Trying a new Superliga with a new management, plan and name in three years?

The former first man of German RTL recently took over the management of a project called Superliga Bernd Richart.

“I am convinced that football, which we all love, will gain a lot if we bring it to better times through honest and open dialogue, away from all pressure, with serious reform.” Superliga summarizes Reichart’s words upon taking office in a press release. The message was spread on social media by the aforementioned three clubs, who continued to insist on reviving the project which failed quickly in the past year.

The Superliga project shocked the football crowd in April 2021 and quickly fell apart. UEFA, headed by Slovenian President Aleksandar Ceferin, has strongly opposed these plans. With decisive moves in England, the basket of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, from the 12 original clubs who founded the rebellious Europa League, as many as nine quit after just a few days. He remained the only and persistent Real MadridAnd the Barcelona And the Juventus.

Shiffrin: There is no serious competition without English

In a conversation for the MMC SOS Sports Podcast, there’s an echo Alexander Severin He said on this topic: “I myself doubt that in 10 or 15 years such ideas can still come back. We have three club presidents who keep demanding something because of their egos, but on the other hand, they were the first to advance to the Champions League because they were afraid of being left out. The English will certainly not join again, but I don’t see serious competition without the English clubs, which are perhaps the most important in European football. »

With a German at the head of the PR offensive

But the trio did not give up and Reichart, who ran the influential German television station RTL between 2019 and 2021, will lead a new bid to gain independence from UEFA oversight, and is now the new head of the agency. A22 Sports Management, which was actually behind last year’s failed Superliga bid. Regarding the management of the new tournament, the German announced an expanded dialogue with all football players, including clubs, football players, coaches, fans and political decision-makers.

“Our aim is to create a sustainable model for European club competitions that reflects the long-term interests of fans and the football community,” Superliga also wrote in a press release.

No more closed Superliga, but no details

« The football ecosystem is no longer sustainable. The system has become unstable and is no longer self-financing. The pandemic has accelerated all of this. » The German who says European football is losing its leading role in the world thinks this way: « We don’t give the best matches to the fans week after week. The consequences are dire, especially the youngsters who watch football less and less. »

The changes announced by Reichart are also significant. This time, for the first time, representatives of the league announced possible changes to the system, which should not be closed anymore, but the classification and relegation to and from the league will be determined by sporting achievements.

Does Shiffrin really speak for all the clubs?

« We don’t have a confirmed competition proposal, » says Reichart, who openly questions how the project is really thought about in football clubs and whether UEFA has really gained support in its opposition to this competition. « I’m really interested in how they think about the clubs and whether Aleksander Shifrin is speaking on behalf of all the clubs in Europe. »

The dossier highlights the dominance of the English Premier League

The media was the first to get the new Superliga documents timeswho was a journalist Martin Ziegler He closely follows football policies for a long time. According to the English newspaper, behind the great desire is the fear of the complete dominance of English clubs or the English Premier League, which is breaking records financially with new media rights and which is expected to grow explosively, especially in the United States of America.

File obtained by The Times warns European clubsand that they lag more and more behind the English language, truly It is not only reflected in the revenue share of media rights and compensation amounts, instead of Also on the greens, where he is For many years, in the last stages of European competitions, most of the clubs were from England.

The highlight of the Superliga presentation, which was sent to the headlines of European clubs: the English Premier League « He beats all continental championships » And in the Champions League English clubs are increasingly dominant.Which “Backed by Venture Capital Funds, Public Investment Funds, Elders, and Oligarchs.”

But in the file itself there is little real plan, and even fewer details that would persuade the best European clubs to rebel and secede from UEFA. The file does not even specify the format of the competition, apart from a commitment that it will not be a closed competition and that promotion and relegation will be permitted. Experts are also convinced that the new attempt will definitely not be called Superliga, but before that more efforts will be directed to PR with all interested audiences.

How will the European Court of Justice decide in a (anti-) cartel lawsuit?

In the battle for its European club competition, the first battle ahead is a court battle. European Union Courts (ECJ) will have to decide in the lawsuit whether UEFA and FIFA are acting in a union in opposition to Superliga.

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus filed a similar lawsuit before the Court of Madrid, and the court there turned to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg for a ruling on the basis of European law.

A united front of the European Football Association and the European Union

UEFA, along with the European Commission and a majority of EU members, defends in its arguments in court the thesis that an inclusive federation protects the values ​​of the European model of sport, which aims to prevent excessive commercial exploitation in sport and open it up. The organization is based on achievements.

But as Schiffrin and the rebels themselves stated, without the English language, the new project is doomed to failure. England, as part of Great Britain, is no longer part of the European Union and, after last year’s attempted rebellion by wealthy clubs, has already adopted legislation banning clubs from participating in rebellious international competitions, while at the same time the Premier League has adopted similar obligations dictated by the majority of clubs, which Under it, the rebellious clubs lose the right to participate in the English football championship, which brings the golden eggs desired by club chiefs in Madrid, Barcelona and Turin.