European Super League

[north_antrim_hound]

Milner has come out against it.

Seriously? You'd need players that will actually be playing in it. As much as Milner is a great pro, his best days are behind him, If Liverpool are in this league next year he'll be at Norwich.

Unless we get the likes of Salah Rashford Kane and co coming out and s  are ting they won't play in it then it won't get any traction.

These lads are paid a wage and under contract. No one will walk away from an increase in wages, unless another team outside of the 12 offer them the same

The bigger issue might be will players be able to walk away from a contract?  This talk of banning players from other competitions is non sensical to me. Like it or not players are employees and subject to employment laws. They will therefore be in an impossible situation. Forego years of their career and their salary or play for their employers. That's before restraint of trade and monopoly laws are even considered. The governing bodies need to tread softly on this one or they could end up alienating the player base which would make a league like this more likely.

I understand it is very simple. Players can be banned worldwide for anumber of reasons. This would be another one. Contracts are tied to registrations. Remember this time next week those 12 clubs may no longer be soccer clubs in the sense we know it. Contracts would void and they would be free agents.

Exactly
Bruce Buck the chairman of Chelsea is or was CEO of a Global law firm. To think these sharks haven't anticipated all this is naive. These guys can "lawyer up" and fight with anybody in a courtroom.

[Bord na Mona man]

This breakaway group should have taken the GAA approach - announce a top tier competition and claim that participation is based on merit.

Whenever a big name is in danger of failing to make the cut, then make up new rules to allow them participate.
Case in point, when Cork footballers looked at risk of falling into the Tailteann Cup, then a fudge was made about losing provincial finalists making the cut.

[TabClear]

Whoever thought it was a good idea to let Perez talk on behalf of the Super league, shows how unprepared and illjudged they have been to date.

Car crash stuff. Basically blamed years of mismanagement and over spending by Real and Barca on the pandemic and said they need a bail out as a result and this is the way. Then says everyone will be ok because we will go back to doing that again and spend all this money and smaller clubs will benefit as we will pay more money. Bonkers stuff.

And that's before he talks about possibly reducing length of games, agreeing an entry system for CL teams with UEFA and random surveys they have carried out. Even tried to say PSG and German teams not mentioned.

Mad stuff.

In fairness, Spurs owe about 1bn on the new Stadium, United have been in debt for years....it's not just the Spanish.

Its totally different though. Utd were an LBO and took on the debt to pay for the club and the club has had no issue servicing that debt from its internally generated free cash. (In stark contract to what Hicks and Gillette ha din mind for LFC). Utd fans might not like it but its the owners prerogative to leverage a company as they see fit as long as they do not deliberately adversely affect creditors. Spurs took on debt to pay for a major, transformative cash generating asset. Again, there was a business plan prepared that will set out how the higher cash generation pays down the debt.

Barca and RMs debt plan seemed to be based on paying on the never never, almost like a country's national debt. I am not sure how true it is but I have heard rumours about banks being "encouraged" to lend to these clubs by high profile public figures and politicians.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Milner has come out against it.

Seriously? You'd need players that will actually be playing in it. As much as Milner is a great pro, his best days are behind him, If Liverpool are in this league next year he'll be at Norwich.

Unless we get the likes of Salah Rashford Kane and co coming out and s  are ting they won't play in it then it won't get any traction.

These lads are paid a wage and under contract. No one will walk away from an increase in wages, unless another team outside of the 12 offer them the same

The bigger issue might be will players be able to walk away from a contract?  This talk of banning players from other competitions is non sensical to me. Like it or not players are employees and subject to employment laws. They will therefore be in an impossible situation. Forego years of their career and their salary or play for their employers. That's before restraint of trade and monopoly laws are even considered. The governing bodies need to tread softly on this one or they could end up alienating the player base which would make a league like this more likely.

I understand it is very simple. Players can be banned worldwide for anumber of reasons. This would be another one. Contracts are tied to registrations. Remember this time next week those 12 clubs may no longer be soccer clubs in the sense we know it. Contracts would void and they would be free agents.

Exactly
Bruce Buck the chairman of Chelsea is or was CEO of a Global law firm. To think these sharks haven't anticipated all this is naive. These guys can "lawyer up" and fight with anybody in a courtroom.

What court room? CAS rarely side eith the owners. If registrations are voided so are contracts.  If clubs can dump players for getting banned players can dump clubs for getting banned.

[GetOverTheBar]

Milner has come out against it.

Seriously? You'd need players that will actually be playing in it. As much as Milner is a great pro, his best days are behind him, If Liverpool are in this league next year he'll be at Norwich.

Unless we get the likes of Salah Rashford Kane and co coming out and s  are ting they won't play in it then it won't get any traction.

These lads are paid a wage and under contract. No one will walk away from an increase in wages, unless another team outside of the 12 offer them the same

The bigger issue might be will players be able to walk away from a contract?  This talk of banning players from other competitions is non sensical to me. Like it or not players are employees and subject to employment laws. They will therefore be in an impossible situation. Forego years of their career and their salary or play for their employers. That's before restraint of trade and monopoly laws are even considered. The governing bodies need to tread softly on this one or they could end up alienating the player base which would make a league like this more likely.

I understand it is very simple. Players can be banned worldwide for anumber of reasons. This would be another one. Contracts are tied to registrations. Remember this time next week those 12 clubs may no longer be soccer clubs in the sense we know it. Contracts would void and they would be free agents.

Exactly
Bruce Buck the chairman of Chelsea is or was CEO of a Global law firm. To think these sharks haven't anticipated all this is naive. These guys can "lawyer up" and fight with anybody in a courtroom.

Bizarrely it might be Chelsea who brings the Super League down if the reports doing the rounds are accurate.....either them or City anyway.

[TabClear]

Milner has come out against it.

Seriously? You'd need players that will actually be playing in it. As much as Milner is a great pro, his best days are behind him, If Liverpool are in this league next year he'll be at Norwich.

Unless we get the likes of Salah Rashford Kane and co coming out and s  are ting they won't play in it then it won't get any traction.

These lads are paid a wage and under contract. No one will walk away from an increase in wages, unless another team outside of the 12 offer them the same

The bigger issue might be will players be able to walk away from a contract?  This talk of banning players from other competitions is non sensical to me. Like it or not players are employees and subject to employment laws. They will therefore be in an impossible situation. Forego years of their career and their salary or play for their employers. That's before restraint of trade and monopoly laws are even considered. The governing bodies need to tread softly on this one or they could end up alienating the player base which would make a league like this more likely.

I understand it is very simple. Players can be banned worldwide for anumber of reasons. This would be another one. Contracts are tied to registrations. Remember this time next week those 12 clubs may no longer be soccer clubs in the sense we know it. Contracts would void and they would be free agents.

Exactly
Bruce Buck the chairman of Chelsea is or was CEO of a Global law firm. To think these sharks haven't anticipated all this is naive. These guys can "lawyer up" and fight with anybody in a courtroom.

Bizarrely it might be Chelsea who brings the Super League down if the reports doing the rounds are accurate.....either them or City anyway.

That makes sense. I am guessing City/Chelseaowners are not as concerned with club valuations as FSG/Glazers/kroenke/Levy. Those guys are all investors and will always have planned to exit and cash in at some point. The ESL just creates a value event by making revenue streanms more certain meaning they can take on more debt which increases returns to equity holders. Sheikh Mansoor and Abramovich bought the clubs as vanity projects and while they will obvioulsy want to make as much as possible I suspect there are different levels of incentivisation in there.

[north_antrim_hound]

Milner has come out against it.

Seriously? You'd need players that will actually be playing in it. As much as Milner is a great pro, his best days are behind him, If Liverpool are in this league next year he'll be at Norwich.

Unless we get the likes of Salah Rashford Kane and co coming out and s  are ting they won't play in it then it won't get any traction.

These lads are paid a wage and under contract. No one will walk away from an increase in wages, unless another team outside of the 12 offer them the same

The bigger issue might be will players be able to walk away from a contract?  This talk of banning players from other competitions is non sensical to me. Like it or not players are employees and subject to employment laws. They will therefore be in an impossible situation. Forego years of their career and their salary or play for their employers. That's before restraint of trade and monopoly laws are even considered. The governing bodies need to tread softly on this one or they could end up alienating the player base which would make a league like this more likely.

I understand it is very simple. Players can be banned worldwide for anumber of reasons. This would be another one. Contracts are tied to registrations. Remember this time next week those 12 clubs may no longer be soccer clubs in the sense we know it. Contracts would void and they would be free agents.

Exactly
Bruce Buck the chairman of Chelsea is or was CEO of a Global law firm. To think these sharks haven't anticipated all this is naive. These guys can "lawyer up" and fight with anybody in a courtroom.

What court room? CAS rarely side eith the owners. If registrations are voided so are contracts.  If clubs can dump players for getting banned players can dump clubs for getting banned.

They have already filed in local courts apparently and it might not even go through CAS but hey I'm no law expert like yourself

[Baile Brigín 2]

Milner has come out against it.

Seriously? You'd need players that will actually be playing in it. As much as Milner is a great pro, his best days are behind him, If Liverpool are in this league next year he'll be at Norwich.

Unless we get the likes of Salah Rashford Kane and co coming out and s  are ting they won't play in it then it won't get any traction.

These lads are paid a wage and under contract. No one will walk away from an increase in wages, unless another team outside of the 12 offer them the same

The bigger issue might be will players be able to walk away from a contract?  This talk of banning players from other competitions is non sensical to me. Like it or not players are employees and subject to employment laws. They will therefore be in an impossible situation. Forego years of their career and their salary or play for their employers. That's before restraint of trade and monopoly laws are even considered. The governing bodies need to tread softly on this one or they could end up alienating the player base which would make a league like this more likely.

I understand it is very simple. Players can be banned worldwide for anumber of reasons. This would be another one. Contracts are tied to registrations. Remember this time next week those 12 clubs may no longer be soccer clubs in the sense we know it. Contracts would void and they would be free agents.

Exactly
Bruce Buck the chairman of Chelsea is or was CEO of a Global law firm. To think these sharks haven't anticipated all this is naive. These guys can "lawyer up" and fight with anybody in a courtroom.

What court room? CAS rarely side eith the owners. If registrations are voided so are contracts.  If clubs can dump players for getting banned players can dump clubs for getting banned.

They have already filed in local courts apparently and it might not even go through CAS but hey I'm no law expert like yourself

What local courts tbough? Thats just yank puffchesting

[RedHand88]

https://twitter.com/vicderbyshire/status/1384457495402352642?s=19

It's ok, the Dubai Liverpool supporters club are all for it, that's the main thing.
Problem is that these lads are the target audience. The owners will look at people like this and think they are doing a good job by breaking away.

Between this and the farce the All Ireland championship is becoming, life just sucks.

[Hound]

Bruce Buck the chairman of Chelsea is or was CEO of a Global law firm. To think these sharks haven't anticipated all this is naive. These guys can "lawyer up" and fight with anybody in a courtroom.

Bizarrely it might be Chelsea who brings the Super League down if the reports doing the rounds are accurate.....either them or City anyway.

That makes sense. I am guessing City/Chelseaowners are not as concerned with club valuations as FSG/Glazers/kroenke/Levy. Those guys are all investors and will always have planned to exit and cash in at some point. The ESL just creates a value event by making revenue streanms more certain meaning they can take on more debt which increases returns to equity holders. Sheikh Mansoor and Abramovich bought the clubs as vanity projects and while they will obvioulsy want to make as much as possible I suspect there are different levels of incentivisation in there.

It seems widely agreed that Chelsea and Man City were the last two of the six to agree to join, but the rumours of them pulling out are based on that rather than anything real.
They all signed contracts at the weekend which seemingly would result in severe financial penalties owed to the other members, if they unilaterally pull out.

But we'll see.

It'll be very interesting to see what the Premier League 14 come up with after today's meeting.

[Hound]

Premier League statement:

The Premier League, alongside The FA, met with clubs today to discuss the immediate implications of the Super League proposal.

The 14 clubs at the meeting unanimously and vigorously rejected the plans for the competition.

The Premier League is considering all actions available to prevent it from progressing, as well as holding those Shareholders involved to account under its rules.

The League will continue to work with key stakeholders including fan groups, Government, UEFA, The FA, EFL, PFA and LMA to protect the best interests of the game and call on those clubs involved in the proposed competition to cease their involvement immediately. 

The Premier League would like to thank fans and all stakeholders for the support they have shown this week on this significant issue.

The reaction proves just how much our open pyramid and football community means to people.

I was expecting some more teeth

[seafoid]

   https://www.ft.com/content/e80299a4-8012-447a-8512-c24e149304b1

   Leaked Super League documents reveal US-style plan to transform elite football's finances
Documents for breakaway football contest reveal revenue-sharing agreements and cost controls

One person involved in the deal says the Super League's distribution model aims to ensure the competition's winner will receive just 1.5 times more than the bottom side © REUTERS

Murad Ahmed and Arash Massoudi in London AN HOUR AGO

Leaked plans for the European Super League show an unprecedented effort to cap spiralling player wages and share wealth between football's richest clubs.

The measures, which range from revenue-sharing arrangements to strict spending limits, have been confirmed by the Financial Times and closely resemble the structure of top US sports leagues.

A dozen top clubs including England's Manchester United, Spain's Real Madrid and Italy's AC Milan, have signed up to join the breakaway contest that threatens to shatter the existing power structures in the world's most-watched sport. 

Despite uproar among fans, European politicians and football pundits, the Super League clubs are pushing ahead with a project they believe will raise upwards of €4bn a season from global broadcasting and sponsorship rights. That figure is roughly double that of the Champions League, the continent's top club contest, which the Super League is designed to supersede.

According to those familiar with the plans, the 15 "founding clubs" of the Super League would share 32.5 per cent of these commercial revenues. A further 32.5 per cent would be distributed between all 20 participating teams, including the five sides invited to play in the competition each year. Twenty per cent of revenues would be allocated on "merit" or be dependent on performance in the competition. The final 15 per cent would be shared based on broadcast audience size.

A person directly involved in the deal said the distribution model ensured the competition winner would receive just 1.5 times more than the bottom side. By comparison, that ratio in Spain's La Liga is closer to 3.5 times. However, clubs will be also allowed to retain all revenues from gate receipts and club sponsorship deals.

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The model is closer in design to North American sports leagues such as the National Basketball Association and National Football League, in which franchises strike joint commercial agreements, and use collective bargaining agreements with players and other measures to level the playing field.

Those competitions are "closed", meaning that teams are guaranteed their place every year, ensuring reliable revenues and steady profits for owners. 

But the Super League structure represents a fundamental break with how European football has been governed for years, with its "pyramid" structure that ensures any team, through on-pitch success, can reach for the top prizes.

Many of the Super League's main architects, such as Manchester United, Liverpool and AC Milan have US owners, while the €3.25bn launch cost is financed by a debt deal underwritten by US investment bank JPMorgan Chase.

Yet the driving force behind the project is Florentino Pérez, Real Madrid's president who has been named chair of the Super League. He has pointed to the financial crisis at top clubs, many of which have suffered steep revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic and are heavily indebted, saying in a Spanish TV interview that they "are ruined".


Another common feature of US franchises is strict spending limits. Super League clubs have committed to using only 55 per cent of their revenues on "sport spending", such as player salaries, transfer and agent fees, according to people familiar with the terms. European clubs typically spend 70 to 80 per cent of their income on footballers' wages alone.

Super League clubs have also signed up to a "tax equalisation" clause so that "income tax on salaries shall be normalised and calculated at a rate of 45 per cent", according to people with direct knowledge of the contracts. This would ensure clubs in Spain, where footballers pay a higher top rate of tax than in Italy or England, are not at a competitive disadvantage when the spending limits are assessed.

The documents add that Super League clubs must have "positive trailing earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation and net profit". This is intended to break with the past dynamic, where many clubs, particularly those with rich owners, have racked up huge losses to acquire the best players in the pursuit of silverware.

The Super League declined to comment on the numbers, but said its model was based on higher "solidarity" payments to smaller teams and an effort to create a "sustainable model for the whole of the football pyramid".

[johnnycool]

Premier League statement:

The Premier League, alongside The FA, met with clubs today to discuss the immediate implications of the Super League proposal.

The 14 clubs at the meeting unanimously and vigorously rejected the plans for the competition.

The Premier League is considering all actions available to prevent it from progressing, as well as holding those Shareholders involved to account under its rules.

The League will continue to work with key stakeholders including fan groups, Government, UEFA, The FA, EFL, PFA and LMA to protect the best interests of the game and call on those clubs involved in the proposed competition to cease their involvement immediately. 

The Premier League would like to thank fans and all stakeholders for the support they have shown this week on this significant issue.

The reaction proves just how much our open pyramid and football community means to people.

I was expecting some more teeth

Don't think the greedy six intend to drop out of the Premiership and in all likelihood would intent to fulfill their commitments to the PL.

Problem is the lack of "top 4" and thereafter for the other 14 teams in the premiership unless UEFA decide to continue with their Champions League without the rest...

[David McKeown]

Milner has come out against it.

Seriously? You'd need players that will actually be playing in it. As much as Milner is a great pro, his best days are behind him, If Liverpool are in this league next year he'll be at Norwich.

Unless we get the likes of Salah Rashford Kane and co coming out and s  are ting they won't play in it then it won't get any traction.

These lads are paid a wage and under contract. No one will walk away from an increase in wages, unless another team outside of the 12 offer them the same

The bigger issue might be will players be able to walk away from a contract?  This talk of banning players from other competitions is non sensical to me. Like it or not players are employees and subject to employment laws. They will therefore be in an impossible situation. Forego years of their career and their salary or play for their employers. That's before restraint of trade and monopoly laws are even considered. The governing bodies need to tread softly on this one or they could end up alienating the player base which would make a league like this more likely.

I understand it is very simple. Players can be banned worldwide for anumber of reasons. This would be another one. Contracts are tied to registrations. Remember this time next week those 12 clubs may no longer be soccer clubs in the sense we know it. Contracts would void and they would be free agents.

I'm no legal expert but it's far from simple. This has the potential to be a massive pain in the arse. Also CAS are not anti owners although this probably wouldn't even end up there with the myriad of other issues

[Taylor]

Premier League statement:

The Premier League, alongside The FA, met with clubs today to discuss the immediate implications of the Super League proposal.

The 14 clubs at the meeting unanimously and vigorously rejected the plans for the competition.

The Premier League is considering all actions available to prevent it from progressing, as well as holding those Shareholders involved to account under its rules.

The League will continue to work with key stakeholders including fan groups, Government, UEFA, The FA, EFL, PFA and LMA to protect the best interests of the game and call on those clubs involved in the proposed competition to cease their involvement immediately. 

The Premier League would like to thank fans and all stakeholders for the support they have shown this week on this significant issue.

The reaction proves just how much our open pyramid and football community means to people.

I was expecting some more teeth

As was I until I heard the Palace chairman on last night.

The rest of the PL need these big clubs to stay in the PL.

Talk of expelling them from the PL would be the death kneel for the PL as we know it and would mean significantly less £££ for all of the remaining clubs.

Like it or not the top 6 could have the PL by the balls here so to speak