The Super League

[sheffield_fox]

All the licensing for football matches is carried out by the Department for digital, culture, media and sport. So they could easily just refuse to license any games being played in this tournament in Britain. If they need to change the law to make that easier, they can do that too. They're the government. If they can agree on a consensus then there's a lot they can do.

[ARTY_FOX]

11 minutes ago, bovril said:

 

This is great fun.

Wonder what the lie is 'YOU SAID 350 MILLION WHY AM I ONLY GETTING 349,999,999.99!

[Innovindil]

4 minutes ago, Webbo said:

Obviously I'm not a lawyer but I don't think any of this is illegal so I not sure how the govt can stop it. 

The government can do whatever the **** they want. Hell they just shut down massive sections of the economy for chuckles. You think they can't stop 6 football teams faffing around? Stick 99.9% tax on the clubs, players, owners. Seize the land football stadia sit on for "infrastructure" ****ing hell build the hs2 through em for all I care. 

 

**** em all. Every single last one of these 6 muppets should be up in flames and new teams should rise from the ashes of them. 

 

 

[UniFox21]

Just now, Webbo said:

But how? Its not illegal to play football and charge people to watch. We don't want to live in a country where the govt can ban you from a legal activity just because they don't like you. 

There was a tweet from Henry Winter yesterday, that for games to happen in a stadium in the UK, a safety license is needed to be given by the Dep. Digital Culture, Media and Sport. 

 

 

 

And with the PM announcing nothing is off the table, it wouldn't be difficult to alter the legislation in place to make this incredibly difficult to host in the UK. 

Obviously this is all if's, buts and maybes, however it isn't abstract to imagine how this could be made challenging for the 6 clubs. 

[murphy]

I think I would have more respect for the cartel if they were honest and just said that this is motivated by naked greed and to strangle off competition instead of pretending that football will benefit from a cascade of money down the pyramid, as if we should be grateful when they buy our best players.

 

 

Well...perhaps 'respect' is too strong a word.

[trabuch]

3 minutes ago, Webbo said:

But how? Its not illegal to play football and charge people to watch. We don't want to live in a country where the govt can ban you from a legal activity just because they don't like you. 

They've done it with the new protest laws

[Strokes]

1 minute ago, trabuch said:

They may be able to prevent matches being played in the UK, but the owners wouldn't care. That would play into their hands if anything. 

I’m not so sure, Old Trafford, Anfield definitely play a huge part into the identity of those clubs and there brand. Spurs vacating a £1b new ground would also be a bit sour.

[Innovindil]

6 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Are they definitely the 3 clubs asked? 

 

Perez said yesterday they've not even spoken to the German clubs? 

Perez is not only a complete bell but a serial liar. You think they haven't asked last years champions league winners to the table? Absolutely no chance. 

[SexyGammonFox]

39 minutes ago, peach0000 said:

I really don’t think point deductions go far enough. One season punishment then they’ll be back acting like twats. Kick them out the premier league. Football league refuses to let them join. Let them start from the 5th tier. That seems more proportionate to me.

Yeah. Even if they drop all this malarkey today, they have shown that they're an existential threat. They need a massive, field levelling, slap down. And all of the extra little favours and clauses these clubs have had written into agreements with the PL and with UEFA over recent years they all need to go for a start.     

[matty98]

They either have to resind their membership of the super league and suffer massive fines and point deductions or be expelled from the Premier League. If you negotiate with them, they'll just do similar again and again.

Fvck them, football is far bigger than them.

[RowlattsFox]

I wonder how many chairman and owners are hiding behind the outrage when inwardly they'd love to have been invited. 

 

It's a difficult one for players because if it all went through there would be some happy to take the huge contract to play for the best clubs. Regardless of all the negatives. 

Then if they choose not too the money left in domestic football could be a lot less than they are used too. 

[FoxesWalk]

8 minutes ago, Webbo said:

Obviously I'm not a lawyer but I don't think any of this is illegal so I not sure how the govt can stop it. 

I think the government sees the premier league as a valuable form of soft power around the world, and I’d agree. I do think they are sincere (despite the irony of some of the politicians who are now bleating about it), bear in mind what is legal and illegal can simply be changed by a majority in Parliament, they can just make a law to end it should they so wish. 
 

I would imagine taxation could be used, as well as denying permission to operate on U.K. soil. As mooted they could also prevent international transfers potentially via the Home Office. But they will think just the threat is enough. 
 

I’d love to see the 50+1 rule made law for British clubs, can’t imagine it will happen though.

[sheffield_fox]

If I was a fan of one of these clubs, the scariest prospect would be the likelyhood that the owners wouldn't give a shit about not being able to play games in Britain. It's obvious that they want to play games all around the globe, like F1. There's a very real risk that all 6 clubs go the same way as Wimbledon FC and the 'legacy fans' end up starting again with a new club.

 

I think i'm about as unsympathetic as they come, when it comes to problems for big clubs. But I would hate to see that.

[trabuch]

2 minutes ago, Strokes said:

I’m not so sure, Old Trafford, Anfield definitely play a huge part into the identity of those clubs and there brand. Spurs vacating a £1b new ground would also be a bit sour.

Manu and Liverpool owners must have grounds elsewhere that they can play at. They probably think they can carry the brand across, they clearly don't care about heritage. Levy is well out of his depth here.

[The whole world smiles]

This has been a crazy news story, proud torys are screaming for public ownership and proud socialists are cheering on boris Johnson 😂

[rachhere]

1 minute ago, sheffield_fox said:

If I was a fan of one of these clubs, the scariest prospect would be the likelyhood that the owners wouldn't give a shit about not being able to play games in Britain. It's obvious that they want to play games all around the globe, like F1. There's a very real risk that all 6 clubs go the same way as Wimbledon FC and the 'legacy fans' end up starting again with a new club.

 

I think i'm about as unsympathetic as they come, when it comes to problems for big clubs. But I would hate to see that.

Exactly. 

[HereBeFoxes]

3 hours ago, Gillies Apprentice said:

Three quarters being 15 - which is not achievable with 6 deserters .They're no mugs , which is why it's so worrying  

So, deduct points from one of them, regulate them, and then vote to expel the rest.  EFL can deal with expelling that one, or PL do it if/when they’re promoted again. 

[Halifax Fox]

http://chng.it/jtyfrtcyH4

 

Petition to ban it.

[bovril]

Just now, The whole world smiles said:

This has been a crazy news story, proud torys are screaming for public ownership and proud socialists are cheering on boris Johnson 😂

I don't want to turn this into another politics thread, but people in this country aren't as far apart on issues as many think. 

[Webbo]

6 minutes ago, trabuch said:

They've done it with the new protest laws

Those laws apply to all, not just certain people.

 

The govt can make things awkward for a time but it won't necessarily stand up in court. 

[Guest ttfn]

1 minute ago, BlueSi13 said:

God knows how they could misread this from the Premier Leagues own rulebook:

 

 

I just pray the remaining PL owners hold firm and haven't been bought off.

I’ve said earlier in the thread that I think that the 14 clubs have more financial power in this situation than people realise.

 

But right now we’re in a really high-stakes game of chicken. Both sides are capable of holding the other to ransom. It is in nobody’s interests to have a Premier League without the greedy 6 and it is not in the interests of the 14 to have a Premier League running in parallel with a Super League. 
 

The only reasonable way out of this is for the “Super” clubs to back down and the only way that will happen is if they think they will be worse off under the new structure than the current one.

 

There are a few ways that can happen, amongst others:

1) The other 14 get rid of them. Vote them out, deduct points, whatever the mechanism. This is hugely risky but would be quick and decisive. As I’ve said earlier I think at that point the risk becomes too big for the Greedy 6 and they will come crawling back.

2) Don’t watch. Without viewers there is no advertising or subscription money. They will default on their debt to JP Morgan and go out of business (or come back). This is a new product, we have no loyalty or interest in watching it, there’s no history to it. If you don’t like it, don’t watch. Your life will not be worse for missing out on a European Super League that currently does not exist. Simple. 

3) Don’t buy from the advertisers. I won’t be buying anything from anybody advertising this. Again, this is highly likely not to be a problem - does it really matter if you have to stop drinking Heineken or going to McDonalds? You might say “what difference do I make?” but there are tens of millions of people across Europe opposed to this.

 

The most important thing is that people do not give up and do not forget. The Guardian live article earlier made the very salient point that the Glazers have ridden out similar controversies before (where are those green and gold scarves now?) because people ran out of interest/energy.

 

We are too passive as fans in this country. We need to come together and act as a unit to put pressure on the authorities and the clubs in question where we can. We need to stand not only with our club but with supporters of other clubs.

[bfox]

I can only imagine this has been in the minds of the owners of these clubs for quite a few years. Each year, 100M flop signings, struggling around mid-table, poor managerial appointments, no consistency. All whilst watching little old Leicester et all stride on through and show them how to run a club properly.

[Leicester_Loyal]

3 minutes ago, sheffield_fox said:

If I was a fan of one of these clubs, the scariest prospect would be the likelyhood that the owners wouldn't give a shit about not being able to play games in Britain. It's obvious that they want to play games all around the globe, like F1. There's a very real risk that all 6 clubs go the same way as Wimbledon FC and the 'legacy fans' end up starting again with a new club.

 

I think i'm about as unsympathetic as they come, when it comes to problems for big clubs. But I would hate to see that.

To be fair, these clubs have been against their owners for years. United hate the Glazers (Why don't they just buy them out eh Rio?), Arsenal have hated Kronke for years and actively want him out. Man City love their owners, but they will because they spend billions and transformed them completely, Chelsea are similar, Roman changed the club completely. Spurs don't like Levy, they say he's a tight **** and then Liverpool have been against FSG for a few years too.

 

This has just made even more of their fans turn against their owners. I hope there's serious change to the ownership modelling in this country.

[ScubaBlue]

 

Explaining it pretty well to the Americans.

[sheffield_fox]

1 minute ago, HereBeFoxes said:

So, deduct points from one of them, regulate them, and then vote to expel the rest.  EFL can deal with expelling that one, or PL do it if/when they’re promoted again. 

As far as I'm aware, the clubs don't even need to vote on expelling them. The 6 clubs are directly breaking a key rule of the premier league by playing in an unsanctioned tournament. The Premier League can, and should, expel them directly.