When the rumours about a European Super League broke about two weeks ago, just over half of JustArsenal readers said they did not want it to happen. But that will obviously not deter the money men from ignoring them and having serious discussions about the possibility.
The new Arsenal Head of Football, Raul Sanllehi, has now confirmed that the talks really did happen but denied that there were any final decisions made. ‘We need to make sure Arsenal is always in any driving seat of anything that may happen in the future,’ said Sanllehi. ‘We need to at least be aware and decide in a responsible way whether that is the direction to take or not. We need to be there.
‘It won’t happen in the short to medium term because we have an agreement with UEFA right now — but I don’t know what the future will bring because the future writes itself.
‘The way it was explained (in Football Leaks) may seem we were doing secret things but there is nothing secret.
‘There’s only one misleading thing: you used the words ‘Arsenal are signed to it’.
‘There is a document that has been presented in that article that has Arsenal’s name, it also has Barcelona’s name. But there’s no signature and I can assure you because it’s a draft.
‘It’s a real document — I cannot deny that but I can assure I’ve not seen that document.’
So the document is real and the talks are real. Before Arsene Wenger left the Gunners he said that the European Super League was ‘inevitable’, so Le Prof was obviously involved in the preliminary talks as well.
So the new question is. If it is going to happen anyway, should Arsenal make sure they are included or show solidarity with the smaller teams (like the Spuds!) that aren’t invited?
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I do not see this crazy idea happening in my lifetime. I am older than many on here , so do not speak for you younger ones. Though if it ever happens, I am glad I will not still be around to see the ruination of our First Division and then the Prem which I have been addicted to for sixty years and counting. On a far deeper point, I mourn THE FACT THAT OUR TOP FOOTBALL IS NOW RUN BY CORPORATE MERCENARIES.
Jon, I have just read your post above, along with Phils comments and the interaction between the two of you.
Wonderful comments and insights into the game over here in England.
When one reads the favourite memories of our club in another post, the real passion of our supporters just shines on through.
This is also true for real supporters of every other club in every country I believe.
Going into a “super league” would take away the derbies, the north versus south and the rise of the “smaller teams” to premier league status.
As Phil says, the cost of following your team is astronomical at present, imagine having to travel across europe AND coping with whatever the brexit saga brings us!!
I take heart that Raul is certainly not sounding pro-active to the idea and, as he says, the club does need to be aware of what is being discussed.
Ken I would think virtually 100% fan agreement to your, Phil’s and my opinion. This idea, if implemented, would kill our domestic game and so many on here constantly say they loathe these boring non Prem weekends. It is all our addiction and long may it remain so. What worries me more than a little though is how billionaires think; so differently from the real football fans. They see only more and more money, while we are all wedded to passion, even though it costs us all more and more money to self addict ourselves. Looking further ahead, I believe after I am gone(mercifully for me and others of my age group), IF the sport we all adore is ever to shake itself free from the snake like grip of the Kroenkes of this world, VIRTUALLY THE WHOLE FANBASE EVERYWHERE, will need to declare financial war on those snakes to reclaim the game for ourselves. Without getting too overtly political, I believe that wherever huge money is owned and in the power of morally corrupt snakes like Kroenke, our game is in mortal peril . I have long thought this; in fact way back when the Prem was first mooted. Though I am an argumentative and pedantic old git much of the time and esp on here, I try very hard to take all key life decisions by a moral code – as I see what passes for morals. I truly doubt this fight will be fought by our generation BUT am fairly sure todays younger fans will sooner or later have to reclaim morality in football, by fighting and winning a fierce war with the corporate snakes or lose forever the game we all adore. It is ironic though, as the actual game of football is more attractive now at top level than ever before, in my view. Our trump(ugh!!) card is that the snakes need us and our money as much as we need our weekly fix. It will be who blinks first! I am not against capitalism; I am against bad capitalism. Often, esp in football, they amount to the same thing, sadly!
Jon, in complete agreement.
Your views on football also, sadly, reflect so much of everyday life in today’s world.
However, we still have the means in this country to debate in a civilised way, agree and disagree vehemently BUT STILL do do it with respect for the other person and their views, especially on this site.
Sometimes it’s with such passion that it nearly, but never, boils over and that is what I believe “a supporter” is really about.
Your comment about football being more attractive today is interesting…when you and I stood in the North Bank over sixty years ago, didn’t we feel that we were watching the nearest thing to utopia, even when we were losing more than we were winning?
No “super league” would ever surpass that feeling in my opinion.
I thought I really should explain my “more attractive today” line. I do so agree that when much younger, I enjoyed watching Arenal more but I put much of that down to my own then youthful enthusiasm and lack of adult cynicism that often comes, rather sadly, with life experience. As to the actual football in say around 1960 compared to today, that defence with Billy “Flint” McCullough, Len Wills, even with the great Jack Kelsey in goal, were worse than any defence which I have often slaughtered of Wengers latter years. Far worse too. If memory serves me well, I think in ’63-64 season we scored 90 league goals with both Joe Baker and Geoff Strong netting 26 each. But our defence conceded 84 in 42 games of course. There were all those 4-4 and 4- 3 games against Spuds back then but the Bertie Mee Double team and certainly both of Wengers DOUBLES TEAMS WOULD HAVE SLAUGHTERED THAT ERAS TEAMS. We were regularly mid table in those days though we finished third in 1958 I believe, under George Swindin. But no silverware til Anderlecht in 1970. Age changes perspective utterly, doesn’t it Ken! I could not agree more though with your whole post.
It would make the European Champions League lose its relevance and prestige
If there are too many football matches, the viewers would get bored, the players/ staffs would be too tired to keep up with the tighter schedules and the quality of each match would decrease
The first thought to this SHOULD have been the Supporters.It costs a small fortune to follow ANY FOOTBALL CLUB in this Country as it is.Have the fans even been considered in this?No of course they have not.This is all about the Money Men trying to squeeze even more money out of every available opportunity.There is too much football as it is.That is a fact.Pre-Season tours all very the World to “Expand the Brand”.Meaningless International Games that further sack the energy from players.They are not machines.And Suppoerters are not paid like these players.
Club Chairmen are only interested in Profit and nothing else.Before Kronke even thinks about Arsenal competing with the very best from Europe he needs to make sure the Club can genuinely compete in our own League.
I honestly do not feel Arsenal will ever walk away from the Premiership.If Kronke decides that is what HE wants then I guarantee the Fanbase will fight him.
Next weekend we are away it Bournemouth.The ground holds 12000.Arsenal get 1100 tickets.THAT is the PREMIERSHIP.It is the games like these that makes our League the Global brand that it has become.It is what makes our game so sought after around the World.No other League in Europe can boast the finance and support we have in this Country.It is why all these other European Leagues want a share of the money that our League has.It is no co-incidence most European LeGues have kick off times that are not in direct comps to our televised games.
In Spain most parts of the Country ONLY watch Premier League games as RM and BARCA have monopolised the TV Revenue.Both these Clubs are 100’s of millions of pounds in debt.They have no money.They want the money that is in this country.
Why fix something that isn’t broken for extra revenue? If the English Clubs walk away from this now the whole idea wil fail.
What a stunningly brilliant and detailed post from a REAL totally committed Arsenal fan who knows from the depth of his soul what he is talking about. I salute your wisdom Sir Phil! What a tragedy for football that YOU don’t run FIFA AND UEFA. YOUR CONCLUSION WAS AS SUPERB AS THE REST OF YOUR UNFORGETTABLE POST!
JF-coming from you that says everything.Thank You.But I honestly feel that is what makes the Premiership so sought after worldwide.ALL fans from EVERY Club in this Country will feel the same I’m sure.
If the Chairmen and Owners feel different then they are in for a shock.Everton ate a Big Club.They have fantastically loyal support home and away and have always been a Team that all fans of other Clubs admire for their dedication to their team.Same as Newcastle.West Ham.The list is endless.The other Big Clubs in this Country owe it to EVERY OTHER CLUB in England to stand up to these money grabbing SNAKES who put their own personal ambitions over the future of the English game.Why would we want to be detached from the rest of the English teams? For what reason?Money?So these players and owners are not being paid enough as it is?
Without the English Clubs there is NO breakaway league.They know this.So do we.
With the International break I had the choice of England v Japan Rugby Union on the TV,Playing Golf (for the fourth time this week),or taking up an invite from a neighbour to watch his beloved Woking away to Slough in the National League South.I am at present in a pub in Slough full of real FOOTBALL FANS supporting their teams.This is English Football.This is what makes all our leagues the envy of the World.
And without sounding all political I would take a NO DEAL BREXIT tomorrow.Europe needs US more than we need THEM in everything including Football
I don’t care about that right now
When/if it happens it happens
That’s too far into the future for me
I’m interested in building our squad and getting back into Champions League either by finishing in the top 4 or winning Europa League then signing players in the summer
I want to win trophies of any sort
Btw I HATE International Week !!!!!!
Innit, if this does come to pass, every weekend would be like an international week.
It would be like cutting the imbilical cord to everything that being an Arsenal supporter is about.
I would even suggest that it’s more important than winning trophies, but not CL football, because the revenue from that might just satisfy our owner.
I hate it too Innit…. it drives me crazy!!!
Innit , your post, in what it fails to worry about, saddens me. I know you to be a very keen fan and I urge you to think deeply and understand the mortal danger to our beloved sport, if we all ignore this on coming tsunami of corporate snakeism. All those who are passionate about anything in life, and if they are also bright, as you clearly are – and I am not patronising you, merely stating an obvious truth – surely have a duty to stand up and be counted when our joint love and addiction is in peril, even though that may be down the line rather than today. It is only the non seeing who think only of today.
I reckon this is just a ploy. At first I thought it was about getting a bigger share of the profits, out from their own league. Now it seems it is not that. They are threatening to cut UEFA out, and by doing that, they give the clubs the lions share. It will still be very much the same as it is, only bigger percentages and more control over any changes to the game or tournament. It is the clubs all agreeing to start up their own CL, with the biggest clubs having the biggest say. They’ll call it a super league, more or less the same as is, because UEFA done that a while back too, they made it a league format. Bigger percentages from cutting out the middle men, it also means smaller clubs will get a bigger percentage. It could be a tactic, they might prefer for the top prestige clubs to get a bigger percentage, without having to follow through.
This will kill the competitiveness of the Premier League, not to mention the historic derbies dying out. I hate Tottenham but I love to hate Tottenham… We must resist this with every inch our bodies, because, if there is money to be made, many owners will look to capitalise. Kroenke will be interested, and we all know why he’s in the game. Remember this is the man twice moved an american football club from one state to another. If he cares about fans it’s only when they threat his potential for making profit. They’ll want to do this slowly bit by bit so you don’t see it happening. Resist! Resist! Resist ! don’t give an inch….