The major European clubs would fiercely resist Saudi clubs coming into European football, at least if they have any brain cells to rub together. Saudi clubs would diminish the Champions League massively in terms of spectator interest and would probably win it every year because they would pay much more. The competition would basically die as a result.
The Sauds will own most of them one way or another before long. The rest can be bought
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The competition is going to struggle massively anyway.
Too many good players are at too few clubs.
Integrity is in short supply in football. As has always been the case.
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I can see the Sauds throwing money at this until no one can compete except the EPL.
Then the European teams who already want a European super league will be able to go to their fans look lads we are fucked if we donât do this.
Then the Sauds and UAE and whoever, throw a big fat sack of money on the table and Riyadh Rovers and Dynamo Dubai are in the European super league.
Iâd give it about 10 years to play out
Fuck the Saudis
Post reported.
They canât buy every club and there will be a massive public backlash if they try to force Saudi teams into European football.
Again, nobody gives a flying fuck about Al Hillal or Al Shawarma or Al Capone or Al Co in the same way nobody gave a fuck about Roosters GC in LIV golf, and it doesnât matter who plays for them, people still wonât give a fuck.
Club team sport is based overwhelmingly around venerable institutions which have lasted a very long time.
If I want to watch American football I want the Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers or the New York Giants or the San Francisco 49ers or the Dallas Cowboys involved. I donât want the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Carolina Panthers or the Houston Texans involved, because then I probably wonât watch. And I definitely wonât watch the London Monarchs playing the Scottish Claymores.
If I watch AFL I want Collingwood, Carlton and Essendon and North Melbourne involved, I donât want the GWS Giants or the Gold Coast Suns involved.
The irony is - if the Saudis bought all the best players to play in their league, the Champions League would suddenly become much more unpredictable again, and more exciting to watch.
I thought same with epl when super league was suggested. A title race between Villa and Brighton would be like going back to the glory days of Elton Welsby and proper football
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Itâs not the same scenario. Everybody loses out in the scenario you put forward. English football depends on having Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs - the actual big clubs. If you take them out, interest will diminish steeply. The European Super League would have fallen pretty flat in terms of spectator interest because of the way the proposed competition was structured, with little jeopardy. It would have been a soulless, deeply unfulfilling creation.
If all the top players went to the Saudi league, top coaches probably go too. The Saudis would probably have the money to sustain this for a good while, but the rest of the world and particularly Europe will not care.
But if that happened, the big clubs in Europe all still remain, but in neutered form in terms of being able to concentrate wealth. That is good for competition. Club loyalties throughout Europe will not go away. Even if the best players in the world were no longer in Europe, it would actually become more interesting if the competition became more of a level playing field. It could become like Argentine football - the money is not great, but all the big clubs are there, the competition is genuinely unpredictable, and there are massive attendances.
Itâs gas. European footballâs salvation could lie in its âdestructionâ.
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Elton Welsby, ah lovely
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The now defunct magazine 90 Minutes used to have a âFind Eltonâ competition every week.
He would turn up in all sorts of interesting places.
Informative
I stumbled across him presenting crown green bowls on Sky Sports some time circa 2004-2010, sorry I canât narrow it down any further than that.
A few years ago I stumbled across his Twitter. He was a big Brexit man and heâs definitely a big Everton man.
I donât know why but I always assumed he was an Everton supporter long before I knew he was.
City confident theyâll nail down Declan Rice shortly.
Be great to have Jacker and Ricer together.
Arsenal go to 105M for Rice. City drop out. Hard to compete with these super rich clubs sometimes.
Best work with the bargain basement players like Mateo KovaÄiÄ for ÂŁ25M.
#runningupthebid
Looks like City are having a right clear out this summer.
Gungdongan, Silva, Walker. Be big boots to fill
Next man up
James Maddison to Spurs.
You couldnt pick a more Spurs signing if you tried.
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Have you seen his old tweets about Bale?
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