Arsenal have confirmed that the club is one of 12 founders of a new midweek competition called the European Super League.
Details of the project are detailed in a joint statement which the Gunners have shared on the club website.
When news leaked earlier this evening, it drew a furious response from each country’s respective football authorities. UEFA have already threatened to penalise those involved so it’s likely to be a spicy few weeks as the dust settles and the legal wrangling begins.
It goes without saying that we think the idea of a closed-shop league is a crock of shit even if it consolidates Arsenal amongst a group of clubs who are currently enjoying far more success on the pitch than we have been.
The joint statement from the European Super League
Twelve of Europe’s leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs.
AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as Founding Clubs. It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable.
Going forward, the Founding Clubs look forward to holding discussions with UEFA and FIFA to work together in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for the new League and for football as a whole.
The formation of the Super League comes at a time when the global pandemic has accelerated the instability in the existing European football economic model. Further, for a number of years, the Founding Clubs have had the objective of improving the quality and intensity of existing European competitions throughout each season, and of creating a format for top clubs and players to compete on a regular basis.
The pandemic has shown that a strategic vision and a sustainable commercial approach are required to enhance value and support for the benefit of the entire European football pyramid.
In recent months extensive dialogue has taken place with football stakeholders regarding the future format of European competitions. The Founding Clubs believe the solutions proposed following these talks do not solve fundamental issues, including the need to provide higher- quality matches and additional financial resources for the overall football pyramid.
Competition format
- 20 participating clubs with 15 Founding Clubs and a qualifying mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based on achievements in the prior season.
- Midweek fixtures with all participating clubs continuing to compete in their respective national leagues, preserving the traditional domestic match calendar which remains at the heart of the club game.
- An August start with clubs participating in two groups of ten, playing home and away fixtures, with the top three in each group automatically qualifying for the quarter finals. Teams finishing fourth and fifth will then compete in a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final positions. A two-leg knockout format will be used to reach the final at the end of May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue.
As soon as practicable after the start of the men’s competition, a corresponding women’s league will also be launched, helping to advance and develop the women’s game.
The new annual tournament will provide significantly greater economic growth and support for European football via a long-term commitment to uncapped solidarity payments which will grow in line with league revenues.
These solidarity payments will be substantially higher than those generated by the current European competition and are expected to be in excess of €10 billion during the course of the initial commitment period of the Clubs.
In addition, the competition will be built on a sustainable financial foundation with all Founding Clubs signing up to a spending framework. In exchange for their commitment, Founding Clubs will receive an amount of €3.5 billion solely to support their infrastructure investment plans and to offset the impact of the COVID pandemic.
Florentino Perez, Real Madrid president and the first chairman of the Super League said: “We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires.”
Backing the new European league, Andrea Agnelli, chairman of Juventus and vice-chairman of the Super League said: ““Our 12 Founder clubs represent billions of fans across the globe and 99 European trophies. We have come together at this critical moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting the game we love on a sustainable footing for the long-term future, substantially increasing solidarity, and giving fans and amateur players a regular flow of headline fixtures that will feed their passion for the game while providing them with engaging role models.”
Joel Glazer, co-chairman of Manchester United and vice-chairman of the Super League said: ““By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world- class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid.”
RIP football
RIP Arsenal. We would be the whipping boys of that league as things currently stand. It’d be six pointers between us and the scum every season.
If this is going to happen, we have to be able to drop out of it and another club brought in. I know this doesn’t suit our club but right now Leicester are a far better football team than us. Until we get our shit together and earn the right to play in such a league, we should have to continue to battle it out with the Brighton’s and Norwich’s of this world.
Also, there’s an argument for Arsenal as regards our rich and silvery history.
But in all seriousness, why the fuck are Sp*rs in there?
Because financially – on turnover – they are a “bigger” club than we are and the point of the ESL is to try and group these clubs together – which is one reason why they want PSG and Bayern to sign up.
For information the latest figures (for 2019-20), split into the three main income streams, are:
Matchday revenue
Sp*rs £94 million – Arsenal £79 million
Broadcasting
Sp*rs £136 million – Arsenal £119 million
Commercial
Sp*rs £161 million – Arsenal £142 million (inc. Adidas/Emirates deals)
My take on this is that the Kronkes took Wenger’s regular top 4 finishes for granted and have realised how difficult it is to manage a club to consistent success. A lot of money has been thrown at the team in the last few seasons, a lot siphoned off by unscrupulous individuals, and we are stuck as a mid-table side praying for a cup success to play in Europe next season. This is not what the Kronkes bought us for, nor what they are used to in the US, they want guaranteed income and status to maintain the value of… Read more »
This is just pure self-interest. The clubs involved in this proposal probably account for the vast majority of broadcasting rights worldwide. Even when the Premier League sells their TV packages, they clearly define “tiers” where matches involving the “Big 6” are evidently the most sought after. In essence, this cash is generated by a few clubs and then spread equally among everyone. It’s no surprise that these clubs generating the revenue are now looking to capitalise on this. From their business perspective – why accept less when you can have more?
i would imagine getting to the playoffs and the latter stages of them would be heavily incentivised. much like the NBA/NFL.
Are you sure? To compete with the likes of Real Madrid and Man City would require huge investment with no guarantee of success. The money would roll in regardless, so it would be easy to take a hands-off approach and maybe you’ll strike lucky and Arteta will turn out to be the next Wenger, Saka the next Pires, Balagun the next Henry.
As an Arsenal fan for 20+ years living in the U.S. who only dreams of attending matches, I feel somewhat responsible for this abomination. To the (insultingly named) ‘Legacy Supporters’ who hold season tickets or regularly attend matches, I extend my sincere apologies for the demise of the club you understand in a way I never will. I’m glad to take your advice on how I can now be part of any solution that addresses the massive damage done by this absurd excercise in inequality.
Took Wenger’s top 4 finishes for granted. That didn’t only apply to the Kroenkes, but a large swathe of the fans too. The ridicule of the 4th placed trophy. Oh, would we like to have that now.
He stopped providing top 4 finishes
Exactly, this is Kroenke saying. I don’t want to do things the proper way so I will buy/cheat my way back into big Euro competition permanently. I’m embarrassed Arsenal are leading this charge. Just not suprised. If this is how it’s going to be, I hope we get kicked out of the EPL and then fade away like the rest of them and come back as Woolwich-Arsenal. Maybe this is the moment fans take back the game…probably not.
Dial Square FC
“I don’t want to do things the proper way so I will buy/cheat my way back into big Euro competition permanently”
the proper way being buying/cheating your way to the top of the league? Like Chelsea, City, United? Madrid? PSG? Barcelona?
When fans applaud a ne’er do well manager, yes, that is a way to return to Europe.
we’re the whipping boys of the premier league. In our nice £300m stadium, would be lucky to qualify for europa league.
Arsenal would absolutely do a Leeds if not for this ESL. And over half the clubs in the championship pay more in wages than they earn in a season, so unlike Leeds we might not have much of a league to drop into.
people are calling this the death of football. what they fail to understand is football has a terminal illness. The ESL is the reaction of these clubs to jump ship before it’s too late.
Which is why THEY wanted to be in it in the first place. Cos being the founding members will be excused from relegation.
That being said, this whole super league thing is disgusting
If you can’t beat them, join them. This is great news for Arsenal. It maintains our position near the top of the pyramid within football’s elite.
But we don’t know how this will turn out yet, do we? It may be as you predict or it may have serious knock-on effects with the relationship with the rest of football. Who knows? We need to get much more information than one side of A4 from the ESL.
This sort of attitude will be the death of AFC. I guess by elite you mean ‘earning the most money’. Stupid fans to think elite means ‘best at football’.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are the best at football.
For the last 20 years Elite has meant spending the most money. Not much of a difference.
For the last 135 year Elite has meant spending the most money
You seriously believe we will see massive investment in the team to be able to compete. This is the death of our club as we know it. Without fear of relegation from this league their is no need for major investment. Other clubs like man u, Chelsea, City barca etc are already investing far more that we do. For us and our owner I fear its just a cash cow. At least with the champions league, we had to invest somewhat to be good enough to get into it and reap its rewards.now that’s gone we will be the whiping… Read more »
I’m going to get down voted, but I’m happy we are in it rather than not in it, game has gone though. Anyway, the game is dead, long live the game.
Your lover has decided to head to the big city instead of staying in the small town. Either get on the train with her or wave goodbye. She’s made her decision and you can come with her if you want to, but you have to understand her career comes first. It’s more important for her to run a global conglomerate than wait tables at the diner.
“Near” being the only word that matters in your post. Guaranteed mediocrity.
Apologies if this appears twice. I don’t know why anybody is surprised. This was an obvious step from the moment clubs flexed their muscles with the formation of the Premier League. I wrote to David Dein at the time and said this would alienate the club from supporters and would mean that as the father of two children I was less likely to get them engaged with football. Personally, I have drifted away from football in a way I never thought possible. We see Arsenal as an English football club that is ‘ours’. The owners, of any of these top… Read more »
David Gooner, exactly right. These are now global teams, and much of the (relative) success our Arsenal community has enjoyed over the last 25 years has been enabled by our acceptance, bit by bit, of the conditions: we built the stadium, got the Arab state sponsorships, got the American owners, took the massive TV money, signed Ozil and Sanchez and paid 73 million for Pepe, sacked managers for not keeping us among the elite. And as supporters, we stayed committed (or didn’t). This train has been leaving the station for years, and now we’re on it. I’m sure some will… Read more »
yes. it’s been coming for a long time and i think little can be done to stop it. personally, i always felt leaving highbury was the beginning of the end. these people don’t understand the magic of being in a stadium packed with hard core fans where decades or even a century or more of history has been made. the emirates has always felt like a soulless place in comparison and not surprising we have won nothing since we moved to it.
Fan indignation i sympathise with and feel the same, shame on our owners. UEFA, the FA, the Premier League spouting vitriol about protecting the game, the fans….no way, they are only worried about their bank accounts like our souless owners.
Please don’t anyone take offense but I feel like I’ve been raped, abused then discarded. It’s like living in a totally different reality, one in which we feel/are totally powerless.
Jesus titty fucking christ.
Arsenal are dead to me if they go through with this.
Welcome to Arsenal soccer club
What’s with the anti-american sentiment?
Most of the breakaway clubs aren’t owned by americans
Because this is American style format of sports
Thanks Hei
Super League is a godsend to Arsenal in particular. Don’t know what some of our fans are whining about.
But we don’t know what the wider ramifications of any ESL will be for Arsenal or any other club because it isn’t even fully formed yet, let alone organising matches or actually kicking a ball.
I think the fact that it completely fucks the whole sport is a good thing to whine about.
By providing €10bn for the rest of the football pyramid? What’s UEFA offering?
What’s UEFA offering?
The chance for West Ham – should they finish in the top four – to pit their wits against the cream of Europe.
That’s what UEFA and the ECL offers. Opportunity for all Premiership clubs to challenge for a place to play against the best in Europe.
That’s what the game is about. Rewards on merit.
Sorry to break the news to you but the game is about to go bust!! Premier League loses are in the billions and the same will be replicated around the other European leagues. What is UEFA offering to solve that? A 36 team league where the team that finishes 24th can win? That’ll lead to more pointless matches that make no money? Is that what football is about? This is how football dies!! The Super League offers an alternative were by the biggest teams, play the biggest matches, generating the biggest income. Providing €10bn for the rest of the football… Read more »
What ‘some of our fans are whining about’ is the death of football – purely for the sake of greed on the part of multi-billionaire owners. We MUST prevent this from happening.
Arsenal Soccer Franchise*
Our club has lost it’s soul and it’s integrity. There was a time when I used to be proud of this club whethere we won or lost, we always acted with class. Now we sell ourselves to whomever pays the most. I understand the club had no choice but to sign with the other five clubs in fear of missing out. But Integrity supposed to mean you stand true and oppose what you believe to be morally wrong even at the expense of your own loss. Unfortunately, i am ashamed to say that Arsenal FC has not acted with neither… Read more »
Erratum: meant to say”Arsenal FC has acted with neither class nor integrity in this instance”….was so pissed didnt even bother to re-read my comments before posting. Fucking greed of men….! Facing the likes of Inter or Real Madrid were cherished memories cause they happend so occasionally on an European night. There was that aura or something magical when you heard that UCL theme song playing in the background as our players stood shoulder to shoulder. It filled you with anticipation. Now to face them every year two times and and never having to worry about relegation just devalues it imo.… Read more »
I realise the proper response here is to swear, burn all my shirts and start following a different sport, however I just wondered, what would people’s reaction be if this wasn’t a closed shop and instead had full and transparent promotion and relegation? For me this is literally the only problem with it.
It’s just a re-formatted champions league with no risk of demotion (for now). Arsenal fans are used to losing by now, so we should enjoy finishing 10th in the ESL.
Now, now. We’re not at home to “Mr Sarcasm”.
I’m sure many of us are filing that post under ‘Required Like A Hole In The Head.’
I prefer to play Burnley twice a year than playing Barcelona or some Italian has beens every month for a nine month season
It’s the total trashing of English football’s tradition – and by extension Arsenal’s tradition – that I suspect is putting so many noses out of joint. Take away a club’s tradition and you strip away their identity.
Same. I don’t entirely object to the concept format wise. But I do object 100% to it being a closed loop.
But it is a closed shop.
End of.
You know what? Fuck this club.
This is the least of our concern right now, but think about how Arteta was asked about this earlier, and said he had no opinion because he knew nothing about it.
If he was telling the truth, and he’s the manager of our club, that’s some astounding secrecy that our owner and executives are keeping from the man that’s supposed to be planning the club’s short-medium term future.
If he was lying to the media and fans, he should be ashamed and grouped in with those who made this disgraceful decision.
Neither outcome is good.
Why would the potential formation of a super league years from now be discussed from the owners to the manager?
It’s not “years from now”. It’s in August.
Years from now? They want to start in 2022 at the latest.
“Commencing as soon as is practicable” simply means: “UEFA, it’s your turn to counter propose.” It sounds like the 12 clubs are willing to listen to better terms from UEFA.
Like many other Arsenal fans, I find this deplorable and sad. On a sporting level, it’s also crazy!
As soon as practicable means never. They can all rot. I want nothing to do with Arsenal in this guise of european royalty. This was a club started by working men, not billionaires
I feel Super League is good. This is our middle finger to UEFA and FIFA. Whatever happened to FFP. Plus the premier league wage cap is ridiculous.
Yes, but the ESL has a lot of work to do yet – three founding clubs still to sign up (12 of 15 currently); no representation from France or Germany yet (they need as complete a coverage of major European leagues as possible); and they’re a further five participating clubs short (even if they get the 15 founding clubs).
With the anticipated legal and other action in the pipeline by both sides the ESL will be doing very well indeed to get all that sorted by “2022 at the latest”.
Arteta?!
Dude, this is clearly above his pay grade.
Why does everything at Arsenal have to twist into attacking the manager?
I’m not trying to go out and attack him for the sake of it. I actually believe in what he’s doing more than not.
I take your point and the other commenter’s. I think you’re probably right. Emotions are running a bit high at the moment. I shouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion.
Cheers to that, I’ve been there many times. It was a lackluster day, followed by this ridiculous news.
Yeah, it’s a shitshow, I hate that it has come to this. One way or another we’ll have to stay strong.
In my view, it just sums up this whole mess. Of course he knew about this whole thing, but he surely won’t be the first talking about this after drawing to Fulham. That he did not speak about it was clear. But it just hurts, that nothing was said about it.
Tbf, in reality if my boss is driving an initiative and some public media asks me about it, would I say anything about it? Hell No!
Yeah definitly. It’s not reasonable to slack Arteta, because he said, he knows nothing. But it hurts just even more.
We should not slack Arteta. But everything in this thing just hurts. And what will he say the next week in press conferences? Will Stan or Josh ever say something? Or will Mikel have to take everything. And those comments are going to hurt. If he does not resign, he will have to cope with it, and how do you maneuver out of this?
It will be an absolute sh*tshow.
KSE are a bunch of coward, they never face their battles/wars rather use shields, like they did with Wenger and maybe now mold Arteta into that role. You can see why Unai was sacked because he was not a suitable human shield due to lack of proper English communication.
You can’t fuck just one, it’s a package. FFSC, fuck the founder clubs
I don’t know why anybody is surprised. This was an obvious step from the moment clubs flexed their muscles with the formation of the Premier League. I wrote to David Dein at the time and said this would alienate the club from supporters and would mean that as the father of two children I was less likely to get them engaged with football. Personally, I have drifted away from football in a way I never thought possible. We see Arsenal as an English football club that is ‘ours’. The owners, of any of these top clubs, see them as a… Read more »
100% mate, I’d be keen to start a new Arsenal; much the man u fans did after the glaziers bought the club.
Disgusted. Ashamed. Embarrassed.
As you say, don’t hate the club, hate the owners.
They use your love for a club like a human shield. It’s gone too far.
Boycott.
As long as everyone keeps putting money in Kroenke’s pocket he’ll keep fucking the club up, it’s the only way to make them go away.
Americanization of football!
God save England & Europe.
Not sure what it has to do with America. didn’t rugby do this some time ago?
There are no leagues like this in the U.S. just seems like people trying to find someone to blame and be mad at vice the greedy owners of these clubs.
As an American myself, I have to agree with the other post that this is in fact the “Americanization of Football”. Essentially, the creation of the European Super League turns football clubs into franchises very similar to American sports teams where there is no threat of relegation. This creates a sort of acceptance of mediocrity for some franchises because there is no fear for loss of revenue due to dropping down a division. I’m scared that once Arsenal is in the Super League, Kroenke will feel no great need to invest any further in the squad because of the massive… Read more »
This is starting to take shape and move from club football towards franchise business, that’s what I mean. No offence to Americans but definitely to their greedy businessmen.
Americans have no relegation in any of their sports.
Rugby is not relevant. Not in terms of it social reach, financial power or number of registered players.
And the next chapter is chineziation…
Not even Dennis can save us now
Boycott the shit out of the American venture capital takeover of our game. Fuck them all. Let’s get the fans together across the country from all clubs involved and stay out of the stadiums. Only way we are going to win back our clubs.
I like the sentiment, but boycotting games right now…hmmm, surely there might be a better way.
Unpopular opinion obviously, but better in than out. Frankly I’m surprised Arsenal got an invite. Also look at this way, who has any love for UEFA? I don’t care who is running the competition or who profits from it because either way it won’t be me. What bothers me is the closed shop format of the competition. Clubs like Ajax, Benfica etc etc will become entrenched as feeder clubs for this new cartel, but in truth this is basically the case already. So, like I said at the start, if you want to Arsenal at the very top of the… Read more »
It has been like this for years (with the CL) but this is taking it to a whole nother level. But it’s not Arsenal who start beeing in it, it is Kroenke.
And if this is what the top level of football is in the future, then I couldn’t care less. If it is not done by playing good football and doing the right things as a club, but instead just buy in, because we were quite good 10+ years ago and still have a lot of fans, than I couldn’t care less.
What about the FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY rules? 🙂
You know why Arsenal got the invite? Us
Because there are plenty of Arsenal fans. To hell with the results. Those things aren’t important.
But also don’t give a single penny to the club while they’re revelling in this heap of dung. Cancel subscriptions to whichever broadcaster buys the rights too
They’re only doing this because they think it will enrich them further, show the parasites how wrong they are
Can we all take to Twitter and send a message to those blasphemous pigs that we won’t swallow this pill easily?
It will be Amazon. 100%. They have been around the last time, they will be this time. Sky and so on is not going to touch that thing. They won’t get near.
reason 1 Trillion and 1 to hate Jeff Bezos
Yes, but how would you feel if the ESL goes forward with Arsenal on the outside?
Personally I’d feel much happier. If it goes ahead and we join I’m going to find another team outside it to support. Football in that format is not something I want to see or support, that competition doesn’t represent anything that I love about football
Upon reflection it would be awesome if this move resulted in the financial ruin of those clubs involved, reinvigoration of national leagues and an improved european cup.
Disgrace
🤮🤮🤮
They can go and f@ck themselves
The first time I have even considered giving up being a fan, but this is beyond the pale. Not sure how we recover from this even if it ends up with us in uefas version instead
It’s the second time for me. After last years UEFA Man Citys debacle, where I thought, what is this sh*t? But this thing looks like a whole nother level.
Completely agree, I hate it. The whole of football is on the wrong path, even this reformatting of the champions league sounds shit, but this super league is beyond the pale. Everything that makes football great is being sucked out of it
Fuck’s sake, Arsenal… Shameful.
No more Thursday nights
We can’t even win Europa and we’re acting like it is beneath us. Arrogance, greed, and incompetence.
We can’t even qualify for it…
That’s the point, if we can’t qualify we change the rules
I have enjoyed the Europa League. Being in a competition that we could feasibly win each year has been more enjoyable than being knocked out by Bayern Munich every year. We now look forward to being the whipping boys of Europe. This is all pretty shameful really.
100 % agreement.
What a load of horseshite. Unbelievable.
Embarrassing, we’re a shit team that would get destroyed but this is so wrong on so many levels. Embarrassed to support this club for the first time in my life
Nothing super about arsenal at the moment. Mid table and won’t even make the Europa league next season,
Laughable!!
Man U, Spuds, and Arsenal not even in the Champions League.
Our owner is delusional. We will finish last in this league every year the way he funds/treats the club.
You think he gives a fuck?
Oh he knows that, and he’s happy with it. Look into his other teams. Aside from the once in a blue moon when they do well despite themselves, they’re all bottom tier clubs in closed leagues that are wildly profitable precisely because there’s no attempt to actually spend more than the minimum.
The answer is $3.5 Billion dollars.
Somehow I read this in Cartman’s voice.
Are you surprised? The whole American system is set to reward failure. Finish last and you get the first pick of new players for the next season
Shame. I’d call them goat buggerers but that would be an insult to goat fuckers the world over.
I’m done with Arsenal and I’m done with football. Fuck them both up the arse with a pineapple.
Getting more disillusioned with this sport every day. See how long this joke of a competition will last when no fans show up for the games. Though we don’t always know it, we fans have the power. Boycott.
“to deliver the best outcomes for the new League and for football as a whole.”
The language is truly abhorrent.
Gonna have a stab at this… Everyone’s flipping out but here’s the reality… this isn’t replacing the premier league, it’s replacing champions league football. Which we haven’t had for years, and now everyone’s complaining that we’re in the super league ? So how the Fck would everyone be feeling if we were excluded right now… fuck Uefa anyways, bunch of cnts. The champions league and Europa has gone stale. The early rounds are boring as fuck with pointless fixtures. Same boring format, who’s gonna miss playing shite teams from the Eastern block before an actual interesting 1/4 or semi final… Read more »
Don’t be talking sense here!
Is that your daily mantra to yourself?
THat’s a good one for you! Gold star ⭐️
A gold star, eh? Who’s it sponsored by, how exclusive is it and how much additional subscription and viewing rights do I have fork out for it?
I found it on the floor
Well, if you back Kroenke, then the gutter is clearly the best place for you.
You support racist murderers of 6500 slaves, you’re still looking up!
How would we feel if we were excluded from this bullshit?! We’d be feeling pretty fucking good not to be anywhere near this disgrace. But it’s plastic fans like you that kroenke and the rest of them are betting they can win over and take even more money from because that’s the only thing that matters to them.
The CL and EL are meritocratic competitions that you have to earn a place in by playing good football. It’s at heart a competition, not a self serving monopolistic association of clubs, however flawed it is. Football is about all of the clubs, not just rich clubs with 1000s of plastic shirt-buying fans. Who will care about the early rounds ending? The thousands, millions of people who are fans of the “shite teams”, whose dream it is that Arsenal or Milan or Juventus play their team and visit their city. The money they get from playing in those competitions trickles… Read more »
Absolutely 100% this Tomaury! Eloquently put.
Brilliantly expressed mate.
The issue is UEFA isn’t going to accept this nor will the PL. That means either the PL backs down and lets the top 6 basically kill off qualifying for Europe or the top 6 leave the PL. So few domestic leagues have more than 1-2 teams that really can win the league most years that it would kill off interest in the league if there’s no race for European places. Who cares if you finish 2nd or 15th in the PL if this goes ahead as it won’t really matter.
It’s bad enough FFP is a joke, now we’re facing a clique of clubs entrenching financial supremacy divorced from results and ability. Leicester, West Ham, deserve a run in Europe, Arsenal deserve nothing for this season. It’s repulsive arrogance to claim Arsenal are deserving of being in the top tier of European football with the current performance of the team.
Yep. The value of any club outside the super league has just collapsed overnight. Everyone else will just be a feeder club.
This isn’t the end of European football but a recalibration.
Surely all football fans want to see competitive matches and quite frankly that’s not what we currently have.
If this format can be replicated into lower divisions of say the teams between 5-9 from the other top leagues and beyond we might actually end up with more European football worth watching.
3 or 4 division of the Super League format with promotion between them will lead to a far more interesting state of affairs
15 out of the 20 spots are permanently set according to this plan, completely regardless of performance. That leaves 5 slots out of all of Europe. Pretty hard to spin this as anything other than a pure money grab. Sponsors and tv deals will flock to this which means there will be far less for any other clubs outside the super league. This is a complete game changer
What a crock of shit.
Football needs to be a meritocracy – not one governed by financial clout.
If these so called top 6 are barred from PL the I think it would be good for PL, we will have better/fair competition and maybe more champions. Fuck these entitled cunts and I hope PL shows them the door ( sadlyit will not happen though)
So a competition is at fault we aren’t succeeding in it? Sure UEFA are a bunch of cunts, but the reason we’re not in the Champions League is that we haven’t been very good for a number of years, which, incidentally, was why it also felt stale while we were there – getting always knocked out it the first play-off round isn’t too much variety. I don’t know how us getting battered by the same 11 teams every week is more “interesting” than trying to get to a point where you can compete with Europe’s best? Football is a sport,… Read more »
It’d be a lot worse news if we weren’t in it.
Put it better than I did JB. Sure it’s an uncomfortable change but will shed no tears for UEFA. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the clubs want to run their own competition, I mean that’s essentially how the Premier League came about.
We don’t like change. You have no authority here JB1 😂
You’re right that, for fans of the top clubs, “The early rounds are boring as fuck with pointless fixtures”. The solution to that (if you want to change it) is pretty easy, you don’t need a closed league. You just shrink the size of the CL (eg from 32 to around 24) and tilt qualification slots more towards the the top leagues (with pre-qualification matches for lower leagues). Say top 6 England, top 4 of Spain, Germany any Italy, top 1 of France, Portugal and Netherlands and 3 spots for other teams in pre-qualifying Arsenals still wouldn’t be qualifying for… Read more »
Almost reads like an April fool’s joke.
Wow. F*ck this.
Yup. Another nail in the coffin. Fuck off. We should be relegated straight up. Would love that for Kroenke and the history books for doing this. Massive greedy cunts providing us nothing. I feel utterly ashamed. And I`m livid for Arsenal FC making me feel ashamed.
This is a power-play
They’ll say to the rest
“Either accept our proposal and take a small slice of the pie”
“Or we’ll breakaway completely, and take the whole pie”
And they’ll be hoping that they choose the second option, because they don’t want to share their pie with anyone
To everyone at Arseblog; writers, podcasters and all of us as readers. Thank you for everything you have brought to us as fans. But I think I’m done with football. 31 years as an Arsenal fan and I no longer recognise my club. I’m gutted.
In saying this, I will still follow, read and listen to Arseblogs content. Certainly on the cusp of hypocrisy but I do not want to see this suffer. Andrew and the team have given us many years of high quality content. For free. Let’s not forget that. The very least he and they deserve is our continued support.
Hear hear. Top post.
I’ve already thought about this, I won’t leave Andrew, James and all the lot here, but I’m stepping away from the rest of it until and unless this is sorted and done away with.
I’ve only been a fan for 20 years, but Arsenal has been my only team in any sport for a while now.
I’m sad but also kind of numbed by how quick this is happening.
I have been doing this for the last several years and it’s great to be honest. I can watch games and enjoy them for the simple sake of watching a football game. I have so much more time for other things I find much more enjoyable. Life is beautiful.
With you Mark. This is our darkest day and it’s fucking heartbreaking.
Thank you blogs for all the content over the years. It’s been a staple of my mornings initially, then my days, for as long as I can remember.
Fan since 71….never wanted us to leave Highbury it genuinely was our spiritual home…..nothing good has come out of our move to the Library and this will kill it……Supermac…Brady…Rocky…Wright Wright Wright..God..and the rest of the Legends…..I have my memories the Yank won’t have my money…..End of a relationship but in truth it has been coming for a while….
The straw that broke the broken camels back.
Yup pretty much! All the showbizzary of the game and now this! Waste of my fucking time these days…bunch of cunts
Same here. I shan’t be renewing my season ticket.
These cunts in charge of our club – and frankly there’s no other word for them – have long forgotten where fantasy ends and reality begins and have been peddling an utter crock of patronising shit masquerading as a manifesto for success ever since we moved from Highbury.
They can butt fuck themselves into oblivion. They won’t get another single fucking penny out of me. Bollocks to them.
Know how you feel brother.
There is no way they will succeed in making this a reality!! I will boycott my own team no questions asked…. absolutely fuck this shit! I already had enough of sugar daddy owners ruining the game, we were already going down this path, but enough is enough… bollocks
When I was 12 I cried after watching Nayim score from the half way line. 26 years later, the stadium I loved has gone, the crest I loved has gone, even the competitions I loved have gone. All that’s left is some shitty franchise. These people are barbarians.
I cried into the sofa ( I was 11) when Rixy missed that fucking penalty against Valencia.
May 1980 – two major cup finals lost in the space of five days. That was difficult to take – but, funnily enough, it merely strengthened my love for the club.
Today, I just feel numb. They’re Arsenal in name only.
Me too. The first time I cried over football. I was too young to make the trip but all my family had gone away to the ground to watch that game. I was genuinely heartbroken for them and arsenal and myself. That loyalty has been pissed on pretty much non stop since the formation of the premier league. The final ignominy, piped in crowd noise during the lock down. We are treated as a commodity. We have been taken the piss out of. We have been ripped off and discarded. First our passion was bottled and piped into empty stadium.… Read more »
Beautifully written mate. 51 years a Gooner and where to now?
I am finding some comfort in the belief/hope that Scummy Stan will not outlast our club. This too shall pass – we’ve had some very, very iffy moments and dodgy dealings over the past century plus.
WE are Arsenal – and if Stan takes the name and his stripped down mod-cannon ‘brand’ into a Euro-trash IPL-wannabe, then we take our Arsenal somewhere else and start again. We – all of us – are bigger than this Trumpy-cum-lately fucker.
How does the whole no relegation thing work, like if they have 5 random teams each yr based on performance… what if say one of those teams goes on to win it, the other 4 all place in top half of the table, does that mean 5 of the founding teams get kicked out for the next season… would a bit unfair on that team who won it to just be removed next season etc. Anyways I know majority are against this, but I am actually quite intrigued by it, not saying I agree with it, but I would much… Read more »
American sports system for the American owners.
Very true…I aint sure about the European teams, but only 3 of the 6 from here are owned by Americans.. would be interested to know how many of the teams have American’s with a controlling stake in a club
All the big boys are represented. Russia, China, Saudi Arabia along with the American owners. G neville is right this is an active crime against fans. Its a coup d’etat of european football by a few elitists owners from other countries who care nothing about football.
I would say that nationality has got nothing to do this.
If you look at how else these people are connected, then you start to see a bigger picture.
There would be no PL.
You’d just watch Arsenal play the same teams over and over with no reward for winning games (we’re not winning this league and there’d be no more CL) or losing them.
Football as entropy.
But isn’t that just what happens now, we play same teams every year with the bottom 3 just rotating between us and championship…
this would be the same only 5 new teams each season instead of 3
need an arsecast extra with the boys telling us what to do now because what even is football
This has the touch of all the American owners in the league. The Liverpool owner, Kroenke and the Glaziers all have their fingers in this the most, most likely in an attempt to “franchise” the club, because Americans love Franchising. Speaks volumes when French and German clubs don’t want to touch this shit.
This should be interesting as an international fan.
As an international fan, this should lead to a full and complete boycott of the club until the proposal is dead and buried.
If this goes through, I’m switching to hockey.
ice or field? Asking for a friend
rugby in my case
I’ve been a supporter since the late 80’s and love this team as I have all the teams through out the years, the ups and the downs. I will be sad not to be watching Saka, ESR, Nketiah, Willock, Martenelli, Balogun and all the new young talent finding their feet. With all due conscious I really don’t see myself supporting Arsenal anytime in the near future if this goes through. This is anti football. And regrettably the world we are inheriting. These days there are far more important things to through my energy into in this world at the moment.… Read more »
Kroenke is a self absorbed cancer of mediocrity. Sell, you rat bastard.
Is it too much to hope that this all falls flat on its face and Kroenke ends up selling and fucks off out of our lives for good….
Yes, unfortunately it is.
So we have been shit and now we are cunts so the owners have made us shit cunts the tiger shooting football hating weird American has made us look like shit cunts.. seriously stop putting money in this cunts pockets.. would rather get relegated
This club is owned by a sleaze ball and is managed by two very unethical individuals.
It all sounds messed up, but reminds me of the old champions League where only champions and runners up qualified. This is kind of similar but in league format but fked up. In a way it might be a blessing for a club like us. To be honest the way we play snd the way we have managed the vlub in the last decade, I never tought we would be in the Champions League for many years to come. This might be a good thing got us in a selfish fked up way.
Stop talking shite and get your head out your fkn arse.
Yeah, except one of those systems is based on merit and rewards success, the other is a dystopian nightmare where football clubs are reduced to items in a billionaires’ portfolios.
One is based around the notion of sports success and competition among the football’s best, the other is designed purely to maximize the owners’ profit margins.
Fuck this and everyone who supports it.
I can honestly see the birth of a new club: Gunners FC, Royal Arsenal FC, Woolwich Arsenal FC or Dial Square FC… to take our place in domestic football once Kronke’s Arsenal is kicked out.
There already is a Dial Square FC. Fodmed last year.
Let’s hope Martinelli signs for Dial Square then, my new fave team.
What’s ironic is you use the clubs former names to show your displeasure at the clubs pursuit of progress
John C, financial gain at the expense of integrity and to the detriment of our beloved sport is not my definition of progress.
What are you talking about?! People are being hysterical, football has always been about making as much money as possible for the clubs owners. In 1913 Woolwich Arsenal moved from south London to north London for financial gain, where was integrity in that? The club changed names 3 times to reflect the move, where was the integrity in that? The club was voted into the first division despite being relegated, where was the integrity in that? There was a maximum wage until 1961, where was the integrity of that? The premier league was formed for the clubs financial gain, where… Read more »
People (mostly) aren’t upset at the money involved. They’re upset that the money is being generated by fucking the sport.
I think they’re doing the sport a service.
The running of commercial side of football should be left to those with a vested interest in doing so and the administrators, UEFA and FIFA should play no roll whatsoever
No, the ‘businessmen’ at the ‘big clubs’ have decided to use tv money to fleece the shit out of a (supposed) global audience and lining their already overinflated pockets even more.
And you call it ‘Evolution’….
🤣
This is at odds with the reality of football for the most part. Throughout the history of the game owners have put money into the clubs not the opposite. Herbert Chapman (and Norris before him) at Arsenal funded Highbury and all that with it at his own expenses. Liverpool’s success in the 60’s to late 80”s were underwritten by money from the Moores family and the football pools (Everton as well). Blackburn only won the Premier league due to Jack Walker and his financial support of his hometown club. Even Abramovich has put more than £1 billion into Chelsea (and… Read more »
Not really, all you’ve highlighted is that deep pockets has always been the deciding factor for success in club football which runs contrary to the arguments on here that money is now starting ruin the game
Really?
Tell that to Leicester City in May 2016.
Tell that to Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang in May 1988.
Tell that to Coventry City’s heroes in May 1987.
Tell that to Ipswich Town’s Tractor Boys in May 1978.
Relatively small clubs winning the biggest English domestic club prizes against all the odds. THAT’S what football should be about. A chance for EVERYONE.
Shouldn’t a FOOTBALL club pursue progress ON THE PITCH?
Wow, you really can find people who will support just about anything.
Seriously, if the proposal called for every fan to lose a left eye, there would be some useful idiots lining up in defense.
You’re the useful idiot, you are ignorant of the history of football.
The entire 140 year history has been about making money
I challenge anyone to show me how any club survives for over a hundred years if it doesn’t look to at least break even. Clubs are businesses. We can imagine they are social assets, and to an extent they are, but this is a secondary or even tertiary function. show me a club that fails to make ends meet and I’ll show you a town without a social asset. Ask the people of Bury.
Which is why I support the running of the business side of football to be run by those best placed to do so, the billionaire owners of the clubs rather the professional pen pushers at UEFA
Face it, mate, you’re vastly outnumbered in your computer generated opinions by most people on this page and the football world at large.
Once FIFA , UEFA, The Premier League and The Football Association have taken these owner muppets to the High Court, its not going to fucking happen anyway.
So save your breath and do something useful – why not swot up and improve on your serious lack of knowledge of Arsenal Football Club and its history.
Taken to court for what? They’re private companies Let’s just get this straight, you’re on the side of the corrupt and greedy governing bodies?! Governing bodies whose conflict of interests derived by being commercial stake holders as well as administrators has resulted in the following: Contempt for player welfare, a football calendar that enshrines year round international matches for the corrupt governing bodies commercial interest. E.g, Aubameyang catching malaria playing in an international match during a worldwide pandemic when any responsible organisation would have cancelled them. Completely unregulated player agents The awarding of international tournaments to hosts completely unsuited or… Read more »
And let’s just get this straight – you’re on the side of Stan Kroenke. “Leave the business to the businessmen and the governing to the administrators”…? Yeah, tell that to the 50+ Arsenal employees who were assured their jobs were safe – only to lose them. Ask the players who, when they questioned the Arsenal hierarchy about where their Covid related pay cut money was going were also informed (with bare faced lies) that club admin staff would be safe. So don’t come on here presuming to preach holier than thou business practices, whilst simultaneously defending Stan Kroenke. The man… Read more »
It’s possible that both footballs administrators and Kroenke can be bad at the same time with FIFA’s and UEFAs being infinitely worse. The problem is there’s been an unthinking more money = bad narrative that’s developed and it’s completely deranged. All harping on about a bygone sunny upland that never existed. You’ve pinpointed 93 as the year money “corrupted” the game, which is funny because I distinctly remember our classy former custodians getting the fans to pay for North Bank via the very classy, and not at all greedy bonds scheme in 91! Do we have to go into the… Read more »
The bond scheme was largely and vociferously rejected by the North Bank faithful.
You really have no idea about Arsenal’s past, do you? Picked it all up via misinformed data on a few websites have you?
Since 1971 I’ve fucking been there and lived it.
No it wasn’t, loads of people had them and my point was that football greed didn’t start in 93
Actually, it’s been, up until 1993 at least, about football. It was never about the money during Arsenal’s golden era of the 1930’s or our post war eras of the 50’s and the 70’s. If you want to pinpoint when football began to be all about the big bucks, it was the Sky tv money sloshing around from the formation of The Premier League. Then we had that Russian cunt with his blood money take over the chavs and it was Goodnight Vienna (and bye-bye to the Invincibles). It’s only relatively recently in the history of the game that money… Read more »
Absolute fucking rubbish.
Football has been about making money? Has it fuck!
The game is about passion, excitement, memories, camaraderie, being there, ‘Wembley’71, Wembley ‘79, Anfield’89, Old Trafford ‘02, White Hart Lane ‘04.
Do you think that the Arsenal fans on those occasions gave a single solitary shit about how much fucking money the club was making…………?
You live in a fantasy land, none of that would have happened unless people had been paying
But we weren’t there for the fucking money we paid – we were there for the life experience.
If you cannot grasp what being a football fan is all about, regardless of your club’s financial position, I pity you.
Motivated by money – what a shallow soulless shell of a human being you are.
I’ve been there too but those players aren’t doing it for free, or playing in a stadium that was built by the local scouts as a project!!
Maybe I’m not as rich as you whereby the idea of paying an electricity bill or rent are alien concepts!!
John C, I usually would refrain from insults when having an argument, but Arsenal Football Club is dead and you are a cunt.
That’s because you’re not having an argument.
I’ve yet to hear a coherent from anyone beyond, “greed”, “cunt” and “change is bad”
No one has compared it to the alternative, no one has mentioned the €10bn in solidarity payments.
I’m confident in time, once heads have cooled there will be a more reasonable discussion
Not sure what’s more profoundly disturbing:|
that you – as a supposed Gooner – wrote the above;
or that you actually, seriously, believe it!
The personal attacks and bullying don’t work on me but again happy to have a debate
This page is full of them.
Is Fuck Stan Kroenke FC taken?
Can we buy back Highbury?
In a word, no.
Sounds brilliant and about time the businessmen run the business and the administrators administer just like every other sport. In motor racing Formula 1 run the commercial side and the FIA sanction and write the rules. The same goes for just about every other sport. Golf has the PGA, Tennis has the ATP, boxing has various sanctioning bodies, none of these are major promoters and hoarders or billions of £’s. Hopefully this is the start of a major recalibration of the governance of football, where FIFA and UEFA can do what they should be doing. Writing the rules, implementing robust… Read more »
Another crock of shit.
What an insightful critique, care to point out where you disagree and why?
Fucking hell mate, do you really need it spelt out for you?
Go and look up the word obtuse in the dictionary.
I’m all ears
John, this is completely incoherent. Sorry, but you have no idea what you’re talking about.
I’m all ears to hear you correct me where I’m wrong.
You’re backing Stan Kroenke’s lust for personal financial gain at the expense of years of English football tradition and the financial detriment and opportunities for success of every other English club – and the hopes and dreams of their supporters – other than the so-called Big Six. Even Arsenal fans like myself and Bloggs, who have dreamed of Arsenal one day lifting the European Cup (because that’s what that fucking trophy is) will be gone. That’s not Sport. That’s not football. It’s the fucking opportunist greed of a few faceless businessmen to line their own pockets and destroy the infrastructure… Read more »
What traditions?!? The Champions League is so bastardised from the original European Cup it’s beyond belief, what’s “Champion” about finishing 4th? That ship sailed 25 years ago when teams other than the champions were allowed in. And sorry, you’re not thinking, far from damaging other clubs it will keep those clubs in business. Unless something dramatic happens in the way of a massive financial injection, many clubs, especially those below the Premier league that depend on gate receipts, will go out of business. The Super League offers exactly that injection of finance to a total of €10bn over several years.… Read more »
Pathetic move by Arsenal and all these clubs. This is basically saying that “we 15 clubs are high above you peasants and we will offer 5 of you each year the honour of competing with us.” Hate to say this, but a mid-table club has no right being high and mighty about themselves. Greed killing football again.
You know what the sad part is…many of us will probably keep on watching even if this becomes a reality. They’re taking advantage of our love for the club.
Well have some integrity and don’t watch it if you don’t agree with it.
The whole house of cards falls down when you don’t support actions the club takes. They rely on us being a captive audience but they need to learn that they can’t rely on that dynamic unconditionally.
If it were that easy to turn our backs…we would have gotten rid of the Kroenkes long ago.
Absolutely, for this reason I won’t watch any of the next world cup.
Speak for yourself. That sound you heard in the background was me setting fire to every piece of Arsenal merchandise I’ve ever bought and gleefully cancelling three different TV/streaming subscriptions. I’m out.
I didn’t hear anything.
No, they’re taking advantage of your weakness.
I can guarantee you I won’t be watching.
Fucking embarrassing. Utterly ashamed. And let’s be clear this isn’t a club decision, this is one man who now fully owns this club and always had this intention. The game of football (the world game) taken over by a nation who know absolutely nothing about competitive sport and what drives the emotion. Businessman who have identified a cash cow and grouped together once they’ve gained control of all the most supported and followed clubs, for the sole purpose of lining their pockets. The elite game as we know it is dead. Competitive football amongst the best players is dead. Just… Read more »
A couple of months ago some us warned you lot the direction the club was taking but we were called someone’s fan boys. It was time for that man to move on, I repeat, it was time for that man to move on, but the manner in how it was done rang alarm bells because it was very unlike Arsenal, no class whatsoever. Just like KSE Edu is scum. Please look up his tenure at Corinthians. Mikel was so desperate for the job he will tow the line.
This is a bit above Mikel’s paygrade, mate
If you genuinely believe that was Arteta’s decision you are naive. A novice manager who is desperate to prove himself will do and say about anything to ingratiate himself with the hierachy.
This will mark the end of me supporting this club if it goes through. I hope the Premiership casts all 6 out of the FA for trying to strong arm them this way. I’ll just go back to watching the French leagues and hoping my team comes second to slavers before this.
If this Arsenal goes ahead with this shit I’m burning all my shirts and will start supporting Leeds!
Stan Fucking Kroenke.
They think that they can get away with it because they haven’t heard our unified opposition to it. Once we are allowed back at the Emirates…
… Arsenal will be playing FC Amazon or whatever.
World: “shit, can’t get much crazier then 2020” 2021: “Hold my beer.” For real though I am just a little shocked and not even sure how to process it.
Of course they’re going to sign on. Solidly a mid table club and they’re offered the chance to make money with the top clubs? They’re going to snatch this with both mitts and run with it. It’s the perfect opportunity to make money being mediocre.
If I were one of the organizers of this league Arsenal wouldn’t make my list right now.. Assuming they want the best clubs, of course.
They don’t. FootballQuality doesn’t matter here..
The size of a club’s fanbase and its buying power are the only considerations.
Boycott them, the fucking pricks.
As a season ticket holder, I will not endorse this with my money or support. That also means one less arseblog reader (sorry Blogs).
The football establishment betrayed it’s supporters and sold out to foreign ownership with no interest in British footballing culture.
I’ll fall back on following the Bee’s. A better match day experience and a well run ENGLISH FOOTBALL club
That’s it, I’m done with this club. Not the club I gew up with, it’s now an investment vehicle for venture capitalists.
I used to be able to say Arsenal stood for something positive in the community and truly believed it.
That is no longer the case and I will not support this club while they continue to make moves to exploit everyone and anyone they can for a few extra pounds.
I know this night not be a popular opinion, and let me say first that i understand the displeasure that everyone is showing, i get it. But if we pause for a moment and ask a few questions i think we can have a clearer picture (at least from where i’m seeing it). First of all, as a corporation or enterprise (which all clubs are, whether we like it or not) it is very hard to say no to 450 million USD. Second, as I understand it, this new proposed competition would not impact the participation on the premier league… Read more »
If several former players decided to buy a club in a non-league competition….
Based on recent form, how are Arsenal in this ‘elite’ 12? Is it a rose-tinted look backwards? in which case, Herbert Chapman once set Huddersfield on the course of a hat-trick of titles, maybe they should be in that elite bracket.
From an Arsenal standpoint – assuming KSE had some input in putting that statement together – the hypocrisy is incredible.
Well, we’re finally going to see whether Edu and Arteta are real men with their own minds and the courage of their convictions – or snivelling money grabbing weasels.
My moneys on the latter.
I’m almost glad the ‘Holic isn’t around to see this shit.