This week we have seen Sepp Blatter propose that the 2022 Qatar World Cup should be moved to the winter. He believes this is the best solution to allow the tournament to be a success. The Premier League have dismissed the idea of moving to winter because of their own schedule. Personally this appears selfish and short-sighted of the English league for not allowing this change of schedule for one year.
And yet if we consider that this will happen in almost a decade, there is a case to be made that by the time the World Cup 2022 comes around the Premier League will not be of importance. Why is this? Because as The Whitehouse Address discusses, all the best players will be playing in the 'inevitable' European Superleague.
Foreign owners see the value in Europe
Let me express my opinion straight off; a European Superleague is not a matter of if, but when. The rise of the Champions League and the apparent ‘neglect’ of domestic sides to favour Europe over their domestic league has heightened fears and concerns that European success is all that matters.
For clubs like Arsenal qualification for Europe’s top tournament matters more than winning trophies. For Spain’s top sides judgement of the season is based on performance in Europe, domestic and cup success comes second. European conquest has become the obsession of new owners like Roman Abramovich, Fenway Sports Group and Sheikh Mansour as well as the owners of PSG and Monaco.
And it is not just the clubs and owners who put the premium on this tournament, fans across the world have shown a preference and love of watching the best sides play each other. UEFA know that the tournament has become serious business and sponsorship has risen significantly. Michel Platini has hinted that the competition may be increased to 64 sides, which although a preposterous suggestion highlights the growth of the tournament and the desire of clubs to be part of it.
The growth of the Asian market has become a significant factor for the 'business' aspect of football clubs. These fans spend vast money on merchandise and travel to watch their sides. The obsession they have with the biggest sides makes clubs obsess over their ‘image’ and appeal in these markets and of course latter progression in the Champions League aids their revenues and increases their appeal across the globe.
The much suggested '39th' game in the Premier League and the annual pre-season tours to increase clubs market appeal has shown how significant the Asian market has become.
Therefore for the owners of the big clubs who wish to have a strong weekly and annual presence the creation of a European ‘league’ instead of a ‘tournament’ is the answer. Weekly fixtures pitting the best against the best throughout the season will gain huge popularity and revenues and will make sure that Europe’s ‘elite’ receive the year round appeal they crave.
Television money and sports subscriptions have become huge for football and the creation of a weekly Euro league will be massive for television. If we consider how popular the Champions League is, imagine how large the Superleague could be?!
Now of course the inevitable issue is that the Champions League as it is would finished and that teams who are not part of the Superleague would suffer financially.
A significant problem may be the added focus on Europe and the growing neglect of the domestic league. The league would effect the domestic cup competitions and weekly league fixtures which would extend the domestic league season.
It may therefore see the withdrawal of those sides from these competitions because the financial benefit of a weekly Superleague would be too important for the top clubs to neglect and sacrifice for. Or it may see sides using their reserve teams for domestic games and their first team for Europe. This will inevitably lead to an issue for the domestic leagues in terms of finance.
It is plausible that by 2020 you would imagine a complete breakaway of the top sides in Europe leaving the domestic league to focus solely on the European Superleague.
And yet if we consider that this will happen in almost a decade, there is a case to be made that by the time the World Cup 2022 comes around the Premier League will not be of importance. Why is this? Because as The Whitehouse Address discusses, all the best players will be playing in the 'inevitable' European Superleague.
A few months back I embarked on a series of articles entitled ‘A New Era’. These looked at the coming years and what we could expect for football’s future; tactical development, better coaching and of course a higher level of player. This would point towards more of the best sides in Europe possessing an even larger amount of the best talent.
What is clear is football is becoming even more elitist and the gap between the top sides and rest is becoming significantly larger. The inevitability of this widening gap appears to point towards a move to a European Superleague. In this article The Whitehouse Address analyses how plausible this will be and the consequences it will have for football.
What is clear is football is becoming even more elitist and the gap between the top sides and rest is becoming significantly larger. The inevitability of this widening gap appears to point towards a move to a European Superleague. In this article The Whitehouse Address analyses how plausible this will be and the consequences it will have for football.
Foreign owners see the value in Europe
Let me express my opinion straight off; a European Superleague is not a matter of if, but when. The rise of the Champions League and the apparent ‘neglect’ of domestic sides to favour Europe over their domestic league has heightened fears and concerns that European success is all that matters.
For clubs like Arsenal qualification for Europe’s top tournament matters more than winning trophies. For Spain’s top sides judgement of the season is based on performance in Europe, domestic and cup success comes second. European conquest has become the obsession of new owners like Roman Abramovich, Fenway Sports Group and Sheikh Mansour as well as the owners of PSG and Monaco.
And it is not just the clubs and owners who put the premium on this tournament, fans across the world have shown a preference and love of watching the best sides play each other. UEFA know that the tournament has become serious business and sponsorship has risen significantly. Michel Platini has hinted that the competition may be increased to 64 sides, which although a preposterous suggestion highlights the growth of the tournament and the desire of clubs to be part of it.
Yet surely the most plausible evolution of the
competition is not to ‘increase’ the numbers of teams but to create a 'Superleague' containing the best 20 sides in Europe. If you think this is implausible
let us look at recent ‘developments’ to see why the creation of the league
appears forthcoming.
Firstly FFP. Why you ask? Well it has to do with the world’s elite staying at the top of the pile. Sides who are seeking to ‘reach’ the elite, such as Malaga, have been shut down quite strongly yet others like Madrid, City, Barca etc who have debts themselves have been untouched. It is a case of keeping the top at the top and preventing the rest from rising up to meet them or knock them off.
Owners of clubs like Chelsea, Man City, PSG and perhaps Monaco have invested significant wealth into making sure they can ‘break’ into this elite group and stay there. FFP won’t effect these sides while their owners are at the helm (also because links between the Middle East and Russian investment is prominent in UEFA).
It is clear that teams like Barcelona see the creation of a Superleague as more than a possibility. And the creation of this league may open the door for huge clubs like Celtic and Rangers to finally leave their abject league and enjoy the riches of weekly European competition.
Firstly FFP. Why you ask? Well it has to do with the world’s elite staying at the top of the pile. Sides who are seeking to ‘reach’ the elite, such as Malaga, have been shut down quite strongly yet others like Madrid, City, Barca etc who have debts themselves have been untouched. It is a case of keeping the top at the top and preventing the rest from rising up to meet them or knock them off.
Owners of clubs like Chelsea, Man City, PSG and perhaps Monaco have invested significant wealth into making sure they can ‘break’ into this elite group and stay there. FFP won’t effect these sides while their owners are at the helm (also because links between the Middle East and Russian investment is prominent in UEFA).
It is clear that teams like Barcelona see the creation of a Superleague as more than a possibility. And the creation of this league may open the door for huge clubs like Celtic and Rangers to finally leave their abject league and enjoy the riches of weekly European competition.
What is evident is that the foundations have been laid by these tops sides to make sure
that in the coming years their clubs are in a position to ‘qualify’ for Europe’s
breakaway league. The building of new stadiums at Arsenal and Bayern has helped
these clubs invest in the long term as well as giving them the infrastructure required
for the ‘world’s best league’.
However the delay in clubs like Liverpool and Spurs not investing in a new world class stadium will be costly not only to their present day ascension but more importantly for their ability to move into the Superleague. A world class, 60,000+ stadium appears not only a bonus but a necessity for the future success of the world’s top clubs.
Therefore those who have invested this past decade are in a position to ‘qualify’ for this most elite of competitions.
However the delay in clubs like Liverpool and Spurs not investing in a new world class stadium will be costly not only to their present day ascension but more importantly for their ability to move into the Superleague. A world class, 60,000+ stadium appears not only a bonus but a necessity for the future success of the world’s top clubs.
Therefore those who have invested this past decade are in a position to ‘qualify’ for this most elite of competitions.
Why is the Superleague so inevitable?
The growth of the Asian market has become a significant factor for the 'business' aspect of football clubs. These fans spend vast money on merchandise and travel to watch their sides. The obsession they have with the biggest sides makes clubs obsess over their ‘image’ and appeal in these markets and of course latter progression in the Champions League aids their revenues and increases their appeal across the globe.
The much suggested '39th' game in the Premier League and the annual pre-season tours to increase clubs market appeal has shown how significant the Asian market has become.
Therefore for the owners of the big clubs who wish to have a strong weekly and annual presence the creation of a European ‘league’ instead of a ‘tournament’ is the answer. Weekly fixtures pitting the best against the best throughout the season will gain huge popularity and revenues and will make sure that Europe’s ‘elite’ receive the year round appeal they crave.
Television money and sports subscriptions have become huge for football and the creation of a weekly Euro league will be massive for television. If we consider how popular the Champions League is, imagine how large the Superleague could be?!
And how will it work? If we consider that 2016 makes sense for an introduction of the league then we can assume that the first two-four
years will see a ‘transitional’ period for the Superleague. I say 2016 because
if we consider the massive television deal which the Premier League has this
ends in 2016. After this a new deal will be required and it makes
sense for UEFA to evolve the Champions League into an actual league format at this time.
In regards to it working alongside a domestic league campaign, games could be played on Tuesday's and Wednesday's (similar to the the current Champions League schedule, except it would be every week).
The problems?
The problems?
Now of course the inevitable issue is that the Champions League as it is would finished and that teams who are not part of the Superleague would suffer financially.
A significant problem may be the added focus on Europe and the growing neglect of the domestic league. The league would effect the domestic cup competitions and weekly league fixtures which would extend the domestic league season.
It may therefore see the withdrawal of those sides from these competitions because the financial benefit of a weekly Superleague would be too important for the top clubs to neglect and sacrifice for. Or it may see sides using their reserve teams for domestic games and their first team for Europe. This will inevitably lead to an issue for the domestic leagues in terms of finance.
It is plausible that by 2020 you would imagine a complete breakaway of the top sides in Europe leaving the domestic league to focus solely on the European Superleague.
With the exit of the best sides from the best leagues there
will be a serious consequence in terms of a drop in finance for those ‘left’.
Without the big teams the domestic games becomes less important for the top television
companies and global audiences and the revenues of many clubs will suffer. This may mean a reduction in ticket prices for domestics league games which have become extortionate in England.
It seems inevitable that as the elite of football become more powerful and dominant a move to a more ‘elite’ level of competition seems to be a formality. Across Europe we are seeing a two-tier dominance of teams, or at the most four sides who are capable of competing for the top prizes.
As the Champions League becomes ever more important for clubs and new owners, UEFA would see the value in creating the 'Superleague' to please these incredibly rich sides and clubs and to produce a new brand which could be extremely valuable for UEFA and Europe's best sides. When there is a chance for money to be made the major companies and clubs will seek the chance to increase revenues and a European Superleague would produce a serious cash windfall for Europe's elite.
The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address
It seems inevitable that as the elite of football become more powerful and dominant a move to a more ‘elite’ level of competition seems to be a formality. Across Europe we are seeing a two-tier dominance of teams, or at the most four sides who are capable of competing for the top prizes.
As the Champions League becomes ever more important for clubs and new owners, UEFA would see the value in creating the 'Superleague' to please these incredibly rich sides and clubs and to produce a new brand which could be extremely valuable for UEFA and Europe's best sides. When there is a chance for money to be made the major companies and clubs will seek the chance to increase revenues and a European Superleague would produce a serious cash windfall for Europe's elite.
The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address
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