They're talking about this on Bluemoon:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/champions-league/10370046/European-Super-League-will-be-a-reality-in-five-years-claims-Galatasaray-chairman-Unal-Aysal.html

 

By Ben Rumsby

3:19PM BST 10 Oct 2013

Comments3 Comments

Europe’s biggest clubs are actively plotting to set up a European Super League in the next five years, according to the chairman of Galatasaray.

Unal Aysal and Juventus president Andrea Agnelli both raised the spectre of the Champions League being scrapped and replaced by a “closed†competition of the continent’s 20 top teams.

The concept of a European Super League is nothing new but Aysal claimed serious talks had taken place over making that “dream†a reality when the current memorandum of understanding between Uefa and the European Club Association expires in 2018.

Aysal was adamant nearly every big team in Europe would back such a revolution and also warned Uefa they would not hesitate to form a breakaway league if the governing body refused to sanction it.

Speaking at the Leaders in Football conference in London, Aysal said: “The system has to be put in place, either by Uefa or by the clubs themselves. Then we will decide if a breakaway will be necessity or not.
Related Articles

BT weighs up Champions League bid
10 Oct 2013
Sponsored

Club Wembley: a stadium experience that’s hard to match

“It’s not yet totally elaborated and prepared and put on the paper. But it is a concept that is under discussion for a few years. It is not a new concept, but we favour it.â€

He added: “The first 15-20 big clubs of Europe all agree with this – nobody will say no. Manchester United, Paris St Germain, Real Madrid.

“There may be one or two exceptions for local reasons, political reasons, and I will understand, but as the future for European clubs and the future of football, nobody can say no to this.

“Every reality starts with a dream. At the moment, it looks like a dream, a vision. I am sure, sooner or later, in a maximum of five years’ time, it will be a reality.

“Other clubs boss presidents and chairman are looking at this opportunity and talking to each other I think we will come together and look into each other’s eyes and follow it.â€

Aysal was speaking after bemoaning the amount of prize money Galatasaray received for reaching the Champions League quarter-finals last season, which was a tiny fraction of that awarded to Juventus for making it to the same round.

He said: “We have arrived in a stagnant situation in European football, we are not improving too much. This will open a new chapter in European football.â€

Agnelli also talked up the prospect of a European Superleague, having launched a withering attack on the state of Italian football.

“If one was to break out of the system, probably the best competition that could follow is a closed competition with the 20 best European clubs,†he said, although he later insisted he had been speaking hypothetically.

The ECA immediately distanced itself from Aysal’s comments, saying: “This was never discussed by the European Club Association.â€

 

 

Now the contract renewal for the distribution of wealth in Champions League TV rights is coming up so I think this is just posturing to get a bigger slice of the pie, but this isn't the first threat we've heard of it.  Teams like Madrid, Barca, Milan, Inter, Juventus, PSG, Porto and Monaco have plenty of reasons to support something like this.  I think the Premiership and Bundesliga clubs would be more likely to oppose it.

 

Feasibility issues aside (how would promotion and relegation work?), I think this would destroy the game.  It cheapens European football, creates the highest glass ceiling we've had yet and completely screws away support which would mean the end of what little atmosphere we have left.  The scary thing is that the football powers-that-be are plausibly greedy enough to consider it. 

I could see many English fans calling it a day, and following lower league (more local) teams.

 

 

 

I would absolutely hate it, keeps things as they are, we have the Champions and Europa Leagues, that's enough for me.

Yeah if there are more £ involved in a Super League then it will go ahead. That really is a scary prospect and domestic football will really take a hit. We have to remember, us domestic fans aren't the target market anymore- it is fans in Asia and Africa. Most fans in these two continents would rather see Man U v Bayern twice a year than Man U v Norwich. The potential the European Super League has as a market is unbelievable.

Platini is on record of being against and I can show the appropriate link if need be, but he definitely would change his stance for a brown envelope or two. Surely most football men know that this would not be in the game's best interest. From a casual fan's point of view, it would be a dream, but you have to consider the heartbeat of each club: the core fans.
 

If this were to happen and Chelsea were in it, I would have a big dilemma as I am so opposed to it. It really would be a bridge too far.

EDIT: Seven Times, I would very much consider being one of those. It really would be too far. I would suspect a lot of break away teams would be created.

Edited October 10, 201312 yr by mactheknife

This would damage the soul of football even further.

I could see many English fans calling it a day, and following lower league (more local) teams.

 

 

 

 

I already do that now since I have moved down here, watch Peterborough (Div 1) one week & Wisbech (local league team) another.

I just pick the Chelsea matches I wish to see live, which are becoming fewer & fewer, it is no longer the same going to a Chelsea game these days.

I loathe the idea of a European super league, the system as it is now may not be perfect but at least it is logical. Teams should strive to be the best within their own country first and foremost, the thought of Chelsea not playing league football doesn't appeal.

 

Perez mooted a plan that would supposedly involve teams retaining their involvement with their respective domestic leagues but I cannot see how it would be feasible: 38 'super league' games on top of 38 league games wouldn't be possible unless we abandoned our involvement in domestic cup competitions. Fine, scrap the League Cup, but Chelsea not being at the heart of the oldest cup competition in the world? I couldn't bare seeing us turning our backs on the FA Cup.

 

19 European away games would be a nightmare for supporters.

 

Presumably UEFA would carry on with the Champions League so there would be a huge schism within football.

This does and has felt inevitable for years, really since the reformatting of the cl. The big clubs are greedy and are far too powerful in the game. I can see ffp being a big push for the big clubs to set up a breakaway super league and to be honest i think it would be good for the clubs that aren't involved, it would give the domestic fa's the chance to reevaluate their leagues and could lead to some major overhauls.

My two biggest concerns would be, firstly that we're not in it because i absolutely hate the idea. Secondly, how disruptive it could be when the "super league" start inviting more/different teams to join.

it would be great to see it happen only for fans across the world to boycott it, then have all those that thought they were too good for their domestic leagues have to go back beggin and then start again at the bottom of the tree.

The only positive of this happening would be the look on the scousers faces when Liverpool don't get invited to be in it.