Skip to main content

Whether or not you agree, money talks in football.

It talks to such an extent that the very core upon which the beautiful game was founded is becoming increasingly rotten, and now corporate interests are threatening to destabilise the sport as we know it.

manchester-city-v-huddersfield-town-premier-league-5be1823f4d4362eea200000a.jpg

Der Spiegel have revealed that 11 of Europe's top clubs have been in secret discussions over a proposal of breaking away from both their respective domestic leagues and the Champions League to form a 'European Super League' by 2021.

It's an indictment of the direction football is heading in and, in the long run, it will severely affect the love we have for the game.

For the supporters themselves, it is neither a financially or practically viable option. Even the wealthiest of supporters will struggle to able to justify weekly trips across Europe just to watch their team play in what would become a run of the mill fixture.

liverpool-v-fk-crvena-zvezda-uefa-champions-league-group-c-5be1845a6a06a0d8ca000001.jpg

The proposals may seem appealing to supporters around the world, but those loyal fans who spend their wages to follow their sides week in, week out would ultimately be punished. 

There is an argument to suggest that domestic football is becoming tediously predictable and that the introduction of a super league could bring that to an end. However, whilst the current prospect of travelling to the likes of Manchester City is nothing short of terrifying for the smaller sides, that doesn't mean there isn't still a chance of there being shock being on the cards. 

As the old cliche says - nothing can ever be taken for granted in football.

Wigan proved that in the FA Cup last year when they upset the odds to knock out Pep Guardiola's side, and Leicester's remarkable Premier League winning season was nothing short of miraculous. These teams proved that anything is possible. When the top teams are taken out of the equation, those sort of achievements won't carry the same sort of weight.

leicester-city-v-everton-premier-league-5be1840ebbe8cbd84f000001.jpg

And what of the Champions League? Without meaning to sound disrespectful, the prospect of a European final between the likes of Everton and Borussia Monchengladbach doesn't exactly get the heart racing.

Those magical European nights when Anfield is rocking or the Nou Camp is in rapturous mood would come to an abrupt end, and teams who are better suited to competing in the Europa League would take the place of Europe's elite.

Money will continue to dictate the game regardless of whether the proposals get put in to place or not. But, as it stands, football doesn't need to expand any further.

fbl-eng-pr-bournemouth-man-utd-5be19c2e4d4362f385000003.jpg

Without money football would struggle, but without the fans football would be nothing.