Big six" sink PL's attempted reforms

[darra]

European Super league in disguise ?

 

 

owners’ charter shows need for reform

Posted on 16th February 2022

England’s so-called “big six” clubs have killed off attempts by the Premier League to introduce a new owners charter according to reports published today.

The main domestic protagonists behind last year’s failed breakaway European Super League – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United – have refused to sign up to the charter as it commits them to qualifying for UEFA’s Champions League via current sporting merit.

Currently, the top four placed teams in the Premier League gain entrance to Europe’s largest cup competition. However, UEFA’s expansion and reform of the Champions League will see the introduction of coefficients allowing the historically larger and commercially successful clubs with more European appearances to take a spot in the competition via history rather than current on-field performance.

This could mean a team such as Manchester United finishing 7th or 8th in the division would get a place in European competition ahead of a team finishing 4th or 5th. Supporters across the continent, led by Football Supporters Europe, have opposed the expansion and reform of the Champions League.

Chief executive of the FSA Kevin Miles said today’s reports provided timely further evidence that football cannot be relied upon to regulate itself.

“It’s clear that these clubs have regard for sporting integrity and sporting merit only when it suits their own interests, at home or abroad,” Kevin said.

“They have repeatedly put their own self-interest above the long-term health of not just their own competitions but the country’s footballing pyramid as a whole.

“The case for the introduction of an independent regulator with power to intervene on these issues, as recommended by the Fan-led Review, becomes stronger week by week.”

The Fan-led Review of Football Governance, chaired by Tracey Crouch MP, published recommendations back in November 2021 and proposed radical change to English football, including the establishment of an independent regulatory body.

As well as an independent regulator, the Fan-led Review recommended measures to ensure financial sustainability of the professional game, strengthened owners’ and directors’ tests and a new corporate governance code to support a long-term sustainable future of the game.

“The reports of the big six killing off attempts to reform from within demonstrate all too clearly that it is now up to the Government to deliver upon the recommendations of the Fan-led Review,” Kevin said.

What does the FSA think?

Leagues can’t be relied upon to self-regulate, the Government must include the Fan-Led Review recommendations in its legislative agenda for 2022.

The FSA would encourage supporters and fan groups to contact their MP and ask them to back all of the Fan-led Review’s recommendations as it passes though Parliament.

Edited February 18, 2022 by darra

[Ellis Rimmer]

if super league doesn't go ahead CL will as good as become it. They'll move games to Sat etc, start to devalue the PL. Clubs will start resting players in PL for CL. That's how it'll go. 

[darra]

Just now, Ellis Rimmer said:

if super league doesn't go ahead CL will as good as become it. They'll move games to Sat etc, start to devalue the PL. Clubs will start resting players in PL for CL. That's how it'll go. 

You could be right either way it's going to happen question is when?

[Ellis Rimmer]

1 minute ago, darra said:

You could be right either way it's going to happen question is when?

I think it will happen soon while the US and Far East has a big appetite for it. I just wish they would get it over and done with already

[edmontonowl]

They're as good as gone

 

PL marketing abroad already only features the big 6. You never hear of Watford or Southampton.

 

 

[darra]

11 minutes ago, edmontonowl said:

They're as good as gone

 

PL marketing abroad already only features the big 6. You never hear of Watford or Southampton.

 

 

TBF you hardly hear about them in this country either

[edmontonowl]

1 hour ago, darra said:

TBF you hardly hear about them in this country either

 

 

True true, based on 5live's coverage. Although they did an interesting interview with So'ton's CEO on Monday. It was interesting because he spoke about their approach to recruitment but overall, it did sound like they were simply positioning themselves as a feeder club to the big boys, which was sad

[SiJ]

It's inevitable. 

 

This new format for the Champions League is utter crap anyway. UEFA kowtowing to the traditional big clubs and they were doing this before the Super League threat last year. 

 

UEFA, the PL etc., will keep making concessions. 

[owler66]

Wish they'd all go and form whatever league or competition they want and let the rest of football get on with it can't wait 

[legendaryswan]

On 18/02/2022 at 14:58, Ellis Rimmer said:

if super league doesn't go ahead CL will as good as become it. They'll move games to Sat etc, start to devalue the PL. Clubs will start resting players in PL for CL. That's how it'll go. 

Its nailed on to go this way, they get what they want eventually.

[darra]

It will all be about being able to.pay players their over inflated wages and this is probably the only way they can do it.

[owlinexile]

Wow.

 

Looks like they are making the 'Champions' League even more of a pointless, boring circus of non-football than it already is.

 

As long as they don't imagine they can continue being an actual football club that plays in actual football competitions against other actual football clubs, they can sod off and do whatever they want tbh.

[helmut_rooster]

Love the term "big 6"

 

A term simply invented when Man United could no longer get in the top 4

[Geedee]

8 hours ago, helmut_rooster said:

Love the term "big 6"

 

A term simply invented when Man United could no longer get in the top 4

It used to be big 5 and then everton got replaced by City and chelsea

[jamsandwich]

fizz em - let them clear off

 

[Mid Wicket]

As soon as super league could not go ahead they would be looking at ways to bring it in by the back door.

If this goes ahead, good rule from Premier  league would be anyone playing in CL could not play in prem that season. Can you imagine the noise from the big 6 then.

[darra]

10 minutes ago, Mid Wicket said:

As soon as super league could not go ahead they would be looking at ways to bring it in by the back door.

If this goes ahead, good rule from Premier  league would be anyone playing in CL could not play in prem that season. Can you imagine the noise from the big 6 then.

It would be dependant on how much they could earn from playing in the CL. 

[owlinexile]

21 minutes ago, darra said:

It would be dependant on how much they could earn from playing in the CL. 

 

A line needs to be drawn here between 'sport' and 'Sports Entertainment'.

 

When you start letting clubs into your competition based on them 'having a lot of fans' rather than making them qualify based on actually being good at football, your competition is the latter rather than the former.

 

Might as well be WWE Wrestling.

 

Sports Entertainment franchises shouldn't be able to interact in any meaningful way with football clubs.

 

Probably need to stop calling it the 'Champions' League too, tbh.  Blatant false advertising.

[SiJ]

Yeah, once you start including teams on past achievements you might as well give up.

 

It's not just that though. Some snippets concerning the bre format:

 

"From the 2024/25 season, there will be a single league made up of all 36 competing clubs. This will give four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe.

Under the new format, teams will play four matches more than is currently the case. They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against 10 different teams, half of them at home and half of them away. This gives the opportunity for clubs to test themselves against a wider range of opponents – and also raises the prospect of fans seeing the top teams go head to head more often earlier in the competition. The new format should mean that there is more to play for right up until the final night of league action....

 

The results of each match will decide the overall ranking in the new league, with three points for a win and one for a draw still applying.

While the top eight teams will advance automatically to the round of 16, those sides placed between ninth and 24th will enter a play-off round. Those who finished between ninth and 16th will be seeded in the play-off draw, meaning they will face a team placed 17th to 24th – with home advantage in the second-leg match. Teams who finish 25th or lower will be eliminated, with no access to the UEFA Europa League.

The eight clubs who prevail in the play-offs will then progress to the round of 16 where they will each face one of the top-eight finishers."

 

What a load of testicles.

[owlinexile]

Christ.

 

That's more of a convoluted mess than the Papa John's Trophy.

 

So what happens when one year Barcelona are 'drawn' to play against the champions of Scotland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Tottenham etc and Real Madrid get Man City, PSG, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool?  What kind of a ******** 'league' is that?