Opinion: Why it was unsurprising that the ‘European Super League’ plans were nipped in the bud
On Sunday 18th April, speculation arose that a new football competition featuring twelve of Europe’s elite clubs was set to commence in August this year. This ‘European Super League’ (ESL) had been a project three years in the making , marketed as an exciting development within the sport to revolutionise fan experience. Yet, within only 48 hours of the Super League being formally announced, it became apparent that the vision would remain just that, as the English Premier League clubs initially intending to join the competition dropped out one by one. From this, two key questions emerge: why was the European Super League doomed from the start, and what does the response reveal about the relationship between sports and politics?
Why was the idea of a European Super League so controversial?
The distinguishing feature of the European Super League , which simultaneously led to its downfall, was its proposed structure. The ESL endeavoured to guarantee fifteen clubs a permanent spot in the competition, alongside five guest teams who would be selected each season based on their performance. Though the creators of the League boasted that this format would produce an unparalleled level of enthusiasm for professional football by promising all-star matches year-on-year, they overlooked the primary reason why a project of this kind has never emerged before. By offering fifteen clubs perpetual immunity from relegation, the ESL would empty the sport of many of the nail-biting moments that most attract fans in as they wait to see if the fate of their team. Indeed , the League’s structure offers little chance for underdogs to rise through the ranks, a phenomenon so valorised within British culture.
Unsurprisingly, football fans everywhere were quick to unmask the real motivation for the League – the project was undoubtedly a cash grab designed to increase the wealth of the already-super-rich. The twelve breakaway clubs were soon labelled the ‘Dirty Dozen’, as it emerged that their owners had been enticed to join by the generous €200m - €300m welcome bonus offered to each team.
Furthermore, the ESL would have had serious repercussions for the rest of international football, rendering the UEFA Champions League effectively obsolete by poaching a number of the sport’s biggest clubs. The Super League was duly vehemently condemned by UEFA as well as FIFA.
Yet, it was arguably the unity of fans coalescing to oppose the ESL that proved the final nail in the coffin for the competition before it had even kicked off. Protests were organised outside stadiums nationwide, from Old Trafford to Stamford Bridge, to exhibit supporters’ fury at the proposed League . To add insult to injury, the organisers of the ESL declared that their project had been created for ‘fans of the future’, inadvisably describing the existing loyal supporters of football clubs as ‘legacy fans’. Ironically, the collapse of the ESL has proven that it is these ‘legacy fans’ who make, and can break, the sport. Indeed, by the evening of Tuesday 21st April, all six of the English Premier League teams had announced they would be withdrawing from the European Super League following the backlash they had received. The following day, vice-chairman of the ESL Andrea Agnelli admitted that the project would no longer be able to go ahead, marking the end of a tumultuous few days in the football world.
What does the response reveal about the relationship between sports and politics?
Those who spoke out against the Super League plans included both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer, highlighting the inextricable link between sport and politics. The Prime Minister’s threat to ‘drop a legislative bomb’ to thwart English clubs’ ascension to the ESL cannot be viewed as purely in the interests of the game itself; rather, this was a calculated move to attempt to win the favour of the public, who had vocalised their opposition to the competition en masse. With the government scrutinised early this year for awarding PPE contracts to Tory donors , and the Prime Minister recently under fire for his £200,000 flat refurbishment, jumping on the bandwagon and criticising the ESL represented a chance to score some well-needed political points. Starmer’s censure of the project was similarly motivated, which becomes apparent when one considers that many Premier League clubs are located in constituencies in the Midlands and the North, that have historically voted Labour (though 20% of these ‘red wall’ seats were lost to the Conservatives in the 2019 general election). Accordingly, for Starmer, the ESL debacle presented an opportunity to emphasise football’s working-class roots in the hope of reclaiming these former Labour heartlands.
Final thoughts
Although only a few weeks have passed since the news broke that a European Super League was to commence this summer, for many the project now seems like a strange fever dream that has thankfully been put to bed. However, if there is one key takeaway from this chaotic turn of events, it is that football is certainly nothing without its fans.