UEFA and the European Super League bare their teeth

I belong to that large group of fans who enjoy the current Champions League set up, which has been 30 years in the making, allowing more teams (from one to four) from the main leagues to compete. It aligns perfectly with the domestic competitions. It’s a thrilling event and even in the worst of normal situations almost always allows the richest clubs a decent run - they rarely fail at the group stage and tend to reach the quarter-finals. I don’t see the European Super League being more attractive, I fear it would be less so, and of course it would hurt domestic leagues. If there’s no need to qualify for Europe, the teams in the Super League will put out reserve sides.

Outcry over European Super League proposals

It’s a selfish proposal, conjured up by a handful of clubs in Spain, Italy and England, who under the current model have multiplied their budgets manyfold this century alone. The response from most fans in the countries mentioned is negative. Their governments are also against it, conscious of the damage it will do to football’s ecosystem. Germany (Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund) and France (PSG) haven’t joined up. That will be music to the ears of a few who have been unable to control the ambition of the mega-footballers and their agents, who always demand more.

We may sacrifice what we’ve got in an imbecilic cause: ensuring that the most famous footballers have seven Lamborghinis in their garage instead of four. Or we could find another way, which would mean UEFA and the clubs stop baring their teeth at each other. UEFA needs to offer the clubs more leverage in the decision making. Europe’s governing body can’t take decisions in a medieval style when faced with massive sporting companies riding a wave of selfish capitalism. European football’s governing body needs to offer transparent accounts and even work with the clubs directly in commercialising the game. That’s how the disaster might be avoided. Not with threats.