da roleta： The men behind the ESL have returned with an even worse format but this whole sorry affair is an inevitable product of a broken system
da winzada777： When the prospect of a European Super League (ESL) resurfaced for the umpteenth time in October 2020, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher issued a response that was as succinct as it was heartfelt, "Oh f*ck off!"
That plea was always going to fall on deaf ears. If the history of football has taught us anything, it's that the idea of a Super League will never go away – no matter how much resistance it meets. It is indestructible; it will never die. Why?
Because Europe's elite clubs are almost exclusively run by greedy, power-hungry men facing serious financial jeopardy and jealous of the colossal commercial success of the Premier League.
Put simply, Real Madrid and Barcelona need a solution to their cash-flow problems (which were laid bare during the pandemic) and the ESL promises guaranteed revenue streams and, therefore, long-term economic security.
Marca'European football will never be a monopoly again'
As a result, the two Clasico clubs never gave up on the ESL, even after the ill-fated and horribly rushed launch of April 2022 ended in an embarrassingly rapid collapse precipitated by the withdrawal of support from the English members of the original 'Dirty Dozen'.
So, it was not in the least bit surprising to see both Madrid and Barca immediately express their joy at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that FIFA and UEFA had acted unlawfully in banning its member clubs from joining the ESL in 2021.
Madrid president Florentino Perez, one of the driving forces behind the attempted breakaway, said shortly after Thursday's announcement, "In the coming days we will carefully study the scope of this resolution, but I do anticipate two conclusions of great historical significance.
"First of all, that European club football is not and will never be a monopoly again. And secondly, that from today the clubs will be the owners of their destiny. In short, today the Europe of freedoms has triumphed again and today soccer and its fans have also triumphed.
"Faced with the pressures we have received for more than two years, law, reason and freedom are imposed today. And for this reason, Real Madrid will continue to work for the sake of football."
AdvertisementYou Tube'Football is free!'
The Spaniard's sentiments were shared by Bernd Reichart, the CEO of ESL backers A22. "We have won the right to compete," he declared. "The UEFA monopoly is over. Football is free!"
It was all very amusing. Perez's claim that Madrid work for the sake of football was hilarious, as was the idea that the ECJ ruling means that the game has been somehow set free.
Make no mistake about it: Madrid, Barca, A22 and every single club that backed the initial breakaway, including the six Premier League sides, have only their own interests at heart.
They are solely concerned with generating as much revenue for themselves as possible, which means they share enough common ground to come up with new ways of making money off fans, who are the ones funding the sport-turned-business that is football.
Getty England's Super League
It's also worth pointing out that this is not as big a victory for the ESL as Perez and certain sections of the press are making out. UEFA has already amended the rules and regulations that the ECJ deemed "unlawful". Establishing a rival competition without either UEFA's or FIFA's backing remains almost impossible.
Furthermore, Manchester United – who initially supported the 2021 breakaway only to pull out, like the five other English teams, after a bitter fan backlash – are among several major European clubs to have already issued statements saying they have no interest in joining the ESL.
And why would they? United are already members of a Super League in England. In addition, the Premier League and the United Kingdom government have also taken steps since 2021 to ensure that no club is ever allowed to break away again, while the disdain for the ESL has only intensified in the media and among the fans in the interim.
Getty Images'It's even more closed than 2021'
There is less hostility towards the ESL on the continent, though, at least among those that support the Clasico clubs or cash-strapped Serie A sides such as Juventus and Inter.
However, Football Supporters Europe have already reiterated their stance that "there is no place in European football for a breakaway super league", while Atletico Madrid pointed out that among the 'Big Five' leagues, "Germany, France, England, Italy, Spain (except for Real Madrid and Barcelona) oppose the Super League."
UEFA, then, remains in a very, very strong position, which is why president Aleksander Ceferin was bordering on smug when he appeared at a news conference later on Thursday.
"I hope they start their fantastic competition as soon as possible, with two clubs," he said sarcastically before sticking the boot into the ESL's new plan for a three-tier super league featuring promotion and relegation.
"I watched the so-called presentation of A22. It's hard to decide if you should be shocked or amused by the show. It's even more closed than 2021 and that was rejected by everyone…"
He's right, of course. Only a fool would fail to see that the new, improved ESL is even worse than the original. The goalposts may have been moved but the target remains the same: protecting the elite clubs by placing them in a top tier that will be almost impossible for others to access. In that sense, it really is a non-starter.