I think people might be surprised.
These clubs would have predicted all these possibilities in the fallout. They will be prepared for this. They have left the ECA, they are not afraid of being kicked out of their domestic leagues, players banned from international football etc.
Why? Money talks.
In the end the players will still go to these teams and sacrifice it all.
The money involved dwarfs current revenues. Player wages will be higher. Players will sign.
Some wont, but most will.
I think the announcement is a power play from these clubs, listen to what we want to happen with the champs league, or else.
Its important to also remember that UEFA themselves have actively attempted to create a super league like this in the past.
FIFA is wanting to expand everything for money and sold a world cup to qatar. Yes paint the club owners as the bad guys but when it comes down to it, everyone in this game is greedy,.
If all these complaining players are so pure then why did they all leave their original clubs for higher salaries and european football? Dont think for a second that the new generation of players wont be keen to go after the bigger salary and the chance to play against the best teams week in week out.
I see this as the equivalent to the rugby league battle in the 90s, and the world series cricket battle in the late 70s.
This league may not be the end game, but its changing, and this is the first catalyst.
Im not a fan, i prefer the structure we have now, but i see why this is happening, its been on the cards for years.
And if it does happen, then i'd rather my team was in than out.
These clubs would have predicted all these possibilities in the fallout. They will be prepared for this. They have left the ECA, they are not afraid of being kicked out of their domestic leagues, players banned from international football etc.
Why? Money talks.
In the end the players will still go to these teams and sacrifice it all.
The money involved dwarfs current revenues. Player wages will be higher. Players will sign.
Some wont, but most will.
I think the announcement is a power play from these clubs, listen to what we want to happen with the champs league, or else.
Its important to also remember that UEFA themselves have actively attempted to create a super league like this in the past.
FIFA is wanting to expand everything for money and sold a world cup to qatar. Yes paint the club owners as the bad guys but when it comes down to it, everyone in this game is greedy,.
If all these complaining players are so pure then why did they all leave their original clubs for higher salaries and european football? Dont think for a second that the new generation of players wont be keen to go after the bigger salary and the chance to play against the best teams week in week out.
I see this as the equivalent to the rugby league battle in the 90s, and the world series cricket battle in the late 70s.
This league may not be the end game, but its changing, and this is the first catalyst.
Im not a fan, i prefer the structure we have now, but i see why this is happening, its been on the cards for years.
And if it does happen, then i'd rather my team was in than out.
I’m not so convinced the clubs would have predicted the level of opposition from fans. I can only speak from a Liverpool perspective, but parts of the club have spent literally years rebuilding the trust of the community following the last regime. FSG have backed that with hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars, as well as statement after statement about how they understand the importance of the fan community and the Liverpool community more broadly. LFC’s whole identity is that they’re ‘not like the other big clubs’ (other fans can agree or disagree with that but that’s definitely how the fan base perceives itself). The clubs entire marketing campaign for the last two years has been ‘this means more’ ffs, and that’s been successful because it resonates - people really believe that.
And then to shark all over that in one fell swoop? LFC fans are enraged and I would be shocked if that trust is ever rebuilt with the owners, even if the super league plans are scrapped. Literally years of work, up in smoke overnight.
The World Cup/Euros ban is a huge factor imo. Most of Liverpool’s top players live to play for their country. I’m quite confident that Salah won’t ever play for any team where he can’t play for Egypt - that means more to him than anything else. We’ve got four or five who are either the captain or the talisman of their national teams - Mane, Keita, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Van Dyke, Henderson etc. Even Alexander-Arnold places enormous weight on playing for England despite the fact that he’s a scouser through and through and most Liverpool fans couldn’t care less about the national team. I just see the potential ban as being such a huge impediment to finding top players for the clubs in the ESL. It would turn in to the place you go when you’re still mobile but no longer good enough to play for your country, like Japan and France for former All Blacks.