To super league or to not super league ...

**SeanDrog** · 18/04/2021, 8:45 PM

I couldn’t see another appropriate forum in the long long long list .. so here looks as good as any as in theory it does affect us given we would be excluded from this league

So how do ppl think this will pan out, the threat of being thrown out of domestic leagues and players being banned from UEFA and FIFA competitions/leagues looks a serious threat but at the same time these clubs look to be ploughing ahead.

**pineapple stu** · 18/04/2021, 8:55 PM

Was just going to start a thread here as well. World League football may be the relevant subforum, but this surely has implications for the LoI as well.

I don't see clubs being kicked out of domestic leagues, but it's a major game of chicken in fairness, and there's some fairly major bodies coming out with statements (Downing Street, UEFA, the Premier League, Bray Wanderers), so it has to have some substance.

The question is whether teams who up to now are winning most of their games will be happy being mid-table and lower. Will the Asian merchandise sales stack up? Or will the money from the super league negate all that?

I think from the LoI's point of view, it seems Dundalk in 2016 was the best and last chance we'll ever have of a CL group stage spot. The flip side is will this start disenfranchising Irish Premier League fans sufficiently for them to start seeing the LoI as a more down-to-earth option; what the English First Division used to be?

**SeanDrog** · 18/04/2021, 9:23 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Was just going to start a thread here as well. World League football may be the relevant subforum, but this surely has implications for the LoI as well.

I don't see clubs being kicked out of domestic leagues, but it's a major game of chicken in fairness, and there's some fairly major bodies coming out with statements (Downing Street, UEFA, the Premier League, Bray Wanderers), so it has to have some substance.

The question is whether teams who up to now are winning most of their games will be happy being mid-table and lower. Will the Asian merchandise sales stack up? Or will the money from the super league negate all that?

I think from the LoI's point of view, it seems Dundalk in 2016 was the best and last chance we'll ever have of a CL group stage spot. The flip side is will this start disenfranchising Irish Premier League fans sufficiently for them to start seeing the LoI as a more down-to-earth option; what the English First Division used to be?

Bray

yep saw their tweet.

Very interesting question you raise regarding would this (if it went ahead) actually help our league if people did some soul searching and ended up wanting to return to grass roots tanglible football, going to games were you feel a real belonging rather than just a brand.

**sbgawa** · 18/04/2021, 9:35 PM

If it happens and the big 6 leave the Premier league the knock ons become inevitable.
Premier league will need to replace the 6 and with National boundaries proving irrelevant id expect Rangers and Celtic to be inviited to join as one distinct possibility.
AIL maybe with rump scotish league, anything is possible if a superleague hapens, i expect FIFA to try to squash it but with threats of european law retraint of trade etc from the breakaways UEFA will cave and allocate more money to Champions league (particularly at top end) and less to EL1 and EL2 rather than have an actual breakaway

**pineapple stu** · 18/04/2021, 9:49 PM

FIFA are supporting it. Do you mean UEFA?

But yeah, it does sound like it'd be a complete gamechanger and anything'd be possible afterwards.

**sbgawa** · 18/04/2021, 9:53 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

FIFA are supporting it. Do you mean UEFA?

But yeah, it does sound like it'd be a complete gamechanger and anything'd be possible afterwards.

FIFA are against it , sayyg international teams wont be able to call up players from a breakaway league

**pineapple stu** · 18/04/2021, 10:12 PM

You're right actually. That's good at least.

But even if it is a game of chicken to get more guarantees for big clubs in the CL (like the proposed new format offers), you wonder what club football will look like in 20 years' time. Is this kind of thing inevitable? Or will football destroy itself first?

**redobit** · 18/04/2021, 10:16 PM

I know the Bray and Harps 'statements' are a bit of craic but I find them pure cringe too. Fair argument that it brings attention to a club and LOI but its just about getting a quick few thumbs up, likes and shares. Much prefer to see someting productive about them being a community club and connection with fans.

**sbgawa** · 18/04/2021, 10:16 PM

Inevitable i reckon.
If i was to guess in 20 years the English / scotish/ welsh / irish leagues will be one overall league with the teams playing at whatever llevel they can, with regional leagues like National league south and North in England currently

**nigel-harps1954** · 18/04/2021, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by redobit

I know the Bray and Harps 'statements' are a bit of craic but I find them pure cringe too. Fair argument that it brings attention to a club and LOI but its just about getting a quick few thumbs up, likes and shares. Much prefer to see someting productive about them being a community club and connection with fans.

No clubs are allowed to have any craic.

**LOI101** · 18/04/2021, 10:31 PM

I got thinking about this from an loi point of view earlier. Will an All Ireland league be our equivalent? Haven’t some of the proposals involved x amount of teams from the north and y amount of teams from the south? Will other clubs be left behind?

**Bucket** · 18/04/2021, 11:14 PM

These top clubs won't be leaving the Premier League. The Super League will be played midweek

**Nah Nah Nah Nah** · 18/04/2021, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by LOI101

I got thinking about this from an loi point of view earlier. Will an All Ireland league be our equivalent? Haven’t some of the proposals involved x amount of teams from the north and y amount of teams from the south? Will other clubs be left behind?

If and when it does happen there won’t be a rule written in saying for example that Linfield and Shams cannot be relegated. At least there better not be.

**Nah Nah Nah Nah** · 18/04/2021, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by Bucket

These top clubs won't be leaving the Premier League. The Super League will be played midweek

Be surprised if it happens at all

**Bucket** · 18/04/2021, 11:28 PM

Ya me too. Some sort of compromise with an even more exclusive Champions League probably

**redobit** · 18/04/2021, 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954

No clubs are allowed to have any craic.

Whatever floats your boat but personally I think Harps are better than that.

Act like you expect to be treated. Watched the McLoone man speaking about the new harps stadium ... really impressive. Now that would have been a proper response to all this super league crap.

**Bucket** · 19/04/2021, 12:20 AM

Every small club in Europe tweeted the same thing. Not as bad as Cork and Legia a few years ago

**BonnieShels** · 19/04/2021, 12:52 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

You're right actually. That's good at least.

But even if it is a game of chicken to get more guarantees for big clubs in the CL (like the proposed new format offers), you wonder what club football will look like in 20 years' time. Is this kind of thing inevitable? Or will football destroy itself first?

It's a massive pyramid scheme and this is the latest rush to make a new peak for the pyramid. Promises that this safeguards the game and that money will trickle down is pure tosh. No relegation from this pox of a tournament as well.

I would love the EPL, Serie A, La Liga and the FAs to go to town on them and relegate all of the clubs involved. Dock points etc.

Honestly, even with how Intl soccer has gone the last while I've been finding it harder and harder to care about the sport overall. I still engage with Ireland and Shels etc but the bigger picture no longer concerns me as clearly, we're not going to be part of it.

**sidewayspasser** · 19/04/2021, 8:54 AM

The threat of a super league has been brought up regularly since the mid 90s, usually at times when UEFA discussed and decided on changes to their competitions. It has been used as an instrument to bully UEFA into changes in favour of the big guys. So I'm not sure whether it will ever happen, or whether it's just kept hanging around as a threat so that the Champions League will eventually be shaped into that super league.

If the breakaway super league does happen though, I hope UEFA, FIFA and the national leagues/associations have the balls to follow up and exclude the clubs and players from all other competitions.

**CorribsideSteve** · 19/04/2021, 9:43 AM

Originally Posted by redobit

I know the Bray and Harps 'statements' are a bit of craic but I find them pure cringe too. Fair argument that it brings attention to a club and LOI but its just about getting a quick few thumbs up, likes and shares. Much prefer to see someting productive about them being a community club and connection with fans.

Same here. I was expecting an additional facebook style "Marked safe and sound from Super League" statement.