It really is happening. Arsenal have disgracefully officially announced that they are a part of the already derided European Super League.
We are one of 12 Founding Clubs of the European Super League
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 18, 2021
This is not going to end well. The Premier League, UEFA, and the other participating clubs FA’s have already condemned this and they are almost certain to act.
There is now a very strong possibility that Arsenal, along with the other treacherous clubs will be thrown out of their domestic leagues.
Make no bones about this, it is a massive power grab and it means that the Champions League will be disbanded and that qualification is no longer on merit.
There is no relegation, no promotion, nothing.
It makes the race for top four and all the excitement and disappointment that brings utterly redundant.
Arsenal can finish 15th in the Premier League if they are by some miracle allowed to compete and still qualify for this monstrous competition.
It means that all the other Premier League clubs with a rich history, like Aston Villa, Leeds United, West Ham, Everton, Leicester City and so on will be deprived of much-needed revenue and opportunity.
Tonight football, as we know it, has died.
Disgraceful, Kroenke didn’t even think twice
I don’t think I’m ready for 5-0 whippings every week.
Lol I thought the same thing. Perhaps the other teams just needed a whipping boy. I really don’t believe arsenal will no longer be an EPL team. Hopefully this pushes Kroenke to go big in the next window.
It won’t matter, no relegation and no qualification required. Stan will get richer and we can follow Barnet.
He has been planning this for many a year.
Peoples, mark this day and tell your grandkids about it. This was the day football ended as we know it. All thanks to power hungry billionaires who have no respect for such a beautiful sport
He’s a power hungry American thats closest idea of tradition is having a Turkey once a year on thanksgiving.
I don’t understand all the fuss
What is premier league without the big six
Definitely who will enjoy their national team without their biggest stars
Their will be compromise along the way for sure
Whenever this type of talk starts coming up literary it will happen some day this will be very hard to fight
Remember UEFA and even EPL is also mostly all about money
Wow and the timing is incredible because no fans to show backlash
Believe me that the people wh are heading this have
We can decide not to buy merchandise and watch matches or season tickets do you think the organizers have not but that into consideration they have made an informed decision behind the scene before taking a move. There is very very little we can do about this now, the only way we can do anything about this is not to watch and buy any merchandise but we all know it is very hard to achieve something like that
People don’t understand the weight of this this is as a result of getting this super rich individual into clubs you have to understand that money talks
We can do something to show our distaste and anger but can we actually stop them not at all
Cricket IPO is a very good example of what is happening now at first people don’t like it and players were banned but today it is the most watched
Now we know why stan didn’t want to sell arsenal
This sounds exactly like American schemes.
Closed competition, financially biggest clubs playing against each other. Guaranteed qualification.
Doesn’t that sound like NFL/NBA for you?
yeah a world series that nobody outside these clubs will be interested in. Let me get my wallet out now. Here take my money.
I’m indifferent. It’s not like fans have any say in this stuff anyways. If we say no, and all our rivals go into it, we will never be able to compete financially again for decades. It’s a war between the clubs and UEFA/FIFA. Good luck to all the crazy rich dudes…..
But RSH, Those clubs wont be in the premier league, they will join a renegade league with no real value and nothing to do with our domestic football. Domestic football will still be here and i for one hope we are in it but kronks will sell us down the river. Ask yourself this, Do you feel Arsenal is still ours since Kronk took over? I dont and this has proved he doesn’t as well. This is powered by Americans.
Reggie, there’s no product for the FA if those six teams left the EPL. No product for La Liga, Serie A either. The clubs have the power in this situation. We’ll have to see what happens obviously but it was in the statement that super league clubs have the intentions to play domestic football still. It would just be replacing UEFA competitions.
But they aren’t allowed to form a league of their own and play domestic football. Of course there will be a premier league if these clubs go there own way. You really want a league run by the president of Real and cheir execof Man utd?
I would rather play in the conference and support my team than sell our soul. for what money. but I guess majority ain’t me.
kori, I’m with you. If Glasgows Rangers can rise from the ashes of bankruptcy and restarting from the fourth tier of Scottish football, so can The Arsenal FC.
I don’t know why this is so disgraceful. If we would have been left out(and one could argue our recent performance means we *should* be left out) than everyone would have been pissed because we missed out on all that much needed revenue. Things change in football.. it’s not like the premier league wasn’t a scandal in its own time.. I for one welcome the additional revenue this move will bring in. Lets just relax and see where this goes.
yeah, pretty much my opinion. Things change, and it’s better to be one of the sides benefitting than not. If this money helped us become competitive again and actually act like a big club, would a single person really complain? I don’t think so.
Ask yourself why these teams are doing this when there is a better system in place. They want to get rid of all regulations and bring their own in. It will be run by the top teams for the top teams and the rest will whistle. Arsenal are not one of the top teams but it comes clearer why kronk took control of our club. Well as far as im concerned it all stinks.
I mean, that’s basically how it is with UEFA and FIFA in charge right now. Players and clubs have to do what they say with little control otherwise, unless you’re buddy buddy with the current president like Real and Barcelona. It’s not like one group of rich people is that much better than the other group. FIFA is not really an organization worth defending.
You will notice No German clubs joined and no French. They at least have scrupples.
And anyone think that Man utd have a bias in the prem, think again, one of the cheif execs from utd is one of the guys running this renegade league.
Oh and Real Madrids president is the head of this group of bandits and will run the thing. Bandits.
Bayern is already rumored to be joining soon. Another organization that is hardly the pinnacle of fairness considering how they bully bundesliga clubs. It’s money and football everyone is doing what is best for them and there’s very little morals involved. I don’t see the point in pretending there ever really have been in modern football either.
Well one thing you can not deny F Perez is a brilliant business man. Even though glaticos was not that if big success on the football pitch but off the pitch it was a big success. He has made bucket full of cash for Madrid with clever investments in players and the way he managed to develop new training facilities as well. This might or might not be a football master stroke but it is definitely a great business plan for the clubs involved 😜
But logic, Real are in massive Debt.
Reggie, i was referring to what he did in his first presidential job at the club. At that time Madrid was massively in debt and his strategy helped them to bring the debt down to way lower amount then what it was. Even now Real are in way better place then Barca who are a complete mess. I am telling you it’s human nature more exclusive things get more people will pay over the odds to get in. Now a days everyone wants to be unique lol!.
So the fact that Florentine Perez Real Madrid and Joel Glazier man utd are running the job, doesnt raise any alarm bells. Football teams running a football league is not right.
DM, I agree. People are always oppose to change. No one has yet heard the whole project and everyone is just assuming the worst. How can pandits and fans say money will not filter down to grass root level? When they don’t know the details. Where as ppl from the clubs involved have said it will be used to better support football pyramid and grass root level football will have more funding as clubs will earn more so will be able to invest more. Wait and listen to the whole proposal before rejecting things just by jumping in the band wagon of the FA, FIFA/UEFA etc. They will always complain as they are loosing out on money. They are using fans shoulder to fire their gun. If these federations were so concerned for fans then why did they not question the ticket prices, merchandise prices and how much of club revenues are invested back into community. It’s all about money. Fans had no say before and fans will have no say now either. It’s a fight between the greedy rich ppl with non of them thinking about normal ppl or fans who support the club.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham are among 12 clubs who have agreed to join a new European Super League (ESL).
In a seismic move for European football, the Premier League clubs will join AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.
The ESL said the founding clubs had agreed to establish a “new midweek competition” with teams continuing to “compete in their respective national leagues”.
It says the inaugural season “is intended to commence as soon as practicable” and “anticipated that a further three clubs will join” the breakaway.
he league will have 20 teams – the 12 founding members plus the three unnamed clubs they expect to join soon and five sides who qualify annually according to their domestic achievements.
It will start in August, with midweek fixtures, and the clubs will be split into two groups of 10, who play each other home and away.
The top three in each group qualify for the quarter-finals, with the teams in fourth and fifth playing a two-legged play-off for the two remaining spots.
From then, on it will have the same two-leg knockout format used in the Champions League before a single-leg final in May at neutral venue.
And clubs are complaining there are too many competitions, so they add one more! Players are complaining they are playing to many games.
This will not be another competition, but the only competition for the breakaway teams. No more FA Cup, no more League Cup, no more CL or EL and likely also not in the Premier League. The clubs in the Super League will be totally ostracised by every other club and it’s fans. 100+ years of football tradition pissed up the wall by greed.
Declan, I hope so too. The strength of any game and the standard of the players at the top level, depends on the width of the base of the pyramid. How wide would the base of the pyramid be, if the grass roots of the game are destroyed by these big clubs, syphoning off the majority of the available funds?
I can’t believe it i thought this was going to be a repeat of project big picture how wrong was i!JP Morgan financing it is no surprise this goes against everything that makes sport great entertaining.. I’m disgusted!
it’s like the nba. I wont watch until its conference final and final. it will become so repetitive it will bore the hell out of us after 5 season. super yawn for me.
I wonder who the 3 are? And what happens to the 5 who qualify annually? And which leagues?Presumably they only get in for that season? So miss the CL. Are they then kicked out of the CL permanently? More questions than answers today…
For the very first time in my t I’m ashamed of being an Arsenal fan. Lack of trophies never made me feel this way before because I have pure love for the club, but it’s a joke what these greedy bástards want do. Guess the chairman? Greedy papa Florentino Perez is the chairman.. and he wants the league to start this August.
I hope UEFA and FIFA kicks everyone of them out and ban any player that participates.
These clubs in one day just made UEFA look like mother Theresa
👍
This action is disgraceful…
And read somewhere that 15 founding clubs will automatically play in ESL.. There will be not any correlation between domestic league standing and playing in ESL
If it is then These Clubs will not take PL seriously at all because anyway league position not going affect their Revenues…
This is utter humiliation of football and loyal fans of sport, and PL
The moment American Owners stepped in European Football, this was meant to happen..
Agreed. Sad day
Arsenal and kronk are dead to me if we join. Even if we dont, i think while kronk is our owner i wont be interested in our dirty club. Kronk and all these billionaires dont give a stuff for supporters, kronk has already proved that in America.
There is nothing confirmed.
French and German clubs have not signed up.
Such a competition would not change much any way.
Champions league is already a super league with the same teams making the top 16 every season.
Leagues are won by the same teams every season.
Real change would be a removal of transfer fees altogether, a strict much lower salary scale and a 25% limit of foreign players.
A compromise will be reached and everything will just carry on with minimal change.
But its the chance that the same teams won’t win every year. However small, that’s what makes the game .
IF it goes ahead and WHEN (when more of an issue because it will eventually) the clubs must have had big financial inducements to join. Safe to say cash will appear for new players. I can still see an EPL ban threat which if upheld scuppers it all. noteam could survive just on SL games.
Reckon the 5 will be highest other finishers from England Spain Italy France Germany Portugal? Heck no what happens if Anderlecht win the CL. Doh no idea!
Don’t you get it guys – the SL perms are not based on current league place or best squad, thats irrelevant to them being biggest longterm. The biggest teams have a combination of:
Place on the Richest Clubs List
Fan base and reputation worldwide
League they play in
Past national and international success
Whether they were likely to say yes
The First two being the most important, because they are the most likely to REMAIN one of the most important clubs.
Last 3? I still think Bayern and PSG are 2 that want to join, but have bigger domestic barriers before they can announce it. Cant think of any more EPL teams. Last one? Dortmund are next on the rich lit. thats the whole top 15!
stan the maN is scum…
Long time AFC supporter, but will not follow a club that helps crater their own league and who support other clubs I despise for how they have corrupted their own leagues.
Will follow a domestic club (SJ Quakes) rather than choose another EPL or Championship club.
What an F’n disgrace.
Anyone defending the Kroenkes over the years should just shut up and hide. Fools. This is not something which has suddenly sprung up. It’s been a masterfully planned ambush with the big picture in mind. It’s what you’ll get when football is taken away from the grass roots and becomes a soulless franchise. Hope you’re happy now. You can go to the football with the family, eat your popcorn, buy the souvenirs and be part of a Disney like experience. Everyone responsible from the board to Gazadiz and Arsene Wegner should be held accountable for their compliance. In allowing the takeover. Oh and how long before the goal posts are widened, the offside rule is altered and draws are settled by penalty shootout outs or golden goals in overtime.
What the hell hasWenger got to do with this?
He has nothing to do with the club and hasn’t for nihj on three years!!!
What a ridiculous statement, especially as he was warning that this would/could happen if fair play wasn’t followed by every club.
Got goodness sake, can’t fans get over Wenger and concentrate on what’s happening at our club TODAY?
Can’t wait to see what happens. I really hope arsenal het richer btw because things like this have been done before and will continue to happen. We’re all happy with the premier league but people were equally as enraged when clubs broke out of the first division to start the premier league.
But the Premier League has promotion and relegation, not a closed shop for the initial joinees clique.
Hehehe! If the clubs can make more money without UEFA, why should they stick with the current setup?
Because they should not be allowed to throw the other clubs to the Wolves and decimate the grass roots by sucking the game financially dry.
I think clubs are looking at the disgraceful power grab from governments right now during this man made scaredemic, and thinking, hey we want a part of that!
It is a disgrace! I hope FIFA sticks to its word and bans anyone that takes part, from the World Cup. Likewise, UEFA with their competitions.
TMJW, heading 600,000 dead in the USA, 150,000 plus dead in UK and its a “man made scaredemic”?
Huge numbers die every year from flu, but no lock downs?
With Covid you have a 99.9% survival rate, yet when Ebola broke out and you got it it was something like a 25-75% of you dieing, yet no lock downs?
So glad I didnt take the vaccine, and listen to the government, because of the research I did. I could be dead by now!
Very interesting I would say. And more and more information that it came from lab in China. Let’s not forget this has happened before. I can’t remember exact details but in early 2000’s it was politicians in USA I think that were sent Anthrax in post, I think some died, and that was blamed on Sadam I think, but the Anthrax actually came from a lab in America.
TMJW, compare the deaths due to influenza these days, compared to Covid19; there is no comparison. This is the biggest pandemic since the Spanish flu after World War I.
I am glad I live in a country with reasonably competent State and Commonwealth governments and people with a sense of the “common weal” rather than individual self interest.
Again we will see the Darwin principle at work, the deaths of people due to stupidity.
Don’t feed the troll, Ozzie. There’s nothing to be gained.
Ozziegunner
Third man needs to stick to football
He is a rampant conspiracy theorist as we all discovered last year
I very emotionally got my first jab 2 months ago. Our path out of this hell.
Confirmed idiot alert 🚨
Thanks everyone, I shall stop beating a dead horse.
@all of you
It’s funny that when people tell the truth, and even expose things, they’re still considered “conspiracy theorists”! Haha!!
Let me pose one simple question. When we have beaten Covid-19, governments words, not mine, do we get our freedoms back? Or do we only get our freedoms back if we have taken the potentially lethal vaccine?
Remember that even with a vaccine, you can still contract, pass on, and die from the virus, not to mention, health complications, including death from the vaccine itself. As we already know with the flu, that kills huge numbers of people every year.
I am a healthy individual because I look after myself. Why should I risk my health/life taking a vaccine for a non-fatal virus? The governments have pretty much taken all of our rights away, now you feel it’s acceptable that they now have the right to your own body?
I agree with Dan Kit for once, “idiot alert: for all the sheep that just believe ANYTHING that the government tells you!
As former US president Ronald Reagan once said “the 9 most terrifying words in the English language are – I’m from the government, and I’m here to help”.
The fact that a year on you are still using the flu vs covid argument says it all!i don’t know where you got your stats from but you seem zo like a good round sounding number ” 99.99″the” real” covid death/survival rate won’t be known until covid is properly contained but so far covid fatality rate is between 1%-5% compared to 0.1% for the flu so 10 to 50 times higher than the flu also being seasonal that makes it predictable (I’m hoping that i don’t have to explain to you the advantages) also a person infected with the flu spreads it in average to another 1.3 person covid 2.5 person then you also have to take into account the more severe longer term symptoms also the much longer period of possible contamination/spreading of covid!lastly Mourinho has been sacked by Spurs!
I have never heard 1-5%, so be interested to know where that came from?
In terms of the numbers, we know for a fact that the numbers have been exaggerated. Even doctors have confirmed this from the way deaths were being recorded, and the PCR tests can have up to a 90% false positive rate (from the actual maker of the test).
Wasting your breath Siamois
In the UK on average 10 to 20000 people die of flu annually. Mostly those near their usual lifespan So far 127,000 people have perished here as a result of Covid in little over a year. He ought to ask the Brazilians whose leader has called it a little flu to know of the lack of hospital beds and oxygen. Expendable citizens with a horrendous death toll.
Then there is long Covid to consider when heart scars, extreme fatigue and many more blood clots than the AZ vaccine could ever cause have affected over 1 million Uk people and these are frequently from the younger age groups
This is the same guy who cannot count up to six in eight seasons of “supposedly” watching every Arsenal game… not worth arguing with… in my opinion.
Damn, I was against this latest money making scheme but seeing a Covidiot is also against it has made me pause.
I always knew you were an idiot but now you officially outed yourself as one
Today as I know it the arsenal that I love has died. it’s all about money money money. the glazers and kroenkes and others are scoundrels that should I pray end up worst than Bernie Madoff and rot on earth and in hell.
No excuses for how poor Arsenal were against Fulham, S fans we are now used to this type tepid performance, but I’m just wondering how much coaches and players knew of this yet to be announced performance and how it would have effected their mind sets.
Sorry that should have been” bombshell”.
If Arsenal really won’t be in the Premier League next season because of this, I’m actually glad because I can get rid of an addiction.
– Having that uncontrollable urge to watch an Arsenal game.
I’ll finally have control over love my Arsenal.
I’ve always had a soft spot for villa anyway.
At least I won’t stop supporting football altogether
The European Super League will kill football. The greed shown by those powerful billionaires in football is disgraceful and that’s an understatement!
Cool 9th in the league and struggling to beat or not lose to the likes of Fulham.
Now we can tune in each mid week to watch us get beaten most likely sometimes badly by the worlds best.
We may be super by name and reputation but certainly not by postion and performance atm!!
About time fans started some prior action towards their clubs.
Wonder what Wenger would make of this?!
Not only AW, what about Fergie, Busby, Shankley etc etc etc?
AW has come out and said that he doesn’t think it will happen anyway.
@tmjw
Please get off this site or refrain from pushing your missing information re covid.
#selfish and thoughtless
So now the few who saw right through Kroenke from day one have become the many.
And to think people argued with the likes of myself and Jon fox on here, regarding Kroenkes long term “plans” for OUR club.
It was OBVIOUS this man was / is a shark whose main interest is amassing more and more financial wealth, and soon saw ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB AS ANOTHER OF HIS CASH COWS !
Go to AFC’s official site for full details of this show pony “competition “.
READ IT AND WEEP !
And by the way, take a look at the structure of the “board”, or should I say “CONTROLLERS” of this abomination.
Notice a certain Stanley Kroekne in the second tier tucked under Madrid’s Perez. _ who pushed for the formation of this thing.
Kroenke was shall we say VERY supportive of Mr Perez !
The American had and has NO concept of what ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB REALLY MEANS TO SO MANY PEOPLE.
LONDON WAS RED – WHAT FLAG DOES IT FLY NOW ????
Joke ,I agree with every word Gary Neville said about this plan,IT’S PURE GREED ,but That’s what I would expect from an american tycoon,if this happens I will end my lifelong 57 year support for Arsenal FC.
What a major snub for the fan base this will be,I am absolutely gutted that our club with its great tradition and heritage has even considered this and ashamed of giving them my support for so long,i implore all fans rejct these proposals and lets get shot of that money grabbing owner once and for all.
Tommogun58, like you I will be seeking another club to follow after 59 years from age 10. Thankfully being a “colonial” it was too far and expensive to attend too often and I have never held a season ticket. Thus my investment has been less financially; however not necessarily personally and emotionally in joy, pain and often disappointment.
I can’t get behind a move that is driven entirely by financial gain. I’ll wait for the dust to settle but am seriously considering changing allegiance away from a club I’ve supported since I became sentient.
A very dark day.
I hope our collective outrage will last and we dont see Gary Neville commentating at Arsenal’s first SL match in front of a packed stadium.
Where do disillusioned Arsenal fans go? I’m off to my local Hampton & Richmond FC and then down the road to enjoy Brentford’s new stadium. Lots of spare travel time once SKY Sports subscription cancelled. Sadly not sure I’ll be able to bring my boys along for the ride and I guess that’s what Kroenke et al are banking on.
I keep an eye out for Barnet having lived a couple of miles away but I will always support Arsenal or a new Arsenal
Wimbledon got shafted and rose up again. I could definitely go down that road
As you say, my boys are Arsenal and my 5 yr old grandson now has his first shirt – will they think differently to us?😔
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I second Brentford. Been following them quite closely this season. Should pop down and watch them fight for the play-off spot just to get emotionally prepared for the wife swap.
Shameful, Kroenke Portfolioism. Like he moved his LA Rams from St Louis to LA, we’ll probably be based in the Cayman Isles with the rest of his festering money. He should be banned from SKY’s money the BBC money, and BT Sport money. Greedy conman ‘Sheister’ Kroenke.
Drop the NORTH as the prefix to LONDON as to where a Arsenal play out of and represent.
We , along with Chelsea and Tottenham, will be billed simply as LONDON sides -that’s the selling ticket.
Does that matter ………….. YES !
Our fierce local rivals are of course Tottenham.
The movers and shakers don’t even know what that means.
The “NORTH LONDON DERBY” will mean absolutely nothing to Perez and his cronies – they don’t know, and much less care, where Highbury, Holloway, Finsbury Park and the Seven Sisters Road are, and in the context of the greed league why should they.
I am so proud to be born and bred in North London, and for this to happen in my lifetime !
ARSENAL IS NOW CONFIRMED AS NOTHING LESS THAN A FRANCHISE.
KSE MIGHT AS WELL READ KFC !
How long into this bloody (polite version) league, before we see Arsenal v Real Madrid played in the Kroenke stadium in “Hollywood Park, California”.
Other matches will eventually be played out across various continents becoming nothing more than “showpiece” games.
We left our beloved Highbury to “compete with the likes of Bayern Munich” – who could have foreseen at that time it would end up in this fashion !
Are we seriously considering becoming the “Sheffield United” of this thing ?
Oh, we got Arsenal on Wednesday – 3 points for us.
We languish lower to mid table achieving sweet F A. – with no fear of even relegation to spur us on.
You (may or may not) be reading someone who hates the format of teams failing in the Champions league dropping in the Europa league.
Someone who hates “the top 4 race”, when I’m “in it to win it i.e. NUMBER 1” !
But this ?
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY – sell your soul, and history.
The very history that has now got us into this damn thing through “invitation only”.
In ten years time the generation of the day will be loving this international league and what it will have morphed into.
But right now (and it may be a gut reaction) it feels like the death of the REAL Arsenal F.C and what it was originally formed for.
We are now officially fans of Walmart FC.
I honestly hope that the competition will fail miserably at the cost of all clubs involved. For doing this to football, Arsenal (and all other clubs) deserves to crumble financially to the point of becoming the new Fiorentina/Portsmouth.
I wouldn’t mind supporting a League 2 Arsenal without the cancer that is kroenke in it. I definitely prefer it to this.
👍 👍 Excellent posts.
So now we can finally say goodbye to the transfer kitty altogether. Guess Partey will become our last decent signing for years to come.
This also means that Arsenal will continue it’s journey towards the second half of the table. With this competition, we are more likely to watch Arsenal in Championship in the 2022/2023 than to see them in top 4.
So shameful,, Kreonke did not even think, this European Championship whatever is money driven and would add nothing to the football world
A very sad day for a game which used to be a community based sport which has sold its soul to the Devil for material gain.If this goes ahead, and I pray it does not, I for one will no longer support Arsenal FC.
Well said Grandad, Same as that.
Where will our clubs “extra” money go ? The squad? or back to shore up the money losing American side of our Stans business/ sporting empire ?