So said Jamie Carragher on the Gary Neville podcast, talking about the English Premier League. On the week that the desperate duo of Perez and Laporte tried to revive the idea of a European Super League. Real and Barça are in a terrible state, watching their dominance of world soccer slip away. The EPL has just signed another mega deal with TV execs cementing the EPL's future revenue streams, and the EL Clasico pair are spooked. Barça in particular are fucked. A financial basket case, they have mortgaged their club to the hilt and wasted hundreds of millions on disastrous signings like Coutinho and Dembelé. While Real have always viewed themselves as the greatest club in world footy and see that position under threat.
But they both had ample opportunities to help develop their own super league in Spain. Instead they carved up the TV money so that those two clubs had the lions' share of the total revenue. Last season they earned around €160m each while Betis, Real Sociedad and Valencia earned around €65-70m. I spend all my days talking to Spanish people through my job and many of the football supporters know that their league is anti-competitive. When I lived in Spain it was all too obvious. The powers that be want Real and Barça to fight for the title and qualify for the UCL every season. Many fans look on with envy as the EPL has teams with the stature of Man U and Chelsea not even qualifying, Leicester winning the league and teams like Aston Villa and West Ham pushing the top 4. The stadiums are full and the atmospheres generally great. That's why people all around the world pay to watch it. The Spanish need to learn quickly. And in particlar the big 2 need to give more of their TV money to the rest of the clubs to make the league more competitive.
The best thing about Perez and Laporte's announcement was the reaction to it. Within hours, Bayern, Man U and Atlético had come out with firm "no ways". But the best reaction was from Klopp who said that while he was against the Super League, it was great to see UEFA and FIFA getting a shake. Let's not pretend that football's governing bodies are the good guys in all this. They too think they can do what they want and a little reminder that football is nothing without the clubs and their fans is no bad thing. In the week that Man City won the Club World Cup, we are reminded that FIFA will be expanding the competition to 32 clubs for the next edition. They wanted to play this competition every year but were forced to back down to every 4 years by UEFA. We are also aware that UEFA are expanding the UCL from next season. These two ruling bodies are desperate to leverage the power and popularity of European football.
It is with some hope that I await the introduction of the Football Governance Bill to parliament next year that will install an independent football regulator with the power to act on behalf of fans and block moves by club owners. These are heady times for football globally and in England in particular, there is so much money to be made that obviously sharks will be attracted. But I am hopeful that the fans will ultimately get their way and common sense will prevail.
But they both had ample opportunities to help develop their own super league in Spain. Instead they carved up the TV money so that those two clubs had the lions' share of the total revenue. Last season they earned around €160m each while Betis, Real Sociedad and Valencia earned around €65-70m. I spend all my days talking to Spanish people through my job and many of the football supporters know that their league is anti-competitive. When I lived in Spain it was all too obvious. The powers that be want Real and Barça to fight for the title and qualify for the UCL every season. Many fans look on with envy as the EPL has teams with the stature of Man U and Chelsea not even qualifying, Leicester winning the league and teams like Aston Villa and West Ham pushing the top 4. The stadiums are full and the atmospheres generally great. That's why people all around the world pay to watch it. The Spanish need to learn quickly. And in particlar the big 2 need to give more of their TV money to the rest of the clubs to make the league more competitive.
The best thing about Perez and Laporte's announcement was the reaction to it. Within hours, Bayern, Man U and Atlético had come out with firm "no ways". But the best reaction was from Klopp who said that while he was against the Super League, it was great to see UEFA and FIFA getting a shake. Let's not pretend that football's governing bodies are the good guys in all this. They too think they can do what they want and a little reminder that football is nothing without the clubs and their fans is no bad thing. In the week that Man City won the Club World Cup, we are reminded that FIFA will be expanding the competition to 32 clubs for the next edition. They wanted to play this competition every year but were forced to back down to every 4 years by UEFA. We are also aware that UEFA are expanding the UCL from next season. These two ruling bodies are desperate to leverage the power and popularity of European football.
It is with some hope that I await the introduction of the Football Governance Bill to parliament next year that will install an independent football regulator with the power to act on behalf of fans and block moves by club owners. These are heady times for football globally and in England in particular, there is so much money to be made that obviously sharks will be attracted. But I am hopeful that the fans will ultimately get their way and common sense will prevail.
 |
| Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports |
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Insightful analysis.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Klopp... no good guys, just greater and lesser evils.
Always enjoy your pieces, Peter. Feliz Navidad to yourself and all TPQites.
Ramon
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Feliz Año Nuevo
It makes me wonder just how good the EPL is when a team like the current Liverpool one can top it. That display against Burnley was so pedestrian.
ReplyDeleteGreat comeback by Man Utd.
I am hoping that Eddie Howe is not the first managerial sacking of the New Year - if he makes it that far.
AM
DeleteIt's the current depth of the league that is impressive. Teams like Villa, Wolves and West Ham can beat anybody. City, Liverpool and Arsenal all struggled at Luton. This doesn't happen in other countries' leagues.
And Villa - they have shown a lack of depth. Can't now see them as a dark horse contender.
DeleteThe team's supporters that I really feel sorry are those of Sheffield United who but for the concession of a 97th minute equaliser to Villa and of two late own goals to Luton yesterday would be two points from safety rather than seven points and rooted at the bottom. Cruel world.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for your side Barry - Leeds. I have always regarded them as a Premier League side but they were just not up to the task last time around. Let's hope there is an improvement in fortunes for them.
DeleteIt might take another season to come up just as it took Bielsa and Howard Wilkinson two seasons to get promotion to the top flight; Simon Grayson two seasons to get out of League and Don Revie three seasons to ascend from the old Second Division to glory. Yes, Anthony we supporters have been through a lot of shit but I try not to wallow in self-pity. The atmosphere at Elland Road for the Ipswich game and the football played was reminiscent of the glory days and a source of pride and spine tingling for all of us who March on Together. The other Merseyside v Mancs derby tonight will be worth matching.
ReplyDeleteNormal service resumed. Man City were out of the top 4 with 2 games in hand. 2 wins and now in 3rd place - without Haaland and DeBruyne. City always play better in the 2nd half of the league and will win it again.
ReplyDeleteFeel sorry for poor Burnley, beaten by dive of the year for the dubious penalty of the year and the luckiest spot kick of the year - which hit the crossbar twice before going in. Burnley now need to win 5 games to have any chance of survival - a tall order indeed.