REVIEW - UEFA Scrambles As More European Soccer Teams Sign Up For 'Super League'
Zeeshan Mehtab Published April 20, 2021 | 04:40 AM
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2021) A plan by some of Europe's biggest soccer clubs to start a new European Super League (ESL) has been met with opposition and threats of punishment from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the body governing the continent's soccer scene.
As of Monday morning, 12 teams have signed up for the breakaway organization, including the British Premier League's so-called 'Big Six': Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham. They are joined by Spanish clubs Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as Italian clubs AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus.
The proposed league's season would run from August to May and would consist of 20 teams in two groups of ten. The groups would play one another before the leader from each group meet in a tournament, ending in a final match in May. The ESL said it also plans to launch a women soccer competition.
Fifteen founding clubs, including the 12 who have already committed, will be permanent members of the new league, while the five remaining slots would be given to qualifying teams each season. With each founding team being offered a share of 3.5 billion euro, money seems to be the main force propelling the new league.
The impact the coronavirus pandemic restrictive measures have had on soccer is also part of what is driving the demand for a new European league among big teams. Most teams have experienced large drops in revenue as pandemic-related restrictions have limited live audiences and restricted travel for sporting events. For many of the large teams having big Names with big paychecks to write, extra revenue from participation in a midweek league like the ESL could make financial sense.
EXISTING SOCCER BODIES OPPOSE ESL
The ESL would challenge one of the world's biggest football club tournaments, the UEFA Champions League, who runs the European Football Championship, also known as the Euros, as well as the UEFA Champions League, which determines who qualifies for the FIFA World Cup.
UEFA officials have condemned the breakaway league, announcing that the organization will ban any player who joins the ESL from participating in the European Championship and World Cup. Clubs and players who have already joined the organization have said that they want to compete in the ESL during the midweek while continuing to play in their national leagues.
FIFA, the international governing body of association soccer, has joined UEFA in condemning the ESL, saying that it would not recognize any breakaway European league, and encouraged the league and its founding teams to engage with FIFA and the UEFA in dialogue.
The ESL has since said they are looking forward to holding such talks in the hope of achieving the best outcome for the new league and the sport as a whole.
The main point of criticism from international soccer bodies, players and fans alike is the threat that they believe a new league consisting of Europe's top teams would have on the sport as a whole. According to critics, the league violates the spirit of competition by guaranteeing 15 teams a place in the new league and tournament without needing to earn a spot.
In addition, the ESL has flirted with the idea of an American-style salary cap that would inhibit smaller teams from spending large sums of money to acquire the best talent in hopes of qualifying for and winning a tournament. They argue that under the ESL's proposed model, big teams will gatekeep the league without giving smaller associations the same ability to get in on merit.
SOME GOVERNMENTS EXPERSS OPPOSITION TO ESL
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson also got involved alongside the UEFA and FIFA in denouncing the proposed new league, stating that the forming of the ESL would damage European soccer. Johnson said the UK government supports the other sporting bodies for taking action against the ESL. Britain's own Premier League likewise joined the critics of the ESL, claiming that it runs contrary to the principles of merit and competition.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for the French football clubs who turned down offers to participate in the ESL, citing, like many others, concerns over the integrity of national and continental soccer competitions.
The Spanish government similarly disagrees with the forming of a new European league following meetings between the government's sports minister and the heads of those Spanish clubs which have agreed to join it.
The governments' comments notwithstanding, the success of the new league may ultimately depend on the level of support and demand by soccer fans. While there is a sizable number of fans who are accustomed and feel comfortable with the current structures and schedules, others seem to emerge to support different competitions outside the existing structures. It remains to be seen whose view will prevail.
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