SUMMARY
- The ECJ stopped UEFA and FIFA from blocking new competition.
- Of 20 teams, 15 would be permanent founding members and 5 would be selected and relegated based on their performance in the ESL.
European Super League is back on the radar after the latest ruling of the European Court of Justice. The ECJ blocked UEFA and FIFA’s attempts to block any new competition as it is deemed to be unlawful under EU laws.
The ruling followed a new format proposal by A22 Sports, the company behind ESL, which has brought the main question back into the limelight, Will major clubs join the European soccer league?
Since the announcement of the ruling and the proposed new format, many teams have come forward to reemphasize their stance. Clubs like Manchester United, Bayern Munich, PSG, Chelsea, Sevilla, AS Monaco, Atlético Madrid, Valencia, Borussia Dortmund, AS Roma and Manchester City have rejected the idea of joining the European Super League.
The main theme behind their stance read within the lines of standing with UEFA and FIFA to protect the European soccer family, domestic league, and the value of open competition. When the league was first announced back in 2021, 12 clubs joined hands in forming their European league to replace the UEFA’s model of European competition.
A22 Sports – the company behind a new European Super League – unveil their new format proposal for European club competitions in men’s and women’s football ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zzU5gEkp3L
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 21, 2023
The idea was to form a league with 20 teams in which 15 founding members would remain permanently while the other five teams would be selected and relegated based on their performance in the ESL. The idea faced instant backlash from fans, experts, and other European clubs, which led to division among the 12 founding members.
Premier League clubs backed out first to start the chaos, which ended with a proper dismantling of the old format of ESL. As of 2023, only FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have remained as the founding members of the ESL. Apart from the general idea of fair play and open competition, there can be different motives for clubs to reject ESL.
Why are Premier League clubs rejecting the European Super League?
Premier League clubs were the first to back out in 2021 when fans protested against ESL. The English clubs responded quickly to their fans and returned to their domestic leagues and UEFA model of European competitions to safeguard their current goodwill with UEFA and fans.
While it took time for fans to forgive their clubs, the majority of the casual fans moved on quickly from this hiccup. An ESL is an attractive prospect for many clubs across Europe but for the Premier League, it can be the least attractive. The main reason is pretty clear, that they are the most dominating league in the world in terms of viewership and revenue generation.
🚨🔵 Official: Chelsea reject the Super League.
“Our position does NOT change”.
“We firmly believe that, by working with the Premier League, FA, other European clubs through our strong relationship with the ECA, UEFA, FIFA, we can together continue to develop the European game… pic.twitter.com/3226Or5uYp
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 21, 2023
The six founding members of ESL did have a chance to earn more with ESL but that chance came with a big if and when the ship started to sink, it was the English club that ran first to safeguard their strong position at the mountaintop.
If this new ESL went ahead as expected with other European clubs then Premier League clubs would be the biggest losers as other powerhouses like FC Barcelona and Real Madrid would be financially rewarded from ESL which would tilt the financial power away from England.
Why are German clubs rejecting the European Super League?
12 major clubs in Europe founded ESL back in 2021 but no German team from the Bundesliga was in it. The loyalty to the current European structure by the Bundesliga clubs was applauded by fans and experts. Many expected Dortmund and Bayern Munich to join as the other two founding members but they remained strong and rejected the proposal.
The rejection isn’t surprising, considering the purist approach of club soccer in Germany. The clubs in Germany treat their fans not like customers but more like a part of a big family. The biggest example is the “50+1” ownership rule in Germany.
institute the 50+1 rule the bundesliga has in every european national league https://t.co/5ijnBn92YV
— rita (@redclerc) December 21, 2023
This rule safeguards outer influence on the German club from foreign investors and billionaires. All the clubs in Germany are fan-owned as the members of the club own at least 50% of the club along with the majority voting rights. Where other big clubs in England, Serie A and Ligue 1 are owned by Billionaire, the Bundesliga club tries to maintain a different approach for their fans.
Considering the approach, it wasn’t surprising when clubs like Dortmund and Bayern Munich rejected the ESL back in 2021 and remained strong on their stance even in 2023.
Is PSG taking the moral high ground against the European Super League?
PSG has been the biggest surprise in the ESL saga, as the French club was nowhere near the league when it was initially announced back in 2021. Two years later, they stand firm on their stance, which has raised eyebrows among soccer fans.
Many fans sum up this ESL as a greedy attempt to make more money in soccer but disregarding the current European format and the domestic league which has been the key fiber of the game since the 1950s. In all these accusations, few would have predicted PSG to come out strong and uphold the moral high ground.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi on Florentino Perez’s continued support of the European Super League:
‘It’s strange to talk about the Super League with the UEFA Champions League trophies behind you’ 🌶️ pic.twitter.com/M9yS0YYMUn
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 21, 2023
The Parisian club has been accused of sport washing and polluting the modern soccer game with their big purses since their takeover by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011. The moral high ground hasn’t been on top of the list for the French club for over a decade, which has made this stance even more puzzling for fans.
Some assumptions can be made that the prospect of earning more from ESL isn’t attractive for PSG owners who already have strong financial backing. It would be interesting to see if the stance is changed in the future if more and more clubs move to ESL in 2024.
A22 attempted to address the initial concern of the fans when ESL changed the format that was first introduced in 2021. In the new format, no founding members will be guaranteed safety however, it is expected that founding teams will be put in the Star tier of the ESL.
Fans reception and backlash on the new format of European Super League
It would be difficult for any big European club to be relegated from ESL altogether, as it would need two or three back-to-back bad seasons to get relegated to the Gold and Blue tier and then out of the ESL. While the general idea is open and more competitive, this new tournament will give a buffer to the big boys of European soccer.
Another big criticism of ESL is the fact bigger teams will clash more often in this ESL which would reduce the value and charm of a big European clash. The rarity of UCL ties often increases the charm of a specific tie which would be lost in the ESL.
UEFA was on the same track with their new format of the UCL but there have been reports that UEFA is considering shifting back to the old format instead of implementing the new format from next season to steer itself away from comparison with ESL.
Fans already feel the fatigue of the current soccer calendar, which is stacked to the brim. The players have regularly complained about fixture congestion, and the ESL proposal along with the format is the worst nightmare for players and fans.
The back and forth between ESL and UEFA is just beginning, as this is still a developing story by all means. ESL will try to poach more clubs into their league, while UEFA will move with caution to keep all the current clubs happy. 2024 can change the landscape of European soccer, forever.