Symbol picture gate / picture: APA / AFP / ATTILA KISBENEDEK
The organizers of the failed Super League in spring have not given up their plans and are still working on a new format. This emerges from a concept paper entitled “Rethinking the future of football in the European Union”, from which several media outlets quoted on Friday. In it, the makers express, among other things, clear criticism of the current form of the Champions League.
The paper is aimed at MEPs and the Commission. The biggest innovation compared to the plans that initially failed in April is that a possible European Super League should be permeable for the clubs. One undertakes to “that the format of the proposed European Super League will abolish the concept of permanent members and be open to European clubs”, it said in the document.
A Super League with 20 teams and a 2nd league with a further 20 teams would therefore be conceivable. In the spring there were initial plans with twelve fixed clubs – from England, Italy and Spain. The Premier League representatives Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea withdrew only shortly after the plans emerged, as did Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Milan. Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus Turin continue to work on a restart.
The makers now emphasized that it was not a matter of “a split off league”. The clubs should therefore not leave their national leagues. Instead, the paper attacks the Champions League, UEFA's current premium product, with harsh words. “There is a lack of top quality games, the most popular teams and players don't face each other regularly enough, and the best games come late in the season.” This generally leads to a decline in viewers and less interest among younger people.
