"Everton is saddened and disappointed to see proposals of a breakaway league pushed forward by six clubs.
Six clubs acting entirely in their own interests.
Six clubs tarnishing the reputation of our league and the game.
Six clubs choosing to disrespect every other club with whom they sit around the Premier League table.
Six clubs taking for granted and even betraying the majority of football supporters across our country and beyond.
At this time of national and international crisis - and a defining period for our game - clubs should be working together collaboratively with the ideals of our game and its supporters uppermost.
Instead, these clubs have been secretly conspiring to break away from a football pyramid that has served them so well.
And in that Pyramid Everton salutes EVERY club, be it Leicester City, Accrington Stanley, Gillingham, Lincoln City, Morecambe, Southend United, Notts County and the rest who have, with their very being, enriched the lives of their supporters throughout the game's history. And vice versa.
The self-proclaimed Super Six appear intent on disenfranchising supporters across the game - including their own - by putting the very structure that underpins the game we love under threat.
The backlash is understandable and deserved – and has to be listened to.
This preposterous arrogance is not wanted anywhere in football outside of the clubs that have drafted this plan.
On behalf of everyone associated with Everton, we respectfully ask that the proposals are immediately withdrawn and that the private meetings and subversive practises that have brought our beautiful game to possibly its lowest ever position in terms of trust end now.
Finally we would ask the owners, chairmen, and Board members of the six clubs to remember the privileged position they hold – not only as custodians of their clubs but also custodians of the game. The responsibility they carry should be taken seriously.
We urge them all to consider what they wish their legacy to be."
Has anyone explained how guest clubs will be selected. e.g. who decides if 2nd in Belgium is better than champion in Netherlands in a particular season?
Genuine question.
There was a discussion in a big German newspaper today saying that if the 5 teams were chosen on the basis of their support then that would mean teams like Schalke (bottom of the Bundesliga), West Ham (they literally mentioned us there) Stuttgart or Benfica. If it were based on UEFA coefficients then it would include teams like Schachtar Donezk or Ajax.
I'm not sure I like the idea of our club being used in the context of the ESL.
You keep saying it's nonsense ASLEF but it makes sense to the owners who are pushing this through. It's nonsense to most football fans, I agree, but probably makes sound financial sense to those owners involved.
Has anyone explained how guest clubs will be selected. e.g. who decides if 2nd in Belgium is better than champion in Netherlands in a particular season?
Genuine question.
I've not seen any details other than they "will qualify annually based on their domestic achievements". All a bit vague
In all the outrage yesterday this announcement by UEFA yesterday seems to slipped under the radar
"The present Champions League season begins with participants divided into eight groups of four. From the 2024/25 season, there will be a single league made up of all 36 competing clubs. This will give four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe.
Under the new format, teams will play four matches more than is currently the case. They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against 10 different teams, half of them at home and half of them away".
A league of 36 teams but they only play 5 home and 5 away fixtures.
Sounds just as barmy as the ESL. Could this be why they made their announcement Sunday night?
You keep saying it's nonsense ASLEF but it makes sense to the owners who are pushing this through. It's nonsense to most football fans, I agree, but probably makes sound financial sense to those owners involved.
It would make sound financial sense if they had 15 clubs and agreement with the FAs, UEFA and FIFA which is the only way it can work.
But the don't, they have 12 clubs with everyone else against the idea and unless that changes then it isn't going to happen
G&S suddenly seem like Angels compared to the six other self serving low life's ( mind you, I wonder what they would have done if we were invited?. I think I know )
Just floating a scenario here IF G&S had been invited do you think they would have stayed on as our owners or do you reckon they would have seen it as a golden opportunity to sell at an increased price & thereby avoid all the massive flack we as supporters would have given them?
IF this does happen I can see the fans of Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea & Manchester City starting up their own teams like AFC Liverpool & United of Manchester.
G&S suddenly seem like Angels compared to the six other self serving low life's ( mind you, I wonder what they would have done if we were invited?. I think I know )
maybe they have been and are assessing the fall out:P
"One issue I’m very uncomfortable with is the threats towards players not being allowed to play for their national team. The players have nothing to do with this and should not be punished in this way. These owners don’t care about international football anyway."
It makes perfect sense, if the players want to play for their national team they have to play for teams that compete in UEFA/FIFA sanctioned competitions and the ESL is not one of those.
Its a lever to get top players to quit the Terrible Twelve
I’m so pleased that WHU aren’t invited. I’ve been through the mill on many occasions with this club, as most of us have. I wouldn’t want to feel ashamed of them as well.
And a lot of these players will have agents in their ears who are probably jumping up and down at the prospect of a super league to double the money they already make.
I’m so pleased that WHU aren’t invited. I’ve been through the mill on many occasions with this club, as most of us have. I wouldn’t want to feel ashamed of them as well.
I wouldn't be ashamed of my club. I'd be ashamed of the owners of my club.
G&S suddenly seem like Angels compared to the six other self serving low life's ( mind you, I wonder what they would have done if we were invited?. I think I know )
G&S have not been the best (to put it mildly), but at least they seem to have a small understanding of the game and it’s history, fans, etc. The “big six” seem to have ignored the history, and have shown real contempt, and seriously misjudged the feeling from fans, media and all involved in football across Europe,
No way G&S would have refused an invite imo, they're only at West Ham to make money, which, when they sell up, they will actually do because they sold us down the river with the move to the OS.
Just floating a scenario here IF G&S had been invited do you think they would have stayed on as our owners or do you reckon they would have seen it as a golden opportunity to sell at an increased price & thereby avoid all the massive flack we as supporters would have given them?
IF this does happen I can see the fans of Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea & Manchester City starting up their own teams like AFC Liverpool & United of Manchester.
Totally agree.............one of my first comments on this was that we may see more “from the ashes” clubs like AFC Wimbledon.
Yeold why assume players will double their money. The owners of the clubs are doing this because they want massive increases in revenues. I think money does motivate most players but I would bet that most of them also are motivated by the competitive nature of the game especially in the PL. You only had to look at the faces of the Blades players at the weekend to realise what relegation meant to them. I doubt they’d have reacted like that if it had been a case of “oh well let’s do better next year”
What happened when the PL started? The clubs got a huge increase in income and the players went after big increases in wages and got it. Now the ESL starts and the clubs get a huge increase in income. The players will again go after their big share of the cake. That's what they tend to do. The Sheffield players did look disappointed, and rightly so, but they may have also been thinking of the big reduction in their salaries for next year.
Totally agree.............one of my first comments on this was that we may see more “from the ashes” clubs like AFC Wimbledon.
There's every chance, imo, that some of the Super League clubs will be relocated (someone said that it's actually just referred to as the "Super League" rather than the "European Super League"), so we could have Man Utd based in New York or Washington DC in a few year's time. Could certainly lead to AFC clubs springing up.
But have you seen the numbers involved in the NFL? It's one thing to have a cap, but if that cap is, say, £500k a week, it still prices out any other team in any other league, particularly as there'll be less money in the other domestic set ups.
Yeold why assume players will double their money. The owners of the clubs are doing this because they want massive increases in revenues. I think money does motivate most players but I would bet that most of them also are motivated by the competitive nature of the game especially in the PL. You only had to look at the faces of the Blades players at the weekend to realise what relegation meant to them. I doubt they’d have reacted like that if it had been a case of “oh well let’s do better next year”
Come on, you have seen how agents react and how good they are at pushing their clients one way or the other. There are plenty of footballers prepared to chase the money dream and all it takes is one or two big players. A Neymar A Haaland A Mbappe to sign up and suddenly everyone is on board and wanting a slice of the pie. There is no doubt in my mind Neymar would gladly up and move there as soon as he could. There are plenty of footballers that will cowardly hide behind their agents for getting them the move and will default on a position of "well this is what my agent said would be best for me." I would say you are naive to believe that if Man United came along to McGoldrick at Sheffield United and said pal here is 120k to play for us, you think he gives a damn that Sheffield United got relegated beyond the initial shock. His sympathy would stretch as far as the dollar signs entering his bank account.
I think they have already said some of the games will be at neutral venues. Arsenal vs Spurs in New York makes sense as a location for a North London Derby. 🤦♂️
Comments
"Everton is saddened and disappointed to see proposals of a breakaway league pushed forward by six clubs.
Six clubs acting entirely in their own interests.
Six clubs tarnishing the reputation of our league and the game.
Six clubs choosing to disrespect every other club with whom they sit around the Premier League table.
Six clubs taking for granted and even betraying the majority of football supporters across our country and beyond.
At this time of national and international crisis - and a defining period for our game - clubs should be working together collaboratively with the ideals of our game and its supporters uppermost.
Instead, these clubs have been secretly conspiring to break away from a football pyramid that has served them so well.
And in that Pyramid Everton salutes EVERY club, be it Leicester City, Accrington Stanley, Gillingham, Lincoln City, Morecambe, Southend United, Notts County and the rest who have, with their very being, enriched the lives of their supporters throughout the game's history. And vice versa.
The self-proclaimed Super Six appear intent on disenfranchising supporters across the game - including their own - by putting the very structure that underpins the game we love under threat.
The backlash is understandable and deserved – and has to be listened to.
This preposterous arrogance is not wanted anywhere in football outside of the clubs that have drafted this plan.
On behalf of everyone associated with Everton, we respectfully ask that the proposals are immediately withdrawn and that the private meetings and subversive practises that have brought our beautiful game to possibly its lowest ever position in terms of trust end now.
Finally we would ask the owners, chairmen, and Board members of the six clubs to remember the privileged position they hold – not only as custodians of their clubs but also custodians of the game. The responsibility they carry should be taken seriously.
We urge them all to consider what they wish their legacy to be."
If it were based on UEFA coefficients then it would include teams like Schachtar Donezk or Ajax.
I'm not sure I like the idea of our club being used in the context of the ESL.
"The present Champions League season begins with participants divided into eight groups of four. From the 2024/25 season, there will be a single league made up of all 36 competing clubs. This will give four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe.
Under the new format, teams will play four matches more than is currently the case. They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against 10 different teams, half of them at home and half of them away".
A league of 36 teams but they only play 5 home and 5 away fixtures.
Sounds just as barmy as the ESL. Could this be why they made their announcement Sunday night?
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0268-12157d69ce2d-9f011c70f6fa-1000--new-champions-league-format-explained/
But the don't, they have 12 clubs with everyone else against the idea and unless that changes then it isn't going to happen
IF this does happen I can see the fans of Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea & Manchester City starting up their own teams like AFC Liverpool & United of Manchester.
"One issue I’m very uncomfortable with is the threats towards players not being allowed to play for their national team. The players have nothing to do with this and should not be punished in this way. These owners don’t care about international football anyway."
It makes perfect sense, if the players want to play for their national team they have to play for teams that compete in UEFA/FIFA sanctioned competitions and the ESL is not one of those.
Its a lever to get top players to quit the Terrible Twelve
You only had to look at the faces of the Blades players at the weekend to realise what relegation meant to them. I doubt they’d have reacted like that if it had been a case of “oh well let’s do better next year”
Proof that the ESL is good for football?
The Sheffield players did look disappointed, and rightly so, but they may have also been thinking of the big reduction in their salaries for next year.
I would say you are naive to believe that if Man United came along to McGoldrick at Sheffield United and said pal here is 120k to play for us, you think he gives a damn that Sheffield United got relegated beyond the initial shock. His sympathy would stretch as far as the dollar signs entering his bank account.