Midlands Robin Posted April 22, 2021 Report Share Posted April 22, 2021 "The Champions League format is old and only interesting from the quarter-finals onwards," said Perez. "The champions league is only interesting when there are knock out games with a genuine sense of risk due to the losing team going out of the cup" says the man who thinks the way to recreate this is a league in which half the games will be meaningless and without the risk of relegation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Sinclair Posted April 22, 2021 Report Share Posted April 22, 2021 25 minutes ago, Midlands Robin said: "The Champions League format is old and only interesting from the quarter-finals onwards," said Perez. "The champions league is only interesting when there are knock out games with a genuine sense of risk due to the losing team going out of the cup" says the man who thinks the way to recreate this is a league in which half the games will be meaningless and without the risk of relegation. The man is a cretin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityal Posted April 22, 2021 Report Share Posted April 22, 2021 8 minutes ago, Midlands Robin said: "The Champions League format is old and only interesting from the quarter-finals onwards," said Perez. "The champions league is only interesting when there are knock out games with a genuine sense of risk due to the losing team going out of the cup" says the man who thinks the way to recreate this is a league in which half the games will be meaningless and without the risk of relegation. He also rhetorically asked why young people are turning off from football. He pointed to "higher quality" games as being a reason to stir interest, but I'd argue it is actaully "lack of excitement" that turns young people off. The Spanish league is a prime example of "Lack of excitement" probably only rivalled by the top leagues in Scotland and France! - Since the 2000-2001 season just FOUR clubs have won the title. Yes 20 seasons and just four winners. Valencia won it twice in 2002 and 2004, Atletico M. won it in 2014 and other than that either Barcelona or Real won it (so 2 clubs - 17 seasons!) - Perez's answer to that is to gve even more money to three of those teams. In that time in England we have had six winners (The 2 Manchester Clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester and Liverpool) and the wins are far more evenly distributed, not great but in no means a duopoly like in Spain. Football isn't the only form of sports entertainment available, there is more sport shown on TV now, people can watch sport from all over the world, and even lesser known sports can be streamed globally and live to anyone with a screen - Esports are seeing rapid expansion and are maybe more relatable to a lot of kids - Picking an example at random the League of Legends world title has been won by 7 different teams in its 10 year history- only one team has ever defended the title, that already sounds more exciting than watching La Liga. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lrrr Posted April 22, 2021 Report Share Posted April 22, 2021 1 hour ago, Midlands Robin said: "The Champions League format is old and only interesting from the quarter-finals onwards," said Perez. "The champions league is only interesting when there are knock out games with a genuine sense of risk due to the losing team going out of the cup" says the man who thinks the way to recreate this is a league in which half the games will be meaningless and without the risk of relegation. I dunno just off the top of my head, how can you create more box office games earlier in the competition? Half the amount of groups, make them double the size, only play each other once and advance twice as many teams to the knockout stage? Same amount of teams in first knockout round but that way where you'd currently have groups (from 20/21 pots) of Real Madrid, Man Utd, RB Leipzig, FC Midtjylland and Liverpool, Broussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Marseille. Combine them and now you've got Real Madrid, Man Utd, Liverpool and Dortmund playing each other in the group stage, would mean 1 more group game played. Who plays each other home/away decided on pre set lists based on coefficients ie 1v2, 3v4, 5v6, 7v8, 8v1, 7v2, 6v3, 4v5 etc. Yes you wouldn't get home and away for all teams but its a fairer pre agreed way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prankerd Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 2 hours ago, Lrrr said: I dunno just off the top of my head, how can you create more box office games earlier in the competition? Half the amount of groups, make them double the size, only play each other once and advance twice as many teams to the knockout stage? Same amount of teams in first knockout round but that way where you'd currently have groups (from 20/21 pots) of Real Madrid, Man Utd, RB Leipzig, FC Midtjylland and Liverpool, Broussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Marseille. Combine them and now you've got Real Madrid, Man Utd, Liverpool and Dortmund playing each other in the group stage, would mean 1 more group game played. Who plays each other home/away decided on pre set lists based on coefficients ie 1v2, 3v4, 5v6, 7v8, 8v1, 7v2, 6v3, 4v5 etc. Yes you wouldn't get home and away for all teams but its a fairer pre agreed way. Champions league should be like the title says the Champions, only the league winners and cup winners should be entered, people devalue the league and fa cup these days but that only because people seem to think top 4 counts more than a actual trophy these days! The top 6 wouldnt agree to it but giving the league and fa cup a place in it would make the cups more exciting, it would also make the Champions league alot more prestigious if you take away the top 4 monopoly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olé Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 This may be the greatest Perez argument yet. Besides the fact it's not accurate, complaining that top clubs lose money while everyone else makes money is bizarre levels of lack of self awareness. Drawing attention to this correlation is far more likely to be the other way round: that is, those clubs only are top clubs by spending far more than everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the frampton balti Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 3 hours ago, prankerd said: Champions league should be like the title says the Champions, only the league winners and cup winners should be entered, people devalue the league and fa cup these days but that only because people seem to think top 4 counts more than a actual trophy these days! The top 6 wouldnt agree to it but giving the league and fa cup a place in it would make the cups more exciting, it would also make the Champions league alot more prestigious if you take away the top 4 monopoly. Spot on! 18 minutes ago, Olé said: This may be the greatest Perez argument yet. Besides the fact it's not accurate, complaining that top clubs lose money while everyone else makes money is bizarre levels of lack of self awareness. Drawing attention to this correlation is far more likely to be the other way round: that is, those clubs only are top clubs by spending far more than everyone else. Wage cap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lrrr Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 4 hours ago, prankerd said: Champions league should be like the title says the Champions, only the league winners and cup winners should be entered, people devalue the league and fa cup these days but that only because people seem to think top 4 counts more than a actual trophy these days! The top 6 wouldnt agree to it but giving the league and fa cup a place in it would make the cups more exciting, it would also make the Champions league alot more prestigious if you take away the top 4 monopoly. Should, but never will be again. More likely would be the creation of a new tournament like the club world cup Munich just won for just the winners. Mean time the champions league will stay more like its currant format. My idea was just a quick one for a reform keeping a similar format Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 9 hours ago, Midlands Robin said: "The Champions League format is old and only interesting from the quarter-finals onwards," said Perez. "The champions league is only interesting when there are knock out games with a genuine sense of risk due to the losing team going out of the cup" says the man who thinks the way to recreate this is a league in which half the games will be meaningless and without the risk of relegation. 1 hour ago, Olé said: This may be the greatest Perez argument yet. Besides the fact it's not accurate, complaining that top clubs lose money while everyone else makes money is bizarre levels of lack of self awareness. Drawing attention to this correlation is far more likely to be the other way round: that is, those clubs only are top clubs by spending far more than everyone else. Does he think things through before he speaks?? Jeez!! “Sorry guys, just thinking out loud”!! How do such incompetent people rise to such powerful positions. Baffling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italian dave Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 5 minutes ago, Harry said: Does he think things through before he speaks?? Jeez!! “Sorry guys, just thinking out loud”!! How do such incompetent people rise to such powerful positions. Baffling. Happens quite a lot nowadays, Harry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portland Bill Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 8 hours ago, cityal said: He also rhetorically asked why young people are turning off from football. He pointed to "higher quality" games as being a reason to stir interest, but I'd argue it is actaully "lack of excitement" that turns young people off. The Spanish league is a prime example of "Lack of excitement" probably only rivalled by the top leagues in Scotland and France! - Since the 2000-2001 season just FOUR clubs have won the title. Yes 20 seasons and just four winners. Valencia won it twice in 2002 and 2004, Atletico M. won it in 2014 and other than that either Barcelona or Real won it (so 2 clubs - 17 seasons!) - Perez's answer to that is to gve even more money to three of those teams. In that time in England we have had six winners (The 2 Manchester Clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester and Liverpool) and the wins are far more evenly distributed, not great but in no means a duopoly like in Spain. Football isn't the only form of sports entertainment available, there is more sport shown on TV now, people can watch sport from all over the world, and even lesser known sports can be streamed globally and live to anyone with a screen - Esports are seeing rapid expansion and are maybe more relatable to a lot of kids - Picking an example at random the League of Legends world title has been won by 7 different teams in its 10 year history- only one team has ever defended the title, that already sounds more exciting than watching La Liga. Seriously?. I find La Liga far more exciting than the PL. The football played is superior, the technical side superior. Look at the end of this seasons La Liga season, four teams in with a shout of winning it with 6-7 games to play, whereas the PL is a procession for Man City, just as it was for Liverpool last season. The PL is a league where approximately 14 teams enter each season with their sole goal is to avoid relegation, and the football played emphasis this. Perhaps you don’t actually watch any La Liga games? I pay £6.99 a month for ‘every’ game. Compare that to what people pay to watch the overhyped PL. I know 100% I’ve the better deal, and the football I far prefer to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusX Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 10 hours ago, RedRock said: While the motives of the ESL was pure financial greed, I do accept there is a need to shake up of the game. Don’t think I’m alone in getting a bit bored by the game and fatigued by things like play acting, boring ‘crab’ football, lack of respect for referees, crap atmospheres, the absence of English talent in Premier League Clubs, and obscene salary payments. Time for change, but not that proposed by ESL club owners. This is the most English "talent" regularly playing in the top teams I can remember in years though to be fair, that does seem to have improved a little Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidered abroad Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 10 hours ago, cidered abroad said: Real Madrid appear to be leading this one and behind it is purely financial. Their President says that their normal annual income of 900 million Euros has reduced by £00 million euros. So the ECL is their greedy way to make up the shortfall. Another sensible way is to reduce the obscene wages they are paying. Gareth Bale for instance is their best paid at over 80 million Euros per annum. I am sure Bale could survive on 50 million Euros a year! Reduced by 300 million euros to only 600 million euros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidered abroad Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 9 hours ago, Midlands Robin said: "The Champions League format is old and only interesting from the quarter-finals onwards," said Perez. "The champions league is only interesting when there are knock out games with a genuine sense of risk due to the losing team going out of the cup" says the man who thinks the way to recreate this is a league in which half the games will be meaningless and without the risk of relegation. The original European Cup was knockout cup over two legs, home and away, from the first round like any knockout cup. Let's go back to that and see if Real Madrid like losing first round games to the Estonian or Welsh champions. That makes it interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex_BCFC Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 39 minutes ago, Portland Bill said: Seriously?. I find La Liga far more exciting than the PL. The football played is superior, the technical side superior. Look at the end of this seasons La Liga season, four teams in with a shout of winning it with 6-7 games to play, whereas the PL is a procession for Man City, just as it was for Liverpool last season. The PL is a league where approximately 14 teams enter each season with their sole goal is to avoid relegation, and the football played emphasis this. Perhaps you don’t actually watch any La Liga games? I pay £6.99 a month for ‘every’ game. Compare that to what people pay to watch the overhyped PL. I know 100% I’ve the better deal, and the football I far prefer to watch. I watch both and enjoy both - don't think La Liga is any better than the PL really. In fact take Messi out of Barcelona and don't think they would be anywhere near top of the league. The only thing I would say is I paid £60 for the year for Premier Sports with La Liga TV and that is obviously much better value than the PL but with SKY Sports you get EFL and cricket which I love so overall is fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanburyRed Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 10 hours ago, Midlands Robin said: "The Champions League format is old and only interesting from the quarter-finals onwards," said Perez. "The champions league is only interesting when there are knock out games with a genuine sense of risk due to the losing team going out of the cup" says the man who thinks the way to recreate this is a league in which half the games will be meaningless and without the risk of relegation. Well for a start, as everyone knows, it isn't a CHAMPIONS league.......so I'd change the qualifying criteria so only the respective champions of each country take part. That's where it has really been devalued. Instead of the mindless boring group stages, make it straight knockout from the start. None of this group stage nonsense, where you can lose a game or two and still qualify for the knock out stage. Isn't that the beauty of the FA Cup from the qualifying rounds onwards...? That on any given day, a minnow can defeat and knock out a so called 'big club'..? You get beat, you're out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lrrr Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Harry said: Does he think things through before he speaks?? Jeez!! “Sorry guys, just thinking out loud”!! How do such incompetent people rise to such powerful positions. Baffling. He also said within about a minute of each other ‘Man City were never truly interested’ and ‘The 6 English teams remain extremely interested’ ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 Read earlier, was quite nice to see and wonder.... £130m in penalty clauses or similar reported in a few papers. Dunno if the arrangement was far along enough to incur them, dunno if this is a total of £130m in Penalty Clauses between the clubs or for each club. If it is the latter though and it was far enough along to incur, there would be a fine opportunity for punishment- count it as part of UEFA FFP expenditure and then all 12 clubs can be put under Business Plans and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Red Hat Posted April 24, 2021 Report Share Posted April 24, 2021 https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/24/super-leagues-dumbing-down-of-youth-laid-bare-a-brainchild-of-stupid-old-men Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exAtyeoMax Posted April 24, 2021 Report Share Posted April 24, 2021 19 minutes ago, Roger Red Hat said: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/24/super-leagues-dumbing-down-of-youth-laid-bare-a-brainchild-of-stupid-old-men I always thought they created Squashies to appeal to the older folks who can’t eat Drumsticks anymore because their teeth will fall out! This ‘stupidising’ of things applies to most things in tv, media, books. Somebody got it into their heads, perhaps it stems from academia, that people need everything fed to them on a plate, that they are too stupid to understand sometimes complex things. Perhaps these people who direct marketing, advertising, tv, don’t understand things themselves, and like everything to be very literal? That ‘onesize fits all’. Yes, digital media has had a profound effect on young people but they do still venture away from the screen. I expect this Perez bloke had a meeting with some expert on why attendances were falling and that person wheeled out some data from some study highlighting issues around digital media, young people etc. Perez has used it as an excuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Posted April 24, 2021 Report Share Posted April 24, 2021 Football Focus on the BBC rolling out David Dein for his comments on the super league. Ha ha. He was the one who started this ball rolling all those years ago. And then following it up with Gordon Brown, the bloke who sold all our gold for a quick buck. Is there anyone with any credibility you want to put on the show instead BBC?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italian dave Posted April 25, 2021 Report Share Posted April 25, 2021 Interesting thoughts on what happens next https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56875792 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozo Posted April 25, 2021 Report Share Posted April 25, 2021 5 minutes ago, italian dave said: Interesting thoughts on what happens next https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56875792 He reports that it is unlikely that the ESL clubs will be punished because that would be "unfair on the fans". So was it not unfair on the fans when Bolton were deducted 12 points for going into administration?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exAtyeoMax Posted April 25, 2021 Report Share Posted April 25, 2021 34 minutes ago, mozo said: He reports that it is unlikely that the ESL clubs will be punished because that would be "unfair on the fans". So was it not unfair on the fans when Bolton were deducted 12 points for going into administration?! Kin ell, it’s so unjust! I’ve heard that said all week, and the clubs with points deducted arguing their case. They really need to be punished! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyderInACan Posted April 26, 2021 Report Share Posted April 26, 2021 Good article from Guillem Balague on Perez Florentino Perez: Inside the mind of European Super League architect By Guillem BalagueSpanish football writer Last updated on4 hours ago4 hours ago.From the sectionEuropean Football Anyone who believes the spectacular climbdown by football's elite signals the end of the road for European Super League plans does not begin to understand the mindset of Florentino Perez, one of the scheme's main proponents. In a way, we've been here before. This is not the first time Perez has attempted a radical reinvention of just how football should be marketed around the world - and only the most naive believe it will be his last. In 2000 Perez stood for election as Real Madrid president on the wild, seemingly unachievable pledge he would bring Luis Figo from main rivals Barcelona to the Bernabeu. Furthermore, he claimed if he failed to do so he would personally pay the membership fees of all the club's season-ticket holders the following season. Perez had convinced Figo's agent to sign a contract containing a prohibitive clause with financial penalties that would have enabled him to do precisely that if he was elected and the Portuguese winger's move fell through. If they backed out of the deal, Figo's side agreed to pay Real Madrid (in what was then pesetas) an amount equivalent to about £26.2m, which was basically the total cost of season tickets for a year. It was not as reckless an agreement as one might imagine because at the time Figo was looking to improve his terms with Barcelona. What better way, thought his agent, to strengthen his hand than by threatening Barcelona? What were the chances of Perez winning the election anyway? He'd been defeated in an earlier run for the role and the club, under the presidency of Lorenzo Sanz, had won the Champions League that year and also two years earlier in 1998. For Real Madrid, it was a win/win. The poaching of Barcelona's talisman opened past wounds at Barcelona about Madrid stealing Alfredo di Stefano from under the noses of the Catalans in 1953. Perez won the election and Figo's goose was cooked. Luis Figo's switch from Barcelona to Real Madrid was one of the most controversial transfers in European football history The arrival of Figo was just a tasty starter for the banquet of riches about to come Real Madrid's way as Perez set about making the club the biggest and one of the wealthiest in the world by bringing in its best and most expensive players. It was a recreation of Disney, a big brand that owned - and attracted - the biggest brands, in this case the likes of Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham. The fact it didn't totally succeed on the pitch became almost irrelevant. Perez, at one point, suggested Beckham could play right-back and Zidane centre-back to make way for other 'Galacticos', a term the players deeply disliked as it made them sound more like business assets than footballers. Much of their time, particularly in the vital pre-season period, was spent promoting the club, meeting sponsors, 'pressing the flesh', rather than getting in the right sort of shape to face a tough campaign. On one such tour, one player remarked that "getting to actually play a game felt like we were having a day off". The chickens finally came home to roost in the 2003-04 Champions League quarter-final against Monaco. Real Madrid won the first leg 4-2 but as the players were walking off at half-time of the second leg with the score at 1-1, a despairing Zidane turned to France and Monaco winger Ludovic Giuly and said: "We are all knackered." Real Madrid lost 3-1 and went out. Perez's Galactico policy had taken Real Madrid from the verge of bankruptcy and turned the club into a global brand. On the pitch, they failed to win a major trophy for the three seasons after winning the league in 2003. It mattered not a jot. Perez was re-elected in 2004 with 94.2% of the vote. It is that kind of feast that he tried to reproduce last week by pushing the club towards a new European Super League and, with it, revenue that would, with the help of some cost-cutting, have paid for a competitive squad and the rebuilding of the stadium. It would also have helped Real Madrid adjust to the new reality of having to fight off what Perez calls "club states", namely Paris St-Germain and Manchester City. In his eyes, they have changed the rules. Back in the Galactico era, the club's growth seemed inextricably linked to that of his civil engineering company and vice versa. From 2000, ACS Group went from being a company predominantly involved in national projects with a turnover of between 3.4bn pesetas and 4.4bn pesetas to one with a growing international profile and a turnover of 10.7bn pesetas in 2003. On the pitch, though, Perez had destroyed the essential balance between the authority of the manager - a position he had little respect for - and the role of the players. Admitting he had "spoilt the footballers", Perez resigned in 2006. But very soon it became clear it was "hasta la vista" rather than "adios". The presidential seat was too appetising to Perez, for reasons including the prestige that came with it - prestige that could be translated into key networking opportunities, including for his own growing company. When he returned in 2009 he continued with his Galactico policy until the signing of James Rodriguez from Monaco in 2014 - after the Colombian's starring role at that summer's World Cup - fell flat. Since then he has evolved the idea to try to mix experienced players with young ones in the hope the latter grow to become stars, with the signing of Eden Hazard the exception. The period brought Real Madrid mixed fortunes by their standards - the conspicuous success of four Champions Leagues, including three on the bounce between 2016 and 2018, balanced by just three La Liga titles out of a possible 12. A civil engineer by trade, in addition to his Real Madrid duties Perez's role as chairman of ACS means he has oversight of one of the leading construction companies in the world, employing more than 190,000 workers with a revenue in 2019 in excess of £34bn. He has a personal share of 12.5% of the company and a personal wealth estimated at around £1.6bn. He has often maintained he is not motivated by money and that what he values most is what he has achieved through hard work, professionalism and effort rather than the staggering accompanying wealth. Put differently, power has got a much bigger pull for him than the money that comes with it. But there are some things neither power nor money can affect. In 2012, after what everyone believed was a successful six-year battle with cancer, Perez's beloved wife, Maria de los Angeles Sandoval, died aged 62 following a massive heart attack. They had married just six months after they met, when she was 20 and he was 23. It was a love affair that would last for 42 years. Always by her husband's side, she was his rock, the woman who kept Perez's feet firmly on the ground while always providing unfailing support. It was she who persuaded him to give up a life in politics to concentrate on his business career and it was he who taught her a love of football and of the club he had supported all his life. She died two days after watching the club's reserve side, Castilla, play at Cadiz in a Segunda B play-off match. Five years ago Perez felt unable to attend when Real Madrid were drawn against Cadiz in the Copa del Rey and last week when they travelled to the Carranza stadium for the first time in the top flight since his wife's death, Perez was once again conspicuous by his absence. As became apparent to a global audience over the past week, Perez is not afraid of confrontation and controversy and never has been. In February he tested positive for Covid-19 but had no symptoms. "Not even this dreadful virus wants to take him on," one wag commented. Perez is powerful, energetic and a great negotiator. He has used his influence to convert the VIP seating at the Bernabeu into a forum for the exchange of favours, networking at the highest level, with politicians, artists, bullfighters and athletes. Most of the biggest names in Spanish public life have been present at a Real Madrid match. The Bernabeu directors' box regularly plays host to influential figures - in this instance former Spanish president Jose Maria Aznar and Nicolas Sarkozy, the ex-president of France, while Perez (right) looks on But alongside the friendly manner in which he moves around those circles, he knows how to work behind the scenes. His capacity to control the public message is legendary (his last three interviews were given to friendly journalists) and he feeds information via WhatsApp to new arrivals at key media outlets who are thankful for the contact. In that way they become his loyal soldiers. He has never been scared of facing down the biggest names at the club. In a clash with captain Fernando Hierro in 2003 - the same night the team won the league title and manager Vicente del Bosque was sacked - the Spanish international defender pressed a finger into Perez's chest as he was telling him what he thought of the president's actions. Perez told him to stop: "I am not one of those referees you talk to like that, you know." Within a few days, a proposed new contract was withdrawn and Hierro, who had played more than 600 games for Real Madrid, followed Del Bosque out of the door. Despite paying fortunes both in transfer fees and wages to Galacticos, Perez could be notoriously stingy in paying many of the players what they were worth. He promised to increase Claude Makelele's wage but went back on his agreement, instead selling him to Chelsea. With Makelele in their side, Real had won six trophies, including two La Liga titles and a Champions League. But he did not fit the Galactico look. "We will not miss Makelele. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents and 90% of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways," Perez said. But without him they struggled, while Chelsea won back-to-back Premier League titles after signing him. When Cristiano Ronaldo was bemoaning what he perceived as the lack of respect being shown to him, he told Perez: "I will bring you 100m euros and you can let me leave." "Don't bring me 100m euros," replied Perez. "Bring me the money I need so I can replace you with Lionel Messi." On Saturday Perez said the 12 clubs that agreed to join a new European Super League had "binding contracts" and "cannot leave" So, what of his future and that of Real Madrid now the proposed European Super League has collapsed? The attempt to create the ESL is not something that has happened overnight. It has been three years in development, which makes the spectacularly incompetent manner in which it was unveiled to a shocked footballing world even more remarkable. All those friends and colleagues Perez has worked with and done favours for in the past are going to be needed now more than ever to explain his side of the story. He is, in the eyes of many, the main protagonist in this whole affair, although to be fair to him he was no keener on the idea of a European Super League than Josep Maria Bartomeu, his opposite number at Barcelona until his mandate was over at the club this season. Both men were desperately enthusiastic about the project, not least because they saw it as a way out of the financial hole they had dug themselves into with their respective clubs. But it is Perez's refusal to admit that this was his main motivation, coupled with an insistence that what he is doing is for the benefit of all football and a total refusal to offer anything remotely akin to an apology, that means he has been branded as the devil incarnate in the whole affair. The idea that the breakaway project is now going to be kicked into the long grass never to be seen again is wishful thinking. Similarly the notion that this was done purely out of greed, while not completely wrong, is simplistic. In an interview this week Perez sought to defend his actions, saying football had to change or die, while refusing to concede his plans were dead in the water. Now 74, Perez has been in the role of Real Madrid president for a total of 18 years. Earlier this month he was re-elected unopposed for a further four years. Of course there is nothing to stop anyone from standing against him in subsequent elections, although the fact any prospective challenger has to have been a member at the club for at least 20 years and have enough money behind them to guarantee a minimum of 15% of the club's budget (£538m last year) has up to now tended to discourage any competitors. He changed the rules to make it harder to challenge him. Speaking on Spanish television, he said: "I haven't done anything in 20 years against football. I have enough credibility and history with Real Madrid for people to think I am working on this because things have changed and football has to change too." In a messianic message that hardly anybody in football agreed with, he declared: "I don't own Real Madrid, its members do. What I am doing is for the sake of football." The plan is off the table for now, but Perez's history tells us it is unlikely we have heard the last of it... or of him. Guillem Balague writes a regular column throughout the season and also appears every Thursday on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, when the focus will be on European football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 On 25/04/2021 at 09:37, italian dave said: Interesting thoughts on what happens next https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56875792 There are some errors in this piece. Quote . A lack of domestic competition in Italy and Spain seems unlikely to end. Nor is the hundreds of millions of pounds worth of debt several of the continent's wealthiest clubs - especially Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus - are saddled with. 4 horse race in Spain this season, granted it's the big 2 and Atletico but Sevilla are still within range of the title for a start- 3 pts off the top in 4th! In Italy, Juventus are set to lose their stranglehold on the Title- indeed have dropped to 5th or very close to it, CL place now in jeopardy- which is excellent! A rising force who sell and trade (sound familiar) have outperformed the aforementioned Juventus in European competition over this and last season when aggregated, and are 2nd- Atalanta. Sadly Inter one of the breakaways look almost certain to win. Talking of Italy, they now have introduced a rule that says they'll be kicking out anyone who tries this again from Serie A/Italian football. I would like to see both the Governing bodies/Leagues in the countries with the breakaway clubs- plus UEFA- come down hard on these 12 clubs tbh. In terms of the debt examples listed- I'd say Barcelona are worst placed. Juventus tied up with FIAT? Think they have 100m euros to raise by end of June but believe that's an FFP rather than a solvency issue- though how much of that loss/looming deficit is down to Covid, that surely makes a difference? Real Madrid, hamstrung perhaps but surprised if at serious solvency risk. Also... Quote Be wary of the potential for hypocrisy at this time. Fifa may claim to have been on the right side of history this week, but it also presided over an era in which the 2022 World Cup was awarded to Qatar, one of the most controversial hosts of a major sports event in any decade. Fifa's president Gianni Infantino is no stranger himself to controversial new competitions and formats, proposing a lucrative new Nations League and Club World Cup, before the plans were put on hold amid another Uefa backlash. Interesting stuff. I'd add that FIFA's initial reaction on the Sunday evening was somewhat mild, a long way from the anger of fans and other Governing bodies. The fact they seem to be approving of- perhaps even encouraging- a Super League in Africa and possibly some kind of joint US-Mexico League is very irresponsible. In some ways, despite the massive and unproven allegations of grift, Blatter > Infantino. He always came out swinging about breakaways from the off, he floated crazy ideas but never went ahead with them-Qatar 2022 aside- whereas Infantino has put the WC up to 48, as well as the stuff in the article and the aforementioned possibility of Super Leagues elsewhere. Blatter never did like Super Leagues, or a 48 team World Cup- or VAR! He was consistently anti-technology in football. I also quite enjoyed some of his critiques on officiating- certainly outspoken at times! Blatter on that ref in 2006 who gave out 16 yellow cards and 4 reds in a match: "I consider today that the referee was not at the same level as the participants, the players. There could have been a yellow card for the referee". That's probably the most memorable but an administrator who will get involved in the debate, quite vocally where required- it's quite rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 Dunno if this is Europe specific, but following on from my last post it seems Super Leagues will return to the agenda...and this article indeed notes Infantino. https://www.majorcadailybulletin.com/sports/sports/2021/04/26/83079/the-next-superleague-projects-are-already-the-works.html Quote But the most revealing statement from Infantino on the Super League idea came amid rumours of the plan last year. "As FIFA president, I’m interested in the Club World Cup, not the Super League," Infantino said in October. Also. Quote Infantino has also floated the idea of a 20-club "African Super League" and has expressed support for the idea of mulitnational, cross-border leagues. Belgian clubs recently voted to open talks with Dutch teams on creating a joint "BeneLiga" while Infantino said last month that a merger between Mexico’s Liga MX and Major League Soccer (MLS) would be viewed positively by FIFA and could produce the best league in the world. There is no shortage of proposals and probably the only certainty is that none of them will be called a Super League. Like I've said a few times, Blatter- though he had to go clearly- would never have entertained any of this. Certainly not encouraged it! He strongly and consistently objected to Super Leagues, or mergers, multinational or cross-border Leagues etc. Not to say that some of the Projects here aren't interesting, or that standards/markets might not be raised- they might- but it just doesn't sit well. I do wonder if FIFA gave out mixed messages last year- remember the "European Premier League" idea, backed by- er- why JP Morgan. They were rumoured to have been involved though plausible deniability. What they should have said was: "Clubs participating in a European Super League will be banned from FIFA competition. They will be banned from UEFA competition, they will be banned from domestic competition- as will their players." Blatter even threatened FA's with bans if clubs broke away which is a tad harsh given they themselves wouldn't want a breakaway! They should have said it from the get-go and consistently, whenever the subject arose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 On 24/04/2021 at 10:42, exAtyeoMax said: I always thought they created Squashies to appeal to the older folks who can’t eat Drumsticks anymore because their teeth will fall out! This ‘stupidising’ of things applies to most things in tv, media, books. Somebody got it into their heads, perhaps it stems from academia, that people need everything fed to them on a plate, that they are too stupid to understand sometimes complex things. Perhaps these people who direct marketing, advertising, tv, don’t understand things themselves, and like everything to be very literal? That ‘onesize fits all’. Yes, digital media has had a profound effect on young people but they do still venture away from the screen. I expect this Perez bloke had a meeting with some expert on why attendances were falling and that person wheeled out some data from some study highlighting issues around digital media, young people etc. Perez has used it as an excuse. Or, make it real simple so the Americans can understand it, and rename it Soccer in the process probably. No coincidence that there were at least 3 American parties involved in all of this - Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Army 75 Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 https://www.skysports.com/share/12293222 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 Security is good at Old Trafford! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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