Food for thought: A European Super League

In case you missed his comments:
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3277/la-liga/2011/09/02/2647557/barcelona-real-madrid-will-leave-la-liga-at-some-point-jorge

So Valdano believes it a matter of time before either Real Madrid or Barcelona or both exit La Liga and rather join a European League, because of the low standard of competition.
OK, So I want to look at two things:
-The possibility of a European league
-How such a league would come about and operate

So let's hypothetically look at whether such a league could exist, and if it did, who would be part of it.
So let's think about this: Madrid and Barcelona are MILES ahead of anyone in La Liga. MILES. Yet, you might say that there are few in the world that could get anywhere near these two...
So, who else would join them in competing in such a league:
My choices would be anybody that topped their league by more than, say 10 points last season:
Rangers & Celtic (SPL), FC Porto & Benfica (Portuguese Liga), Zenit St. Petersberg (Russian Premier league)
Over a long process of distancing themselves from current leagues, each team that seems to dominate their nation with similair criterion to theat of the UEFA Champion's league, each of theese clubs joins a leeague that grows in size and prestige until the Television rights deals soar trough the roof and their current "premier" leagues learn to opperate without them . Each big club will be earning amazing money, with their league watched all over the world. The standard of football played will be the very highest that could possibly be imaagined and a promotion/relegation system will ensure that quality never drops

Noooooooo way.

The idea that clubs of one country would not compete against themselves in a domestic league is stupid and so very boring. Made for plastic fans, really, who only want to watch CL last-8 quality games. Decades, centuries of old rivalries and traditions thrown into the bin just like that? Noooooooo way.

I dont think Rangers and Celtic should be in it.

Sure they dominate their league, but based on CL and EL games, you get the impression they are midtable at best in the PL.

Another issue is, how do teams get demoted and who takes their place?

Also, watching the CL games are great because you dont often see these super powers meet and when they do it creates so much intrest and so much unkown. Seeing it every week will take away some of that intrest.

Lets put things like travel aside for a moment too.

Well, if they want to set up a Europea league with say 4 English teams, 4 Italian ones, 2 German ones, 2 French ones or so that would likely be a closed society and possibly get boring fast. At least I wouldn't want to see the same match ups always and always again.

I very much prefer my own domestic league which is competitive and should stay that way, too, and if for ex Bayern and or Dortmund would pull out there, it wouldn't be the same anymore.

Moreover, how would you promote/demote teams in that European thingy? If it is really a closed league, them for me you can forget it.

the problem i see with this league is how is it maintained? is there any sort of relegation fear? if so is there a certain number of teams each country must have in the league at any given time?

too complicated to me.. and why fix something that (really) isnt broken

It's brought up every year just about and it's thrown out as the absurd idea that it is. The only people that a Super League would be good for are those that do advertising and marketing. It would not be good for fans, players, nations, or clubs in general.

I dont agree with this idea, but I do have a notion of how the promotion/relegation would work.

Lets say the bottom 3 teams are relegated. From the stronger leagues, the first placed team would qualify, while the lower teams would have to do playoffs until they are reduced to 3, in a way that somewhat resembles CL qualifyers. Then, these might play against the relegated teams, and the winners against the top league teams...

It doesnt have to be like that, but obviously a playoff system is in order. IMO it would work more with 2 divisions, a direct promotion/relegation between the first and second so then they can mess around with playoffs in between the second and the 'regional' national leagues.

Maybe a stupid idea, but still an interesting thought experiment...

I wouldn't be surprised if it does happen eventually. I think a lot of people are quick to say no because they haven't seen something like this in their lifetime, and neither have I for the record, but it doesn't mean that we don't/can't change. Closed mindedness will get us nowhere.

Saetablanca wrote:

Lets say the bottom 3 teams are relegated. From the stronger leagues, the first placed team would qualify, while the lower teams would have to do playoffs until they are reduced to 3, in a way that somewhat resembles CL qualifyers. Then, these might play against the relegated teams, and the winners against the top league teams...

imho, a super league might actually succeed... from a financial pov, not sporting

it would officially murder football, the super league would leech all the marketing money from the plastic drones and national leagues would become an absolute joke with zero sponsor attractiveness

hrealmadrid wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if it does happen eventually. I think a lot of people are quick to say no because they haven't seen something like this in their lifetime, and neither have I for the record, but it doesn't mean that we don't/can't change. Closed mindedness will get us nowhere.

There is no close minded-ness.

Its not like guys have said no its a bad idea without coming up with many good reasons for it.

Shit idea. All that travelling and think about how expensive it will be for fans to travel away to watch these games, and like some people have already mentioned, the leagues will suffer without the big teams. Just because RM and Barca dominate a non competitive league, doesn't mean we should now implement a super league to accomodate them.

I love the BPL the way it is.

Also the fact that teams that would finish 1st or 2nd in their respective leagues, might then finish 5th or 6th in the Super League. Thus, decreasing the quality of the players they would usually get, because of the decreased likelihood of trophy ware. Not a good idea imo.

i have to disagree with this idea, for us neutral fans the classico was a spectale, but after 4 - 5 classicos in a raw i could care less. The best thing about the CL is that you wait a whole year for a few great matches, but when United play the likes of Barca and Madrid every week i wouldnt be that interested

ronaldo__9 wrote:Also the fact that teams that would finish 1st or 2nd in their respective leagues, might then finish 5th or 6th in the Super League. Thus, decreasing the quality of the players they would usually get, because of the decreased likelihood of trophy ware. Not a good idea imo.

yeah plus countries in europe will suffer ( as in leauge ) imagine ur top teams getting out of the leauge , leauges other than the " super leauge " will suck ...

So TA thinks people will just tune in because the teams are from different countries basically..Zenit? Celtic? Rangers?
Is that the Europa super league?
There will never be a Super Lge without EPL involvement, and with the strength and solidity of the lge at present, that wont happen for a long time.

fair replies... I suppose this is what is being considered along with other ideas and the concept itself

Lol, the countries that house the leagues would NEVER let it happen. All that green gold wouldn't be going to them

i pray that this will never ever happen.

its not the other leagues fault la liga is a two team league.

there is plenty of competition in other leagues for the domestic title.

la liga is the only one that doesnt so thats for their committee to sort out.