Breakaway League

[Rightdm00]

1 minute ago, hippo said:

Suspend them from all competions immediately. That would really call there bluff.allow them back with a points deduction - probably make for the most exciting PL season ever.

Actual action is needed from UEFA.  Enough of these fake announcements that we know won't go anywhere. Sunday evenings are for napping off dinner not announcing the formation of new multi-billion dollar football league. Couldn't be a more blatant cash grab from UEFA. 

[MaVilla]

tbh, im not even mad, its so drastically terrible and funny at the same time, my actual response is more like:

[HanoiVillan]

Weak-as-piss statement from FIFA suggests the opposition might be wobbling already:

 

[ThunderPower_14]

Cynically I can't see the PL or UEFA doing anything but trying to placate these teams into abandoning these plans. 

Immediate expulsion from European competition and a decree that they can't play in their domestic comps anymore if this takes off should be the response. 

[ciggiesnbeer]

2 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

tbh, im not even mad, its so drastically terrible and funny at the same time, my actual response is more like:

Same I think this could end up being quite good for us.

 

[StefanAVFC]

1 minute ago, HanoiVillan said:

Weak-as-piss statement from FIFA suggests the opposition might be wobbling already:

 

Sounds like they're passing the buck to regional powers (national FAs and UEFA)

Interesting point I've seen on Twitter; if they intend to start this next season, then there's zero incentive for any of the 6 clubs involved to finish as high as possible, as it doesn't matter, so the integrity of the PL is completely flawed.

[KMitch]

7 minutes ago, VillaJ100 said:

FIFA, UEFA and the FA will bottle it. They won't kick them out. The f'ing should though. Like now

Those clubs are leaving.  That ship has sailed...  At the end of the day, it comes down to money.  FIFA, UEFA, and the FA will all posture and act tough (threatening bans on clubs/players from national teams, competitions, etc.) but I'm going to bet that by the time next season kicks off, they'll all come to some sort of financial agreement with the Super League teams with some sort of massive parachute payment schedule coming over the next several years. 

[Mantis]

Just now, StefanAVFC said:

Sounds like they're passing the buck to regional powers (national FAs and UEFA)

Interesting point I've seen on Twitter; if they intend to start this next season, then there's zero incentive for any of the 6 clubs involved to finish as high as possible, as it doesn't matter, so the integrity of the PL is completely flawed.

Looking forward to us giving Man City's kids a pasting on Wednesday. Davis to score a hat-trick.

[VillaJ100]

2 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Sounds like they're passing the buck to regional powers (national FAs and UEFA)

Interesting point I've seen on Twitter; if they intend to start this next season, then there's zero incentive for any of the 6 clubs involved to finish as high as possible, as it doesn't matter, so the integrity of the PL is completely flawed.

Exactly. They may as well withdraw from the season now. Especially clubs with f all to play for like Arsenal

[StefanAVFC]

 

[The Fun Factory]

Well its finally happened football has well and truly sold it soul after flirting with it for the past 25 years.

Like  a lot of things this pandemic has probably accelerated events 5-10 years quicker than previously thought.

The sheer arrogance of these 12 clubs is incredible. 

There is going to be  a lot of legal shit going on the next few weeks.

This will either result in  a back down and some further sort of CL reform. Or football is well and truly shafted for generations.

So I am right  the sell out 6 just need to bribe 1 more PL team to avoid being thrown out?

[villarule123]

So once Man City romp the league next season by April, there will be no top 4 battle and everyone will be playing the kids as there is nothing else to play for. The new football.

[HanoiVillan]

1 minute ago, StefanAVFC said:

Sounds like they're passing the buck to regional powers (national FAs and UEFA)

Yes; but notice how the stance is quite different from UEFA's, who were threatening earlier in the day that players who played in this tournament might be barred from playing for their countries. No mention of that at all here, and it's unlikely to arrive later either.

UEFA and the FA would have been hoping for stronger words from FIFA, and they haven't got it.

[OutByEaster?]

3 hours ago, leemond2008 said:

What's interesting about this is that the game was (I think) released in 2001 and in that time football has changed so much that of the sixteen teams on the cover here, only seven have been invited into today's league.

That's because football changes, that's the nature of sport, the teams that would have made an exciting league in 2001 aren't the same teams as now. Teams have glorious periods in their histories, like Marseille who are on the cover of this game, they had a fantastic period of success in which they competed at the very highest level, won the Champions league and were a real force in Europe, a bit like Forest had in the late seventies and we briefly had in the eighties. Like Ajax did in the 90's, like Porto did in 2004, PSV in 1988 and so on. 

Football is cyclical and although for some clubs that success comes around a little more often than for others, it's massively important that every now and then Marseille win, or Ajax reach a final, or Leicester win the league, because it's change that fuels the dreams of football fans. It's the success of West Ham that lets Crystal Palace fans dream. That's what football is, the collective dreams of millions of people spread across dozens of clubs that can afford to dream of success.

What this group want to do isn't to supply a league full of the kind of excitement your PS1 provided you in 2001, what this group wants is the removal of change, the end of history. To achieve it they need to cast aside a whole bunch of the clubs that currently dream, for all but twelve the dream is to do well enough to sit at the table and eat their scraps. For the twelve it's a permanent, unmoving feast and they are eating the rest of us.

The same twelve teams, always the biggest, always the richest, always the most successful.

The removal of the dreams of fans of Roma, Marseille, Lazio, Aston Villa, Ajax, Leeds, Newcastle, Everton, West Ham, Napoli, Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Valencia, Athletico Bilbao, Lille, Lyon, Monaco, Celtic, Rangers, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Galatasary, Fenerbahce, Anderlecht, Standard Liege - all of those wonderful names with a massive European history - prevented from extending it - forever - for profit.

This needs to stay a game, it needs to stay in 2001, it needs to be prevented at all costs.

 

 

[Zatman]

2 minutes ago, VillaJ100 said:

Exactly. They may as well withdraw from the season now. Especially clubs with f all to play for like Arsenal

Arsenal have been playing for many weeks as if they have already withdrawn

[Swerbs]

So does this mean they have walked away from even current comps?

[Zatman]

7 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

Weak-as-piss statement from FIFA suggests the opposition might be wobbling already:

 

Infantino is mates with the Juventus idiot Agnelli so no surprise

[Rightdm00]

Just now, HanoiVillan said:

Yes; but notice how the stance is quite different from UEFA's, who were threatening earlier in the day that players who played in this tournament might be barred from playing for their countries. No mention of that at all here, and it's unlikely to arrive later either.

UEFA and the FA would have been hoping for stronger words from FIFA, and they haven't got it.

Punishing the players is the weakest of moves. The Club owners are the ones making these decision punish them. Stand up to them or quit all this posturing. 

[HanoiVillan]

Just now, Rightdm00 said:

Punishing the players is the weakest of moves. The Club owners are the ones making these decision punish them. Stand up to them or quit all this posturing. 

Yes, that's what needs to happen, but like everything in life it's easier to stand your ground and fight if you've got powerful people standing by your side. It's harder when you're on your own, and I'm frankly concerned the FA and the PL will absolutely bottle it.

[StefanAVFC]

1 minute ago, OutByEaster? said:

What's interesting about this is that the game was (I think) released in 2001 and in that time football has changed so much that of the sixteen teams on the cover here, only seven have been invited into the today's league.

That's because football changes, that's the nature of sport, the teams that would have made an exciting league in 2001 aren't the same teams as now. Teams have glorious periods in their histories, like Marseille who are on the cover of this game, they had a fantastic period of success in which they competed at the very highest level, won the Champions club and were a real force in Europe, a bit like Forest had in the last seventies and we briefly had in the eighties. Like Ajax did in the 90's, like Porto did in 2004, PSV in 1988 and so on. 

Football is cyclical and although for some clubs that success comes around a little more often than for others, it's massively important that every now and then Marseille win, or Ajax reach a final, or Leicester win the league, because it's change that fuels the dreams of football fans. It's the success of West Ham that lets Crystal Palace fans dream. That's what football is, the collective dreams of millions of people spread across dozens of clubs that can afford to dream of success.

What this group want to do isn't to supply a league full of the kind of excitement your PS1 provided you in 2001, what this group wants is the removal of change, the end of history. To achieve it they need to cast aside a whole of the clubs that currently dream, for all but twelve the dream is to do well enough to sit at the table and eat their scraps. For the twelve it's a permanent, unmoving feast and they are eating the rest of us.

The same twelve teams, always the biggest, always the richest, always the most successful.

The removal of the dreams of fans of Roma, Marseille, Lazio, Aston Villa, Ajax, Leeds, Newcastle, Everton, West Ham, Napoli, Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Valencia, Athletico Bilbao, Lille, Lyon, Monaco, Celtic, Rangers, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Galatasary, Fenerbahce, Anderlecht, Standard Liege - all of those wonderful names with a massive European history - prevented from extending it - forever - for profit.

This needs to stay a game, it needs to stay in 2001, it needs to be prevented at all costs.

 

 

Spot on, and I'd add one key point.

The Americanisation of football, is mostly around the idea of parity. A closed loop, no relegation or promotion; a small group of teams, who can be great for a few years, then terrible for a another few.

This doesn't work for football as 1) as you said it's massively cyclical and teams fade in and out 2) historical; the rules state you have relegation and promotion and 3) (and most importantly) the pool of teams is too vast, with hundreds of leagues all over Europe, and in theory, any team could pop up from nowhere and challenge the big boys.

The whole thing completely stinks; it creates an American model of sport where it simply cannot exist and essentially ruins football, or what it was, forever.