Written by Pranav C
Football has the most infamous fanbase amongst any other sport. They’ve been known to be extremely violent and aggressive towards players and fanbases of other clubs. However, this stereotype was proven to be untrue when fans from rival clubs across three different countries came together to protest against an idea that would attack the very roots of European football.
On April 18, the “Dirty Dozen,” a group of 12 of Europe’s largest, most influential, and financially strong clubs, announced their intention to break away from the current UEFA competition structure and form their own Super League. This project would later show how little fans respect the owners of their beloved clubs. The Super League decided to ensure that 15 clubs were guaranteed a place in the 20-team competition every season, regardless of their on-field results. This decision wasn’t made by the players, the coaches, or even the fans but by the billionaire owners of these clubs looking to fill their pockets. The latest project’s clubs — three from Italy, three from Spain, and six from England — have been roundly chastised.
This league would have been spearheaded by Florentino Perez(president of real Madrid), Andrea Agnelli(president of Juventus)
Perez stated during the ESL announcement: “Real Madrid’s Florentino Pérez ‘wants to save football’ with Super League.”In theory, the idea of the best teams in Europe playing against each other every week sounds like something revolutionary. Any sport is made interesting when the best go against each other. But the real motive behind Perez and Agnelli organizing this breakaway league was purely monetary. The Superleague would guarantee the founding clubs anywhere between 130 to 200 million euros every season, and these funds would go a long way in helping these clubs get back to their feet.
Having a tournament with only a set number of clubs without any risk of losing their position would take away any competitive spirit that remained in these power-hungry giants. Every year across Europe, when the football season begins, fans of smaller-sized clubs dream of playing against the biggest clubs in Europe, and sometimes they even win. Critics of the ESL felt that every neutral supporter who loves to see the underdog story, which would become a thing of fiction, would not like this new development. The football pyramid that took decades to build in these countries involved would be at stake. Every year clubs participate in their respective league, and the best performing teams move up to a more rewarding league, and those who don’t are relegated to a lower league. This way, football teams are forced to remain competitive, and everyone gets a chance to create opportunities for themselves. Money does not play a factor in the current scenario, but the way ESL guarantees a position to these 15 richest teams almost seems like it creates a safe bubble for these elite clubs who have nothing to lose in this competition.
To sum it up, the criticism received by the super league was because it created a greedy elitist atmosphere in a sport that working-class people popularized. Billionaires were trying to convert a sport into a business that lacked the essence of competition.
Even after such an idea was put forward and accepted by a few of the world’s biggest teams, there were a few football clubs that condemned this league. German clubs Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund felt that the current structure where teams compete for a position is what sporting competition is all about and rejected the ESL without a second thought. Even the president of UEFA had strong words to say. Aleksander Ceferin accused the top six clubs of England of being greedy, arrogant, and even ignorant of English football culture.ESL players will be BANNED from World Cup | UEFA’s Aleksander Ceferin reacts to Super League plans
While criticism from former footballers and important figures didn’t change the viewpoint of any of the participating clubs in the ESL, even the prime minister of England, Boris Johnson, spoke about this issue in the parliament but like the people of the United Kindom usually don’t, the super league owners also did not pay any attention to him.
It required the fans of these clubs to take charge and bring their owners to their knees. As soon as the announcement was made, millions of fans took to social media to voice their opinions. Within 48 hours of the super league project being unraveled, a reminder was given to football’s power brokers that supporters should never be bypassed like this again. Thousands marched on the streets to have their voices heard by the club owners who approved of this project.
The immense pressure that the fans put on their club owners forced them to withdraw from the super league. At first, it was the six English clubs, and within some time, the Italian and Spanish teams followed.
Even after this disaster of a project, Florentino Perez continues to believe that the ESL will save football and add the missing spark that had been lacking in competitive football.
After this fiasco ended, many questions started arising.” To what extent are these club owners willing to go so that they can earn more money? Is football being taken over by greed and power?” Such thoughts persisted in the minds of fans long after the ESL fell to bits. Many fans are demanding a change in ownership of their clubs, with Manchester United and Arsenal fans being the loudest. Still, even a change in ownership may not change the mindset of rich businessmen who invest in these clubs, hoping to profit.
Football is one of the only sport in the world in which the opinion of the general public matters; fans get to decide what happens with their beloved teams. However, with more projects like the European Super League being predicted in the future and people like Florentino Perez still being extremely influential, it becomes hard to predict if true fan ownership will continue. Football lovers are worried that greed and the lack of respect for the emotion involved in the game will one day change the beautiful game, but until then, football stands strong.
The most popular sport on the planet will continue to be the way that it is, competitive and inclusive.
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