Last year, twelve obscenely wealthy clubs tried to destroy European football by creating a closed breakaway league. They failed because fans across the continent—including their own—stood in solidarity against their plans.
But the plotters haven’t gone away. The “super league” company still exists; its billionaire backers are biding their time; and today, their lobbyists are stepping up their efforts with a behind closed doors meeting in Brussels, to which only a select number are invited.
It’s only a matter of time before they break cover, making the same tired old argument: That super-rich owners are misunderstood, and the only solution to football’s vast problems is to hand them even more money and power.
To do so would be catastrophic, enriching a handful of clubs at the expense of all others, and destroying important principles such as sporting merit, promotion and relegation, qualification to Europe via domestic success, and financial solidarity. In short, the “super league” isn’t the solution; it’s the problem.
Fans must therefore be constantly aware of and mobilised against it. More to the point, politicians and regulators must keep their end of the bargain by acting immediately to stop it and create a fairer, more sustainable version of the game we all love.
The best way to ensure both is for as many people as possible to sign the ‘Win It On The Pitch’ European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which calls on the European Commission to protect the European model of sport, recognise the social value of sport in European society, and involve fans in discussions to shape the long-term future of European sport.
No. More. Super. Leagues.