One of Arsene Wenger’s final predictions as Arsenal manager was to state that one day a European Super League would be a reality. For a man who controlled most aspects of the club it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t have been aware of any talks going on.
“In a few years you will certainly have a European league over the weekends,” said Wenger.
“It is inevitable. Why? First of all, to share money between the big clubs and small clubs will become a problem.”
“The big clubs will say: ‘if two smaller clubs are playing each other nobody wants to watch it. People want to watch quality. So we have to share the money but nobody is interested in you’.
“A domestic league will certainly play Tuesday, Wednesday. I think that is the next step we will see.”
The idea of facing a European power house is always exciting, the prospect of doing it every week is a novelty that would soon wear off. Organisers though are not considering fans interests but are purely motivated by money. They are willing to throw so much cash at this project to buy the values of certain owners. Let’s not be naive, the world is motivated by money.
It would be unprecedented though to go against your fan base. The reason why we have been picked as one of the participants is the awareness that if 60,000 gooners turned their nose up at this idea, thousands more are on the waiting list. It’s hard to see Stan Kroenke being opposed to these plans. A chance to be in a domestic competition with no promotion/relegation. No matter where you finish you become rich by simply being part of the brand.
If you think the American is not ambitious enough to win the Premiership, imagine a set up where last place would be worth more than being Champions of your country? Our worst case though is we become even more wealthy. Sometimes though you need to spare the thought for the rest. What would a tournament mean without us, Chelsea, Liverpool and the Manchester sides? What would a TV deal look like for the rest? Would stadiums sell out when the biggest name heading to your city is Spurs? The rise of the likes of Bournemouth and Huddersfield would suddenly be less romantic. Imagine a fixture list without certain away dates. While a trip to Goodison Park, St James Park, etc are not as sexy as the Nou Camp, they offer the competitiveness that have made English Football such a market which could now be exploited.
The only way I would be open to such a creation is if it were a direct replacement for the Champion’s League. UEFA’s prime competition is due an upgrade, but I still would demand a system where you can qualify/be demoted.
Comment below on your thoughts of a European Super League.
Dan Smith
I think we have the super league already, the European Champions League
Look I’m not a big fan of this, it’ll only ruin the competitions and beautiful traditions we football fans already love and used to. The same way the UEFA nations league is totally crap to me, if you say it’s to watch big teams play every weekend then it’ll eventually get tiring at some point and it’ll wear off, the fun will definitely die off…
Seeing Arsenal Vs Barcelona play twice every year n against all other top clubs will get tiring because at some point, we’ll get use to it and it won’t freak us.
But sticking to the way things are right now and having to fight for every spot and the suspense and thrill that comes from knowing you’ll might be facing either Barça or Madrid or Bayern in the next round itself is a joy, it makes that hunger to see that game much larger.
This whole super club league is totally rubbish but of cus I’m just a fan and what everyone seems to care about now is the money over the passion and game
I don’t think a European Super League to replace or to be “above” the national leagues is in the cards.
But it could be as a replacement for the Champions League, and as such, I don’t really see a big problem.
Okay, you can’t get demoted and in a sporting sense, that seems to be a missing ingredient. On the other hand the NFL and the NBA work like that, and I don’t see the fans have a big problem with it. Both leagues have also been able to take in new teams over the years.
So maybe not a big problem?
I read an article a few days ago which said Arsenal were not going to be part of a super league, weather this is true or not i don’t know but surely a super league would only detract interest in the Champions league and the Europa league as well as the Premier league. I for one would rather see things stay as they are or change the format of the Champions league so that it does only include league champions and no runner’s up.
Wenger waas wrong on almost all else in his last decade, so why should his prediction of this silly anti fan plan -which is the prime reason it will never happen – be expected to be different! Forget it as it will not happen.
He wasn’t though was he, that is your personal biased nature making Wenger out to be the worst human being on this planet since Hitler.
Wenger wasn’t wrong about wanting Laca… He wanted Laca over a player like Perez and who was right?
Wenger wanted a CB in Jan but never got given one, fans complained and blamed Wenger for not wanting a CB… He wasn’t wrong in saying we needed a CB was he?
You may be amazed, though you should not , if you have properly read some of my many posts on WeNGER, but as a human being- your words, I REMIND YOU, I THINK WENGER is a fine man. It is as a manager, not a man, that I find him hopeless at our level. Midkemma, you can keep on castigating my comments all you like BUT you will never change my mind about how hopeless Wenger was over his last decade. I REALISE THAT AS ONE IF HIS ARCH SUPPORTERS THIS GRIEVES YOU. Perhaps you should now move on!
This comment was coming from Wenger as the man, the one you said you are fine with yet you castrated him for always being wrong.
I pointed out he wasn’t always wrong and that your personal bias is wrong.
You can call me an Arch supporter however I have been one of the few who has recognised the good and the bad. I have said how I believe Wengers issue with confrontation got worse and it became a real hinderance as we wasn’t signing players who had the right type of mental attitude to cover that flaw. I pointed out that it was our old GK coach that hurt our GK training, this was a Wenger man…
I have pointed out many flaws in Wenger. I have supported Bellerin and blamed Wenger for lack of def coaching, I have spoken to you about how you have slated Bellerin quite harshly at times and said it was Wengers fault.
Because I do not agree that Wenger is always wrong/the cause of all our sporting problems which people like you make out, I must be one of his arch supporters. Really? You going down this route? You going down this narrow minded road of this or that just to try and make out I must be wrong for saying Wenger wasn’t always wrong?
Perhaps I should move on but you know me Jon 😛
Midkemma, dear fellow devoted Gooner, you have a technically correct point in “from WENGER THE MAN” but trouble is, he was until mere months ago, also our manager and was overwhelmingly criticised by fan get rid campaigns until finally, under acute fan pressure, the club got rid. I have already explicitly said, as I have often done in other posts,(whether or not you have read them) that I admire him as a man. But as a football fan and that being the reason for this site, I could not abide him as a manager. And yes, being human, I still judge him as a manager and will do UNTIL all his baggage left behind is either moved on or transformed ,as indeed such as IWOBI, BELLERIN AND XHAKA( BOTH TO A LESSER DEGREE THAN IWOBI) have transformed under a far better and in touch , driven, manager. You and I have fundamentally opposing views on WENGERS LAST FEW YEARS AND NEITHER WILL CHANGE. You admit to seeing some things you did not like, whereas I saw little, though not zero, at all that I did like. I suggest, respectfully, to you that it is pointless each of us asking or expecting the other to change our minds. NEITHER OF US WILL. Please believe me that I do not post as I do on Wenger to antagonise you or anyone. I post as I BELIEVE WHAT I WRITE and no one has the right to appoint themselves as censor to what others write. I live in freedom of speech Britain and cherish that freedom, not given to all other countries. You are clearly a passionate and devoted and highly literate Gooner , as too am I and about the new regime , I believe we have much in common on which to agree. The ball is now firmly in your court , my fellow Gooner.
“I live in freedom of speech Britain and cherish that freedom, not given to all other countries.”
So do I. People can reply to me and tell me to leave you alone and they are free to do so. People can tell me I am wrong and they are free to do so. I am free to engage them and explore topics.
You keep bashing Wenger and I’ll keep offering an alternative point of view. Oh and I am not against my mind being changed, I am not going to assume I know everything, I may have misplaced comprehension on some things and if so then I will expose that in my postings and fingers crossed I will learn something. I am not trying to censor you either, I am using the same rights you use to slander Wenger to question that viewpoint. Or should I not have the right of freedom of speech? 😛
I do not slander WeNGER. ON A TECHNICAL AND LEGAL POINT, TO BE SLANDER, WHAT I WROTE WOULD HAVE TO BE UNTRUE TO BE SLANDER. IT WAS NOT UNTRUE. Is it opinion would you say, or is it fact, that Wenger left the vital DM position empty of anyone decent for a whole decade! Not slander, therefore but a fact and a disgrace too. Also, as you say, you and all of us have the right to post as we wish, APART from the right to accuse other people of slander,(or other untrue “crimes”), as you wrongly did in my case.
Shall I prove you wrong YET AGAIN Jon?
Alex Song up till 2011/12 season.
Coquelin 2014/15 (Full season) till 2017/18 season.
They was both DMs.
They was both decent.
What you typed was not a fact. False information which damages Wengers reputation, not saying it is any damage that Wenger would care about but idiots repeating BS like you said, is said more and more then all of a sudden everyone knows it and nobody questions if it is true or not.
Another reason I respond to you, so people can see you are spouting BS off as facts when they are not!
Lastly, I used slander as in the verb and not legal, shall I copy paste the definition?
From Google:
“make false and damaging statements about (someone).”
“defame someone’s character, blacken someone’s name, give someone a bad name, tell lies about”
To sum up he was a big conman, was just there to save his interest and try to show everybody he was smart when you come to football matters – someone who believed somehow Walcott was improving and soon he was going to be in per with Messi and he even started to hand him over captain armbard – i am really happy is gone!!
The English and Italian sides would become the relegation zoned teams, but when the money comes in then the Italians will leave us behind, all except City, Che and Utd of course. We (us & Liv) might have a chance to become mid table teams, that’s if Holland and Portugal are let in along with Turkey. If the money is great for everyone then we are just screwed, esp when they start upping the home grown quota rules. This is a bad idea, I think these teams are only trying to get more cash out of the way things are now, the foreign clubs definitely want it to happen, but the English clubs have it almost ideal the way it is now, all they want is for it to become more ideal. They want a bigger percentage of tv rights because they bring in the largest numbers. Spain do it that way, so it shows us that it’s the wrong way to do it, sure they want out and want a share of the English monies, but the reason it’s the wrong way to do it is because of the competition within that league, garbage league. The big clubs should be glad that they bring with them the biggest numbers, that’s the advantage they hold over other English teams, they do well enough monetarily speaking, just be thankful you ungrateful billionaire b******s.
Wenger also predicted fair play rules would mean Chelski’s money would no longer be an issue when competing with them for the prem.
Fast forward we have PSG, City damn even Fulham spending bucket loads like it’s nothing.
So I don’t trust his judgement on this one, sorry old boy!