The football world was shaken up recently after a new competition was introduced that was supposed to create an avenue for the best of the best to compete throughout the season's calendar.
The biggest teams in Europe were planning to split out and establish their own independent "Super League," a move that was roundly criticized.
This league would allow these clubs that would’ve necessarily gotten the chance to compete against each other a chance to compete. While this might sound interesting from a fan's perspective there is much more to the story.
A move that appeared to completely alter football as we know it never materialized as a number of different clubs withdrew from the competition just two days after confirming their participation.
The initiative was significantly impacted by fan pressure and high-profile resistance from many sports figures, Including UEFA and FIFA.
The topic of the Super League as it was conceived actually is still open. The announcement of a breakaway Super League featuring Europe's most elite clubs was confirmed in April 2021. Here is all the information regarding the events that rocked the football world and dominated football-related media.
No matter what football coach you ask, they will likely tell you the same thing about the proposed Super League.
What did the league propose?
The agreement of six English teams to play in the new European Super League had been announced. They planned to create the breakaway league with some of the top football teams including clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham.
The Uefa Champions League, now the most significant competition in European club football, felt that there was big competition from the ESL. However, the action had drawn criticism, with some claiming that it solely intended to satisfy greed and increase revenue for the top clubs around the globe.
It also wouldn’t have been very inclusive or competitive by nature seeing as only five spots would remain for everyone else under the proposed system, the same 15 clubs would play European football each year, making it very impossible for other clubs to participate.
You might recall the Premier League's warning that it could result in the expulsion of the participating clubs and Fifa's statement that participating players would be barred from the World Cup. To keep the rival league from taking off, there was undoubtedly a lot of opposition and revenge.
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What was the retaliation?
Fifa had also expressed disapproval of the Super League. They even provided that any players that were involved in the proposed breakaway league could be stopped from playing at a World Cup!
On top of this, Uefa said players involved would be banned from all other competitions at domestic, European or world level and could be prevented from representing their national teams.
You can probably see why there was such little interest amongst players if they hadn’t entirely rejected the idea already.
The respective leagues of the involved clubs, the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, said that they would remain united in trying to stop the breakaway, using all available measures at the time. The football universe was evidently united in refuting the advances of the incompact competition.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, the UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the plans were very damaging for football. This was then echoed by Macron France's President who welcomed clubs refusing to join.
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Why did the super club fail?
The sides that were invited to participate in the Super League from the German Bundesliga never went with the idea from the get-go. Obviously, the idea of the competition wasn’t popular with fans from anywhere in the world. With Fans owning 51% of the equity in German clubs their voice was heard louder than in any other league,
This meant the German clubs Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund never entered the league in the first place. A great example and sadly a rare one of football being for the people.
Out of those who entered the Super League, it was the English clubs that were the first to jump ship. The clubs made it plain to the supporters that they had heard them when they withdrew from the proposal. They undoubtedly did. However, a secondary audience considered those protests to be considerably more significant.
The Super League gave little regard for teams and seemingly viewed them as nothing more than content. The fact that they didn't know the first thing about branding themselves is very amazing. It gave no explanation of how it related to football or how it addressed the current hot topics.
It made no effort to comprehend the preferences of the fan of the future that it wooed with such enthusiasm. It contained nothing but a clear attempt by a few wealthy men to organize football into a monopoly.
Many feared that the game which is largely a working-class sport was following the footsteps of American leagues with vast commercialisation and franchises. With football being one of the most widely practised and accessible sports in the world the retaliation and heart soreness felt by its fans is certainly justified.
Unlike many other sports where you might need a long list of equipment and expensive uniform or padding, football is a game that can be played with nothing more than a ball. The Super League threatened to turn football into something that would inherently change the nature of the game and that was soon put to an end.
While it is easy to focus on these companies and worry about the men in suits, it is also reassuring to see the strength of the football community and how players and coaches banded together to protect the sport they love.
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Football without the super league
With fans having the opportunity to spectate all of the top clubs in the Super League football competition you would wonder why there was so much retaliation from UEFA, the teams and their fans.
With the possibility of watching premier league football teams such as Manchester united compete against the best international teams in league format being shut down in April, the champions league will remain the centre point of competition. The champions league is a knock-out cup format competition that features the best teams in Europe.
The competition that the champions league offers by including all clubs is why it is perceived by football fans to be the real deal. On an international level, the world cup is of course the biggest competition in football.
While the controversy caused by the proposed Super League is still relatively fresh, it will soon be overshadowed by the biggest event in football. The Word Cup will take place in the winter of 2022/2023.
The world cup is so much bigger than any European football competition and is celebrated by football fans from all across the world. Given the fact that the cup only comes around every four years, it makes it all the more special.
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We still have world cup football!
Everyone enjoys watching football, and the world cup is one such event that reminds us why. You can still join forces with your fellow countryman and support your nation in their World Cup trip regardless of whether you are a fervent supporter, a casual fan, or have a loose grasp of the rules altogether.
Even if it may seem like we disagree on a variety of topics, coming together to celebrate and congregate over a shared love of football is undoubtedly a marvel to behold.
Nothing can compare to the thrilling experience of being in the stadium for a world cup game. There are also viewings in the town squares of the host country and you can rest assured that the bars will have an electric atmosphere from a diverse group of spectators.
You might be surprised to learn that a significant number of supporters fly to the host nation for each tournament to experience the atmosphere and mingle with other football supporters from around the world.
You must have the opportunity to watch a game among the fervent supporters of your own team, as well as those of other teams, at least once in your lifetime.
The experiences made during the world cup football competition will endure a lifetime, regardless of how well your country is at playing football. The tournament brings together nations every four years and offers the best of the best a chance to participate on the football field.
The universal language of football will bring people together in the stadiums, streets, bars, and living rooms alike once the whistle for kick-off sounds, despite the fact that many of the supporters will probably speak different languages from all over the world.
If you are a fan then you will be familiar with how anything can happen in knock-out football, so be prepared to celebrate some upsets. This is what makes the world cup so exciting, you will see the strongest nations battle it out on the biggest stage.
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