versus what they have in Europe.”

 

[Modric THFC]

They don't get it do they?
Remember the last time they beefed up the group stages. Normal group stage and then and extra 6 games to get the 16 teams down to 8.
There were just dead rubbers everywhere.

Imagine 2 groups of 8.
Only 2 or 3 of those teams will stand a chance of winning the groups.
How many of those 112 games will have even less viewers than that Real - Bate Borisov game.
There would be nothing glamorous about a 6th in the group PSV v 4th in the group Roma.

Any Super League would be the same.

 

[Whiffler]

....

But two days later Stillitano suggested a change to the Champions League might be for it to become a closed shop. “What would Manchester United argue: did we create soccer or did Leicester create [it]?” said Stillitano. “Let’s call it the money pot created by soccer and the fandom around the world. Who has had more of an integral role, Manchester United or Leicester? It’s a wonderful, wonderful story – but you could see it from Manchester United’s point of view, too. It’s the age-old argument: US sports franchises [which do not have relegation] versus what they have in Europe.”

Manchester United .......... 1878

Leicester City ................ 1884

UEFA ........................... 1954​

Well, it appears UEFA didn't invent it.

 

[jts1882]

UEFA are now apparently planning talks on how to make the CL more appealing for the big clubs. One more qualifying round where the top 16 seeds play 16 qualifiers for a place in a new group stage with two groups of 8 teams.

Doesn't that create a risk of the big clubs missing out? Early in the season there is probably more chance of an upset. Next they will suggest a wildcard for any big team losing unexpectedly.

 

[StephenH]

They do need to stop the early imbalanced ties e.g. BATE Vs Barcelona in all european competitions. They are far too diluted of quality in early rounds.

BT have hemorrhaged viewing figures - but some of that is down to BT being poor and some down to boring competition.

CL & EL do need a root and branch reorganising. Where this will end will be interesting.

 

[Grays_1890]

The Champions League is boring, but that is because there are too many teams and the quality is being diluted, also people don't watch the guff ties...

 

[elyid]

They do need to stop the early imbalanced ties e.g. BATE Vs Barcelona in all european competitions. They are far too diluted of quality in early rounds.

The reason this is not interesting is because of the "league" aspect. You know BATE aren't going to qualify so it's pointless.

If there were more knockout rounds then it would be more exciting to see a potential upset. Why they want to go the other way and make more pointless league matches makes no sense (other than its a smokescreen that they just want more games between big teams, regardless of actual "excitement").

 

[jaysea67]

The CL access list was changed in 2009/10. Before that 16 teams had direct entry to the CL group stage. These were the domestic champions and runners-up from the countries ranked 1-6 and the domestic champions from the countries ranked 7-10. If 16 teams started in a last 32 knockout round leading to a revised group stage I would have expected those teams to qualify in a similar way.

I noticed the part in the Guardian article that says "... the top-seeded 16 clubs might enter the competition at this point ..." Is that suggesting that the 16 clubs at the top of UEFA's rankings could get automatic entry to this round regardless of their league position in the previous season? Or that teams qualify through their league as normal but that, when all CL entrants are known, the top 16 don't have to compete in the earlier qualifying rounds and jump straight to the final 32? Or am I reading too much into it?

 

[Whiffler]

In the end, UEFA & FIFA just want back doors as solutions when they don't get what they want through the front door.

It's a sport, let people play each other. The best team is not decided by last season/match, but by the current one.

 

[jabbathehut]

How would 2 groups of 8 work.Top 2 in each go to semis There will be a lot of duff games between teams with no chance of qualifying. top 4 in each to quarters its a lot of games to play just to knock out 4 teams.The reality is that there isn't a big enough neutral fan base that will pay to watch teams they don't support

 

[Jordinho]

How would 2 groups of 8 work.Top 2 in each go to semis There will be a lot of duff games between teams with no chance of qualifying. top 4 in each to quarters its a lot of games to play just to knock out 4 teams.The reality is that there isn't a big enough neutral fan base that will pay to watch teams they don't support

That's why BT's viewing numbers are so low. Very few are going to subscribe to watch a competition unless their team is in it. Not many are willing even if their team IS in it. Their total package isn't good enough (unlike Sky for those who have sporting interests outside football) and it's too much to pay for only a handful of football matches.

 

[Spurs7891]

If they do want to create the European Super League, they should only let the league champions play in it. In fact, they should go back to the old format where only the league champions played in European Cup, 2nd-4th placed teams played in UEFA Cup and Cup winners played in Cup Winners Cup. That was more balanced and enjoyable to watch compared to now.

 

[parklane1]

If they do want to create the European Super League, they should only let the league champions play in it. In fact, they should go back to the old format where only the league champions played in European Cup, 2nd-4th placed teams played in UEFA Cup and Cup winners played in Cup Winners Cup. That was more balanced and enjoyable to watch compared to now.

Indeed, that was the time when the competition was worth something now its just a money making cow.

 

[StephenH]

We all agree something has to change. Christ it's been so boring this season. More games on the same night, stop spreading the games out, it does not work