A VIEW FROM ENGLAND ON the European Super League Shambles
by Farah Hussain
Ignore the spin. Ignore the PR. Ignore the pleas for forgiveness. The plot by the owners of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur football clubs to form a European Super League was nothing more than a money grabbing venture, designed to sell a commercial, glory-hunting, soulless version of football to ‘Generation Z’. Had the plot been successful, one would not have been surprised to have seen matches in the ESL being played in far flung places such as the Middle East, East Asia and the USA, commercial breaks every 10 minutes during games, half-time entertainment from big name celebrities and matches reduced to 60 minutes.
It's hard to relate all of that back to the average, working men and women living in the inner cities of Manchester, Liverpool and London, following their team home and away, whether they are in the lower leagues or the Premier League. Granted, perhaps we have a romantic view in England of the “traditional” football supporter, but the dedication, commitment and passion these fans have for their clubs, cannot be denied. It is these fans that have helped these football clubs build the status that they hold. Such was the dismissal of these fans by the ESL plotters, they were referred to in their plans as “Legacy Fans”.
And not only were the fans dismissed by the ESL, the very nature of the game was also tossed aside. There is nothing like competition, being rewarded for success and being disappointed by failure. That is the beauty of football. It runs from grassroots, right up to the very top level. English football loves an underdog story. We all look forward to a ‘giant-killing’ in the FA Cup and we love the idea that a team like Leicester City, in the third tier of English football in 2008, rose up the leagues, won the Premier League in 2015 and went on to compete in the Champions League in the 2015/2016 season. That story is only enhanced by their talisman, Jamie Vardy, being a player who ploughed his trade in the lower leagues for many years. His hard work got him to the top of the game.
The idea that a set number of clubs would be a part of a league that they would never have to qualify for and would never be relegated from goes against the very fabric of competition which the English football culture holds so dear. It is what gives football its heart and soul.
“You don’t understand! I could have had class. I could have been a contender. I could have been somebody. Instead of a bum, which is what I am.” lamented Marlon Brando’s character Terry in the 1954 film On the Waterfront. But they are words that equally could have been said by Daniel Levy and the ownership of Tottenham Hotspur, as they stood over the tatters of the European Super League on the night of 20th April 2021.
Let’s face it, out of the six “elite clubs” self-selected to join the European Super League from England, Spurs were the pretenders. A club that hasn’t won a domestic league title since 1961 and has won only 3 trophies in the last 30 years was on the verge of playing in Disneyland with the “big boys”. With the financial pressures of having to pay off the cost of their shiny, new stadium, Levy’s mouth would have watered at the chance of a huge pay out and the security of automatic, unmerited European income for the next 23 years.
Manchester United and Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League in 8 and 17 years respectively and they have both been consistently in and out of the Champions League qualification spots over recent years. Arsenal, Manchester City and Spurs have never even won the European Cup, compared to Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest who have three between them. Villa and Forest have a stronger European history than them but I guarantee you that they weren’t even considered for this plan.
Rewards in football should only be given for success on the pitch. Not for financial status. Not for delusions of grandeur. Not for greed. None of these clubs have a God-given right to automatically be involved in any European competition.
The disconnect from those at the top of the clubs to the ordinary fans on the terraces is huge and this whole saga has shown it in glorious technicolour. These owners are so out of touch, it is actually unbelievable. The video showing Liverpool owner John Henry apologising to the Liverpool fans was cringeworthy. It was as if he had made a spectacle of himself at a family gathering and his mother made him face everyone to say sorry, otherwise she would confiscate his Xbox. The Liverpool owners made a mistake apparently, on the back of another mistake in furloughing staff during the pandemic in 2020, despite having millions in the bank.
These owners panicked because the backlash was going to hit them in the only place it hurts – their bank accounts. Liverpool lost a sponsor. The Chelsea Pitch Owners, who hold the freehold to Stamford Bridge and own the name Chelsea Football Club, were said to be considering the lease that allows the team to play at the Bridge and use the name. The team could have been evicted.
This, without doubt, has to be a turning point in English football. It is a seismic moment that we have all played a part in. The momentum is with us and if we want change in our footballing culture, for it to be fan led, then now is the moment to make it happen.
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