Will the Premier League Suffer from a European Super League?
The idea of a European Super League has long been discussed and is not a new proposal. The though of one league consisting of the top teams in Europe has been talked about since the 1990’s and forced changes to the current European competitions.
UEFA expanded the Champions League competition and abolished the Cup Winners’ Cup in order to better accommodate clubs that were considering the proposed Super League. It stopped clubs leaving UEFA and signing up to play in a breakaway league which would have seen the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United playing each other more regularly.
Top Teams and Finances
In 2009, Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez said “we have to agree a new European Super League which guarantees that the best always play the best – something that does not happen in the Champions League.”
A year later, Arsene Wenger predicted a super league would become reality within 10 years due to revenue pressure on the continent’s elite teams.
Fast forward to 2018 and as Wenger is about to leave his job as Arsenal manager, he has spoken out again regarding the European Super League. “Maybe I will see you in a few years and you will certainly have a European league over the weekends,” Wenger said. “A domestic league will certainly play Tuesday/Wednesday. It will happen and it will be soon because it is a way for other clubs to fight against the Premier League.”
So, it appears one of the main reasons for a European Super League is because other clubs around Europe are becoming envious of the success of the Premier League. In addition, the current top clubs around Europe believe they will get bigger audiences and more money if they are playing each other every week.
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich, Manchester United vs Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus vs Barcelona could be games which become common place thanks to a European Super League but what about the teams who are left in the Premier League?
The Future of the Premier League
“The Premier League will get smaller,” says Wenger, before continuing, “If you want to make it more attractive, you have to go down to 16 and make a real competition of it. But it will be smaller if it goes to Europe.”
So, thanks to the introduction of a European Super League, the number of teams in the Premier League will be reduced and games will be played in mid-week. What will the ramifications be for the Championship and teams aiming to win promotion to the Premier League?
What if a team such as Leicester City win the Premier League, will they be welcomed into the European Super League or will it be a closed tournament?
English top-flight football has always been played across the weekend, with Saturday afternoon at 3pm being the traditional time slot. There are occasional weekend fixtures but match going fans prefer the weekend matches.
If the European Super League was to go ahead, it would have a huge impact on the Premier League and the fans will be left very unhappy.