Just 24 hours ago news broke worldwide about the plans of the European Premier League that would be a supreme class in football across Europe.
Liverpool and Manchester United along with the rest of England’s top six and Europe’s best of the best are said to be in talks about creating an elite alliance that has an estimated “£4.6 billion financing package” included.
Backing the continent’s powerhouses is the money-hungry FIFA association. They have backed the idea brought forward that would see top teams break away from their respective leagues and play each other in their own special one.
Teams from England, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain are assumed to be all in the mix and are more than intrigued by the idea of it. Money obviously being the persuading factor in driving this breakaway.
"Liverpool and Manchester United are in talks about a bombshell plot involving Europe’s biggest football clubs to join a new FIFA-backed tournament that would reshape the sport’s global landscape.Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Tottenham also candidates to join a new European Premier League, which is backed by a $6 billion (£4.6 billion) financing package. More than a dozen teams from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are in negotiations about becoming founder members of the competition. (Via: Sky Sports)"
This has left legends of the game singing similar tunes that it would undoubtedly ruin football or as Luis Figo stated:
"It’s all about greed and European Premier League plans will destroy football. It’s all about greed and keeping the game for a few elite clubs, while killing the other clubs and leagues that fans love. Football should unite! Everyone should oppose it!"
Pundit and ex-United defender Gary Neville sees it as “obscene” behaviour taking into account the pandemic and the situation left by it on the globe. He feels this is far from the right time to be talking about this as there are more pressing matters other than starting another super league.
"The big issue that I have with it, is that at this moment in time, in the middle of a pandemic and when football is on its knees at so many different levels, the idea that a $6bn package is being put together to set up a new league when lower clubs are scrambling around to pay wages and stay in existence.It’s another wound for football. It doesn’t feel like the right time to be talking about this."
These two ex-pros are just two of many professionals not happy with the news. The news coming out with these new strategies such as Project Big Picture and now the European Premier League has been driven by Liverpool and Manchester United, giving the duo bad names in bad times.
We need to be asking owners of these clubs, why do they want to break away from their individual leagues? Why do they want to make an elite tournament so much without making the opportunity available to all, much like the Europa League and Champions League?
Why are these previous competitions not good enough anymore? Were clubs not complaining just the other day about too much soccer being played? Questions need to be asked and answers are needed as well.