Real President calls for European superleague?

therecklessone

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article6637943.ece

FLORENTINO PEREZ, the big-spending president of Real Madrid, wants the world’s wealthiest football clubs to create a European Super League, and is ready to take on Uefa if they do not adapt the Champions League to better suit the ambitions of the biggest clubs.

“We have to agree a new European Super League which guarantees that the best always play the best — something that does not happen in the Champions League,” Perez said on Spanish television yesterday. He indicated that he would push for a breakaway “closed shop” competition if Uefa refused to consider his proposal.

<snip>

He insists he does not want to replace domestic competition, just guarantee that clubs such as Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Milan and Juventus could rely on participating every season in a lucrative elite competition, no matter where they finish in La Liga, the Premier League or Serie A.

It would be interesting to see or read a full transcript of the interview to see if he has been quoted out of context, but if that report is true I'm not surprised to hear it so soon after he returned to Madrid.

I love the hypocrisy of "the best should play the best" regardless of whether they are good enough to qualify through their domestic competition. That reads as the rich should play the rich to me.

Just another reason to dislike Madrid.

MrStuffins

Him and Sepp Blatter need to shack up together.

The guy is nuts, what's wrong with the Champions League?

titan18

I was always in favour of a European Superleague.Always thought it was an interesting idea, and it'd be nice if the top clubs played each other.

LuckyLloyd

This will be received well by the forum.

therecklessone

MrStuffins wrote: »

Him and Sepp Blatter need to shack up together.

The guy is nuts, what's wrong with the Champions League?

What was wrong with the old European Cup.

IvySlayer

What's interesting is the world’s wealthiest football clubs bit...

A superleague of clubs who think they are the business but only 3 clubs listed actually won something this year...and Madrid is not one of them

If the best do not play the best in the Champions League surely it should be a doddle.

Manchester United vs Barcelona was a dream final best in England vs best in Spain.

Eire-Dearg

Perez is talking through his hole, if indeed a European SuperLeague was created it'd be all about the money for the owners and businessmen who agree to this. Multi-million if TV deals and sponsers. It'd be the biggest money making racket every in football, and would most certainly destroy the game as it is.

DenMan

It is an inevitibility that a European Super League will be formed. It was first mooted about 5 years ago and since then has been quietly gathering momentum in the background. I know it's a cliche, but the best do want to face the best on a consistant basis. G-14 disbanded but only on paper. They want a breakaway. Might get messy in the next few years when it happens.

IvySlayer

I have an idea.....I play Championship Manager..if Mr Perez wishes to satisfy his needs make a pre-season cup/tournament or something. Invite the biggest clubs to participate.

It works very well when I create it in CM, the Trafford League where I invite the champions of Italy, Spain, Germany, Scotland and Ireland :pac:

It may not be prestigious but it'll be up to him to raise the profile of it.

ROCKMAN

Interview was in Spanish , I translated it for ye .

" I've just got my hands on the newest ,shiniest sports car all I need want now is a spanking new motorway to play on. "

bohsman

IvySlayer wrote: »

What's interesting is the world’s wealthiest football clubs bit...

Wonder what the combined debts of the clubs mentioned are.

Bring back the old European Cup imo.

PHB

I would like to switch the CL to a league format personally, but I dont think thats what hes suggesting.

I maintain my belief that he's massively overspending and looking at ways to maximise revenue at all costs.

Paparazzo

Translation from Perez:
"After we spent so much money we need massive sponsorship to clear out debts"

Diabhal Beag

Of course he wants a super league. He has bought the best team in the world. Would love to see them beaten this year

JPA

PHB wrote: »

I would like to switch the CL to a league format personally, but I dont think thats what hes suggesting.

I maintain my belief that he's massively overspending and looking at ways to maximise revenue at all costs.

Of course he's overspending.

bUILDERtHEbOB

Loco.

deisedude

Blatter will no doubt love the idea. The lick arse that he is. The fcuking hypocrisy of the guy is unreal. When Real Madrid are spending monstrous sums of money its good for the game but if an english team did it he wouldnt say the same

legs11

therecklessone wrote: »

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article6637943.ece



It would be interesting to see or read a full transcript of the interview to see if he has been quoted out of context, but if that report is true I'm not surprised to hear it so soon after he returned to Madrid.

I love the hypocrisy of "the best should play the best" regardless of whether they are good enough to qualify through their domestic competition. That reads as the rich should play the rich to me.

Just another reason to dislike Madrid.

+1

The sooner perez suffers a massive cardiac arrest the better, then football can resume normal duties

legs11

deisedude wrote: »

Blatter will no doubt love the idea. The lick arse that he is. The fcuking hypocrisy of the guy is unreal. When Real Madrid are spending monstrous sums of money its good for the game but if an english team did it he wouldnt say the same

how is a team spending 40million on a new player every few days good for the game.

_blank_

getting to away games would be a bitch

deisedude

legs11 wrote: »

how is a team spending 40million on a new player every few days good for the game.

Personally i think its disgusting the amounts of money being spent considering the current economic climate but Blatter defended Madrid spending 80 million on Ronaldo

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11835_5377334,00.html

legs11

deisedude wrote: »

Personally i think its disgusting the amounts of money being spent considering the current economic climate but Blatter defended Madrid spending 80 million on Ronaldo

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11835_5377334,00.html

Madrid represent all that is wrong with football thesedays.

And blatter is an idiot who listens to him

JPA

Des wrote: »

getting to away games would be a bitch

It would become a game for the rich. Maybe the ordinary fan could go to 2 or 3 away games a season at most.

LuckyLloyd

legs11 wrote: »

And blatter is an idiot who listens to him

lol. Loads of people is the simplest answer I can give you on that one.

Pro. F

The chance for the small team to win the big prize is one of the most important aspects in sport imo. That's why I think cup competitions have an important place in the calendar - they sort of even the playing field for one match (or two legs). The CL, as it works now, is ok because it guarantees that the small teams get the financial reward of playing a big team and everybody gets a chance of getting a bit of luck and going on a run. But this talk of a closed shop super league is stupid and it sickens me. I'll stop following football if it comes to pass tbh

Aidric

Why Celtic & Rangers would be included in a super league is beyond me. He did say the best teams, right?

eddiehead

Thats a rediculous propasal, why would the likes of Everton or Villa even bother if they knew they wouldn't get into Europes top competition for finishing fourth. It would completely separate the top teams in each country from the clubs just below them(a LOT worse than it is already)

Eire-Dearg

Aidric wrote: »

Why Celtic & Rangers would be included in a super league is beyond me. He did say the best teams, right?

Probably the top side from countries that are mostly represented in europe.

Eire-Dearg

I'd like to see would they be hand picked from each country, or based on how many each country can send into the Champions League.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, and Bayern Munich would probably be the obvious, the rest of the league filled with tops sides that can generate the most amount of money.

ROCKMAN

Aidric wrote: »

Why Celtic & Rangers would be included in a super league is beyond me. He did say the best teams, right?

FAN BASED .

Whatever one thinks off either team , you would be guaranteed major ticket sales home and more important AWAY . Also TV Interest would be very high.

stovelid

eddiehead wrote: »

Thats a rediculous propasal, why would the likes of Everton or Villa even bother if they knew they wouldn't get into Europes top competition for finishing fourth.

With the way that football is going, why do they bother anyway? Do you think they'll ever get within an asses roar of a league title in the next xxxx number of years, let alone the Champion's League?

As for Perez, I've never ever done the typical fan thing of consciously cheering on the opposition of a team that I don't support (unless it's for tactical reasons), but I would love Madrid to fail next year. Love it.

It's even soured my anticipation of seeing all those great talents together in the one team.

legs11

stovelid wrote: »

With the way that football is going, why do they bother anyway? Do you think they'll ever get within an asses roar of a league title in the next xxxx number of years, let alone the Champion's League?

As for Perez, I've never ever done the typical fan thing of consciously cheering on the opposition of a team that I don't support (unless it's for tactical reasons), but I would love Madrid to fail next year. Love it.

It's even soured my anticipation of seeing all those great talents together in the one team.

Every man woman and child will want to bring the galacticos down a peg or two next season so good luck to perez and co in their quest for la liga, the spanish cup, the cl, and super cup and whatever else they want to win...



I think they will win sfa actually.

Barcelona have a more stable team, can you even imagine the consternation in the galactico dressing room

heyyyyyyyyy they are my 500e socks...!

hands off..

likewise I would fancy Everton to finish above Citeh [again] or Villa, I think the formula of lumping in 40million players is nice in theory but its easier said than done.

noodler

Someone tell Mr President that UCD already thought of it

http://www.ucdsoccer.com/superleague.php

therecklessone

therecklessone wrote: »

What was wrong with the old European Cup.

I mustn't be getting an answer to this, so I'll continue off my own bat.

The day the Champions League was opened to clubs who had not won their domestic leagues was the day the ground was laid for a European Superleague. UEFA may have been trying to placate the big clubs by giving them a bigger slice of the pie, but it was only a temporary reprieve.

The inevitable consequence of that decision was to concentrate money and prestige in the hands of Europe's elite, that in turn fed wage inflation and fuelled an exponential rise in transfer fees. Once the cost of running a super club began to rise those clubs had to increase their turnover, through increased ticket sales (but more importantly cost), a huge increase in club's merchandise operations, and crucially through an exploitation of TV and sponsorship revenue.

Eventually, the traditional revenue streams reach breaking point: club membership, ST and ticket sales, and merchandise sold to traditional fan bases, these streams are finite. Indeed, all revenue streams are finite to an extent, but with a 3rd party controlling access to TV and sponsorship revenue it is only a matter of time before club owners turn their gaze towards that incredibly lucrative source of funding, and attempt to corner it for their own benefit.

When Perez talks of the best playing the best he does not imagine that in a competitive context, he imagines it in a marketing context: sell that concept to pay TV broadcasters, sell it to Heineken, Sony, McDonalds, Coka Cola, sell it to corporate entertainers, and watch the money roll in. Then sit back as that money helps concentrate power and prestige further into the hands of a select few, a select few who will only allow new entrants in on an invite basis, and on their terms.

Platini should call their bluff, and call it now. Tell Perez if he wants his superleague he can have it, but at a price: immediate expulsion from all domestic competition for any club participating in a breakaway. The players should pay a price also, so with FIFA backing they should be told that only players who participate in FIFA-recognised club competition can be considered for international selection, that might affect the CR7 global brand if he can't appear on the international stage.

They will push for this in the years to come, so fúck it we should draw the line now. Let Richie Rich piss and whine and stamp his feet. If he gets his way at least we will be free of these parasites, if he fails then we'll have kicked this to touch for at least a generation. I think that's win win tbh.

noodler

If the SPL can't survive without the top 2 then is it not fair to say the major European leagues couldn't survive without the top 4?

I mean thats an awful lot of paying fans taken out of the equation if you expelled the clubs in question from domestic competition.

I hate the idea of the Superleague obviously - it takes away from the whole point of Sport.

Eire-Dearg

Fantastic post TRO, nail on the head.

And I firmly agree with your mention of expulsion from the Domestic, and international game. the day europe's top teams breakaway to create a superleague is the day football in this continent dies. but can you see platini et al saying anything in reply to perez's thoughts? Doubt it.

pablomakaveli

It's a good point to let the rich clubs have their way. While a super league would be very successful for the first few seasons i can see the novelty of it wearing off after a few years.

Not to mention the great expense for fans who want to follow there team to away games. And no doubt some fans will be disillusioned by what would doubtless become a purely money driven soulless league.

Let them have their superleague, ban them from all UEFA competitions and domestic leagues. And when their super league eventually fails and they come crying back to UEFA throw them into the bottom division of their domestic league to rub more salt in their wounds.

kida

am waiting for the calls for 15-a side so they can play all of their attackers

stovelid

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Not to mention the great expense for fans who want to follow there team to away games. And no doubt some fans will be disillusioned by what would doubtless become a purely money driven soulless league.
.

The overwhelming majority of the rich club's support is TV-based. That's not a jibe, just an observation. I doubt that placating live supporters is high on the list. I'm sure the TV rights (eventually pay-per-view) are the major concern.

P.S: Great post TRO

SectionF

In a league like this, 'home' ties will be away trips for most fans. This is all about television audiences, advertising, sponsorship and leveraged buyouts, and, where live supporters are concerned, high ticket prices.

But surely it's no surprise. The juggernaut took off with the EPL years ago; with this proposal it is merely continuing to its 100% franchised destination.

Eire-Dearg

George Hunter was just on Sky Sports News outside the Bernabeu where crowds are building up over the iminent arrival of Ronaldo.

He says Perez is going to break the 300m mark, and will spend £90m more this summer. He says Liverpool rightfully played tough over Alonso, and asked how much have you got to spend.

Glico Man

I think senor perez has been playing a little too much pro evo for my liking.

the idea will not work because very few fans would be able to afford to attend the matches.

in my opinion its all about lining the pockets of people already fabulously wealthy and therecklessone is correct in saying it will become soulless.

also, liverpool have the right to ask for as much money as they can get for their best player in alonso last season.

and to quote a former liverpool player and newcastle manager " i would love it, love it" if they fail next season.

heyjude

I think this suggestion from Perez was inevitable, he had been busy all summer assembling a veritable fantasy team comprised of the best players money can buy, irrespective of their nationality and yet Platini has been pushing his anti-English agenda in the form of proposals that would force all Champions League teams to field 6 domestic players in their starting lineups. This could have meant that Real Madrid having spent a fortune on star players, might then have found that they couldn't use them all in CL games. When you add this to Platini's promises to eastern European countries when he was standing for election, that he would bring more clubs from these countries into the CL group stages(at the expense of teams from England, Spain, Italy and Germany), Perez was always going to seek a break from the status quo.

He isn't spending tens of millions assembling a team, only to find that he may need to bench some of his superstars to comply with new rules designed to limit English clubs and likewise he didn't assemble this team in order to face the champions of Moldova or Armenia in the CL group stages(he doesn't want these games, most of the worldwide TV audience doesn't want these matches and there's little money in playing such matches, even if it would keep Platini happy). If the CL is going in the direction that Platini seems to be advocating, then a Super League will happen.

heyjude

ROCKMAN wrote: »

FAN BASED .

Whatever one thinks off either team , you would be guaranteed major ticket sales home and more important AWAY . Also TV Interest would be very high.

A European Superleague would be driven by TV revenue and sponsorship, with revenue from away fans being a minor consideration. As such interest in Celtic or Rangers would be high in Scotland, pretty low in England and virtually non-existent throughout most of the rest of Europe.

If you were starting a 16 team European Superleague with a view to maximising revenue, then its doubtful that Celtic or Rangers would be in it, as they are very much the big fish in a small pond. By the time you take 3-4 teams from England, 3-4 teams from Italy, 2-4 teams from Spain and 2-4 teams from Germany(ie. the main tv markets) then you have at most a handful of spaces left for teams from Portugal, Holland, France, Russia, Scotland etc and its hard to see how Scotland would be worth 2 teams

iregk

This is all part of a global certalised facist government conspiracy. Globalisation, centralisation and control.

Create a european league. Has anyone noticed the way the european cup is now the Champions League and the UEFA now the Europa League. They have been gradually getting us used to the idea of a European League for years.

Next step, combine the two and have one main Europa League. Eventually get rid of regional (uk, germany, italy etc..) leagues. Put the TV contract up to the highest bidder i.e. Sky.

Soon we have a central Football League with 16 super clubs run by a central governing body (UEFA) with a single TV contract. The clubs under the control of UEFA run the league and Sky control what we see. If people accept it in football then its transition into politics will be all the more easier.

apoch632

If its gonna be the best teams then surely it should be teams that have qualified for the champions league qf's in the last 4 years


1. Barcelona
2. Manchester United
3. Milan
4. Chelsea
5. Arsenal
6. Liverpool
7. Bayern Munich
8. Villareal
9. Porto
10. Roma
11. Fenerbahce
12. Schalke
13. PSV Eindhoven
14. Valencia
15. Juventus
16. Inter
17. Benfica
18. Lyon

Headshot

iregk wrote: »

This is all part of a global certalised facist government conspiracy. Globalisation, centralisation and control.

Create a european league. Has anyone noticed the way the european cup is now the Champions League and the UEFA now the Europa League. They have been gradually getting us used to the idea of a European League for years.

Next step, combine the two and have one main Europa League. Eventually get rid of regional (uk, germany, italy etc..) leagues. Put the TV contract up to the highest bidder i.e. Sky.

Soon we have a central Football League with 16 super clubs run by a central governing body (UEFA) with a single TV contract. The clubs under the control of UEFA run the league and Sky control what we see. If people accept it in football then its transition into politics will be all the more easier.

Conspiracy forum
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Mr Maroon

therecklessone wrote: »

It would be interesting to see or read a full transcript of the interview to see if he has been quoted out of context

I agree.

yahoo_moe

therecklessone wrote: »

It would be interesting to see or read a full transcript of the interview to see if he has been quoted out of context

Surely even he wouldn't explicitly say that certain teams would qualify regardless of their domestic results? I'd imagine it's certainly what he's thinking but I do think the article's being unfair to him by attributing that to him with no sign of a quote in sight.