On Sunday, April 18, twelve of the world’s largest soccer teams released a joint statement, looking to change soccer forever. The proposed idea: the Super League. The Super League would consist of the twenty best or most storied teams in Europe, competing against each other, governed by the clubs themselves. The announcement left the world soccer community in shock and dismay. For those not following the world of soccer carefully, the consequences of this proposal may seem insignificant. “What’s the harm in that?” they might ask. Before diving into the intricacies of the proposed Super League and answering this question, however, it is important to review the current structure of the European soccer system and the beautiful game.
The European soccer system is based on individual domes tic “pyramids,” where teams compete for promotion to, and ultimately the championship of, the national first division. The most competitive and successful leagues in Europe are the English league (widely known as the Premier League), the German Bundesliga, the Italian Serie A, and the Spanish La Liga (home to historical powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid). Alongside these national leagues is the Champions League, a tournament run by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the governing body of soccer in Europe. The Champi ons League consists of the best teams from each national league competing to win the overall title as the champions of Europe. It is important to note that in order to qualify for the Cham pions League, a team must place in the top few spots in their national league, the exact number of which depending on the strength of the league. For example, out of the twenty soccer teams in the Premier League, commonly considered Europe’s best league, the teams finishing first through fourth are given the opportunity to play in the Champions League the next year. In this way, the best clubs around Europe earn their spot in the Champions League to compete at the highest level of European soccer. Starting in the early 2000s, extremely wealthy individ uals, previously not part of the soccer world, began purchasing soccer clubs in England and elsewhere, infusing new money into the world of European soccer. This extended wealth expanded soccer’s reach, transforming the vastly popular sport into some thing that could be more easily monetized.
Cut back to April 18. Twelve teams, including the “big six” of the Premier Leagues and elite teams from Spain and Italy, announced they were forming a new multi-national league, the Super League. It became clear that many owners of these big-market teams had been strategizing. They had been secretly developing a plan that would dramatically increase their already sizable wealth and, in doing so, ensure their status as elite teams while marginalizing smaller teams. Within the current soccer system, it is already difficult for smaller teams to compete with the big-market teams who have greater capital to spend on players and coaches. However, these smaller teams benefit hugely from competing in the same system, as the elite teams draw big TV deals and other sources of capital to the league. The Super League was going to take those wealthy, renowned, successful teams and place them in their own league, where they would have a permanent and guaranteed place in the new, elite soccer competition.
When the Super League was announced, the reaction from fans worldwide was outrage. The owners of clubs were trying to take from soccer what makes it so unique, the need to fight for your place in top competitions, regardless of your team wealth. As stated by the coach of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, in response to the proposal, “It is not a sport if it doesn’t matter if you lose.” Where is the integrity in a league where you don’t have to earn your place? What would this do to the smaller clubs left behind who would no longer benefit from the revenue and attention that the bigger teams bring to their national league? Fans saw straight through the façade of “making soccer better for everyone” to the money that would go directly to the owners. The Super League would be owned by the clubs themselves, meaning more money would be funneled into the owners—bil lions and billions of dollars all going to this select handful of clubs. If it is currently difficult for smaller teams to rise to the top, the Super League would make it impossible.
In the wake of the news on Sunday, April 18, fans held pro tests. On the following Tuesday, Chelsea fans surrounded Chelsea’s stadium before a match, demanding for the club to put an end to the Super League madness. On May 2, fans of Manchester United invaded their stadium, Old Trafford, ahead of their match with historic rivals Liverpool to protest against the owners’ handling of the club. Here were fans, with a deep loyalty to the soccer teams they support, publicly protesting the decisions their beloved teams were making. Spurred on by the fans, players began speaking out, sharing that they had no idea of this plan and were not in favor of it. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Prince William also expressed their disappointment in the plan. UEFA and FIFA, the governing body of global soccer, were extremely angry as they tried to fathom what the proposal would mean for the Champions League, which had served as the pinnacle of the European soccer world for so many years. There were even threats by FIFA that players who participated in the Super League might not be allowed to play for their country in the World Cup. The teams who had pledged their involvement quickly realized their miscalculation. In a flur ry of announcements, six Premier League teams dropped out of the Super League, a devastating blow that the Super League would never recover from. Subsequently, the whole project was
“suspended,” leaving the future of the Super League uncertain. What we do know is that a project that had been secretly planned for years, pledging to reshape the world of soccer as we know it, spectacularly crumbled in forty-eight hours. This whole endeavor leaves the soccer community with many unanswered questions. How will the colluding teams be held accountable for their actions? What’s to prevent club owners from pulling such a stunt again? What do we need to reexamine about the current soccer system? There is one truth that has been clearly revealed from the entire ordeal—despite the billionaires who believe that money can get them anywhere, the fans are the heart of soccer, and they have the power to shape their beloved sport.