European Super League?
I was fascinated by an article by Ouriel Daskal in the debut issue of "The Blizzard," a new soccer journal that the Gooner forwarded on to me, that proposed a new scheme for maximizing the marketing potential of the Champions League. Daskal's plan would involve adopting an NFL like structure with three regional conferences in which each team would be guaranteed a place (i.e., no qualifying or relegation) and would play a team from another conference at least once every four years. Now - don't get me wrong. I'm horrified by the mere idea of Daskal's corporate scheme, which has more to do with balance sheets than fans. It also gives the shaft to any side outside the six dominant leagues. However, that said, embedded in the article, was a challenge to come up with the sides to fit into these conference slots. I thought it would make for an interesting Monday thread.
Northern Conference - choose six English, two Scottish and two Dutch teams
Western Conference - choose four Spanish, four French and two Portuguese teams
Central Conference - choose five German and five Italian sides
I'll look forward to seeing your choices. Also - feel free to have a go at Daskal and his non-starter plan.
posted by The Blue Devil @ 5:46 PM
7 Comments:
I pooh pooh the whole thing!!
Is this in place of the Champions League? The Domestic League?
Yeah - that's the idea. I agree with you; it's a terrible idea. But if you had to choose, what teams would you include in a European Super League - just for fun!
The top six of the previous season in England
United, Chelsea, Citeh, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool
Scots... that's a tough one.. what two teams could it be... I give up!
In Holland, Ajax for history and I don't know the top team now!
Spain- Real, Barca, and I have no idea!
France Lyon and others!!
Germany- Bayern are the only big one really
Italy- the two Milan clubs, Juve and the two Rome teams?
I THINK THE WHOLE IDEA STINKS!
Well, I agree but I appreciate your participating in my silly little game. Here are my choices:
Northern:
1. United
2. Arsenal
3. Chelski
4. Citeh
5. Spurs
6. Liverpool
7. Celtic
8. Rangers
9. PSV
10. Ajax
Western:
1. Barca
2. Real
3. Valencia
4. Villareal
5. Lyon
6. Marseille
7. Lille
8. PSG
9. Porto
10. Benfica
Central
1. Bayern
2. Dortmund
3. Leverkusen
4. Schalke
5. Werder Bremen
6. Milan
7. Inter
8. Roma
9. Lazio
10. Juve
Very difficult choices, particularly in Spain, Germany and Italy where the "dominant" big-money clubs don't actually do that well every year. Juve came in 7th last season - but then so did Liverpool!
I will put in my two cents worth. This idea has been around since the early nineties. There have been proposals by a group of clubs called the G14 to create their Super League. The domestic leagues would be stripped of their top clubs. German and Italian Clubs were more powerful and played better football at that time. The G14 were going to create their breakaway league, but it never came to pass. Anyhow,I will be a good sport and name the teams.
Northern :
1) Manchester United
2) Manchester City
3) Arsenal
4) Chelsea
5 ) Spurs
6) Liverpool
7)Rangers
8) Celtic
9) Ajax
10)PSV
Western :
1)Real Madrid
2)Barcelona
3)Valencia
4) Athletico Madrid
5) Benfica
6)Porto
7)Lyon
8)Marseille
9)PSG
10)Bourdeaux
Central:
1)Bayern Munich
2)AC MIlan
3) Inter Milan
4) Juventus
5) Roma
6) Lazio
7)Borussia Dortmund
8) SV Hamburg
9)Bayer Leverkusen
10) Schalke
I wonder why there were no Eastern block teams such as Dynamo Kiev or CSKA Moscow that could take the place of one or two German or French teams.
Thanks for being a good sport and playing along, mate. You've got some interesting choices. There are some teams that are historically important such as Atletico Madrid - but they haven't done well in recent years. What do we do with them? A Super League would cut them and all the others adrift.
Daskal's premise is that what is holding back the Champions League from collecting top revenues as the NFL does is that there are too many crap sides (many from Eastern and Central Europe) in the group stages. He assumes that pitting the top teams against each other will make for more entertaining and lucrative returns. Did he not see Barca v. Real Champions League series?
I believe that Daskal like a lot of journalists believe that the Russians are on the cusp of dominating the European game because of their money. The award of the World Cup is tribute to that new reality, as is the decision of the Russian league to reallign their schedule so that their teams don't peak in the group stages of the CL. If the object is a NFL type parity, inviting the Russians to the party is very ill-advised.
I'd be sickened if this Super-League ever came to pass. I'm already sickened by pretty much every off the field event in football and it's only the on-the-pitch action that ensures my return to it season after season. I think I'm not alone. Daskal might just be missing the point. It's not the crap football on display mid-week, mid-winter when Stoke and Wolves trade assault for 90-minutes that accounts for poor viewership and attendence. It's that the money in the league is concentrated at the top. The prescription for reform is forcing the teams at the top to pool the money in the game and give all the teams in the league a fair shake. That way, Stoke don't have to employ a shaved ape like Pubis, and a team like Wigan who have a progressive team coach like Martinez can attract players that don't resort to defensive thuggery to survive.
But just for fun, I'd have Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Citeh, and spuds from England, Celtic and Rangers from Scotland, Ajax and Alkmaar from Holland in the North.
Barca, Real, Valencia, and Villereal from Spain, Lyon, Lens, PSG, and Marseille from France, and Benfica and Porto from Portugal in the Central.
Bayern Munich, Schalke, Dortmund, Bremen, Hamburg from Germany*this was surprizingly the hardest selection to make for me because I think the Bundesliga has dropped furthest off in quality, and Milan, Inter, Roma, Lazio, and Juve from Italy.
Post a Comment
<< Home