By KOREY DEBEER April 28 2021
In the last week, a major power grab attempt over European soccer was foiled. Soccer is the most popular sport on the globe, even though it is not the most popular sport in the United States. The European leagues, and the international tournament that lets them play together, are the highest-paid and highest-earning sports leagues in the world. On April 19, 12 of Europe’s richest teams, from England, Italy, Spain and France, announced they were breaking away from the old league - the Champion’s League - and starting their own organization. The goal was for these very wealthy teams to make even more money.
The fans were not happy with this announcement. The new league would have permanent members, whereas the old leagues required teams to qualify, and compete for the real prize: money from TV rights. Even though the new super league would mean guaranteed big money for teams like Barcelona and Chelsea, the fans hated the idea. There were a ton of protests and backlash from this idea. Fans put up signs showing their emotions, and their opposition towards the teams that bought into this. One sign read: “R.I.P. Football 1893-2021,” others read “created by the poor, stolen by the rich.” Fans were devastated as they heard the news because if this were to happen, they knew that the sport of soccer could be ruined forever.
The president of UEFA, the organization that governs soccer in Europe, stated that if players participate in this league, they could face bans, and suspensions from things like the European soccer cup, the right to play for their national team, and even the world cup.
This was a big deal. In my opinion, and after hearing all of this, I oppose the idea of having the super league. The super league gives an unfair advantage to powerful teams in national leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A. These leagues are super competitive, and to have the best teams get a bigger financial advangtage takes the fun away from it. Also, the Champion’s league offers smaller teams a chance to make big money and become stronger competitors. The day after the widespread backlash, two of the teams that were initially in decided that they would drop out. The next day, all six of the Premier League teams announced that they would back out as well, and no longer participate in this league. Those teams knew that if they participated, they would face a serious risk and punishment from UEFA. The initial announcement of the European Super League had left fans in shock, outrage, and anger since the sport could possibly be ruined forever, but fortunately some teams left and provided relief to fans of the sport.