By Nico Olbrys and Asaf Grofman
It has been a turbulent few weeks in European Soccer. On April 18, 2021, twelve of the most prominent European soccer clubs from Spain, Italy, and England – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan – announced the formation of a new “Super League” wherein these teams would compete against each other in midweek games. These twelve clubs, along with three other clubs that they hoped would eventually join this undertaking, were to be the founding members of the European Super League (ESL). Under this format, the fifteen founding clubs would be guaranteed entrance to the ESL each year. Five other teams would have to qualify each year, as well.
The fifteen founding clubs decided to break away from the current format, where clubs have to qualify for the continental competition: the UEFA Champions League, in hopes of eliminating competition and increasing their revenues. By guaranteeing that they would be able to compete in high profile games annually, and by bypassing UEFA, the governing body of European Soccer, the clubs would potentially be able to generate more revenue than they currently can.
Immediately following this announcement, which was a product of secret negotiations, the founding clubs’ owners and executives incurred the wrath of the soccer community. Players, coaches, commentators, and elected officials including British Prime Minister Johnson and Leader of the Opposition Starmer, and French President Macron issued statements condemning the ESL. Gary Neville, a legendary former Manchester United player and current pundit, said that the ESL “would change football in [England] forever” and called for organizing and mobilizing against it. Fans from all over the world expressed their outrage on social media. On April 20, before a regularly scheduled domestic game between Chelsea FC, one of the founding clubs, and Brighton and Hove Albion, Chelsea FC fans protested against their own club. Minutes later, Chelsea FC announced their withdrawal from the ESL. The five other English founding clubs soon followed suit. Within a few hours, the ESL collapsed.
Much remains unclear about the future of European Soccer. There has been a lot of speculation about the fates of the founding clubs. Mr. Gene Sepe, Fieldston Boys Varsity Soccer’s head coach believes that, “the clubs won’t be fined but be put on some kind of probation.”
This project created by the owners and the way in which it collapsed demonstrates the power the fans hold. At the end of the day, soccer is the people’s sport and the fans will never allow a group of people to change the game for personal gain and profit.
