The prospect of The Super League should not worry Chelsea fans

Editor’s Note: This article was written shortly after The Super League announcement by Chelsea and other clubs. It is entirely likely that, by the time this piece is published, things will have changed or become clearer. We are choosing to release this article as it is to reflect the integrity of the moment it was written.

The footballing world was up in arms Sunday night about the creation and subsequent announcement of The Super League. While unprecedented, the only surprising part of this story is how quickly the reports developed. Rumors began on Sunday morning about the formation (albeit after years of speculation) of said Super League, the 12 clubs included right now and its imminent announcement. By Sunday at 10:30 p.m. GMT, the game was gone.

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Despite intense responses from all over the globe, The Super League’s formation should not worry Chelsea supporters. This piece will dive into why fans are overreacting, provide another angle to the narrative and hopefully act as a catalyst into deeper discussions moving forward. Before we slide into the topic head first, I want to preface my thoughts with a few personal notes. If you’d prefer to gloss over this prelude and read only what you really came here for, I understand. Scroll down and the juicy content will begin following the text in the bolded font.

For those of you still here, enjoy: During my 11 wonderful months, as a co-Site Expert at The Pride of London, I’ve seen some shit. I usually refrain from using vulgar language in my pieces for the sake of professionalism, but there’s simply no other way to describe it. The brutal FA Cup final loss to Arsenal, Chelsea’s £250 million summer spending spree and the firing of Blues legend Frank Lampard all represent the unhinged actions of one of the world’s largest clubs. However, this new development is seismic. The events that unfolded on Sunday take the cake for the single craziest thing to happen during my reign. One last thing before getting into the good stuff. I want to thank each and every one of you for not only reading up to this point, but for making The Pride of London a truly special community. Regardless of what transpires from this point forward, football has created countless unbreakable bonds, and for that, I am truly appreciative. I hope you’ve enjoyed my unfiltered opinions—you get fairly good at expressing them after editing Barrett Rouen’s marvelous work semi-frequently for a year—now let’s talk Super League.

Chelsea fans should not overreact to the creation of The Super League.

Sunday represented one of football’s darkest days in recent memory. Pundits, journalist and devotees were throwing around scary hypothetical scenarios amidst this unprecedented announcement. There was talk of the big six’s immediate expulsion from the Premier League, the Champions League being given to Paris Saint-Germain by default and even the halting of the game until 2022 (exclusively for The Super League’s founding members). While we may not know a lot about this developing situation, we know one thing: none of this is currently true.

UEFA, the Premier League and other European leagues aren’t ignorant. They won’t respond in rash fashion because they simply can’t. There are legal implications—ones the average fan cannot even begin to comprehend—and it could cripple the delicate structure of European football in the blink of an eye. Nobody is willing to risk everything at the expense of lashing out at a few avaricious individuals. This process is going to take time. Statements will be issued regularly, there will be new developments daily and eventually, both sides will sit down to hold discussions. However, it’s highly unlikely governing bodies like FIFA or UEFA take any decisive action at this moment in time.

For these reasons, fans are overreacting. I understand the magnitude of the decisions made on Sunday, but at the same time, saying the game is gone completely is a tad bit dramatic. It’s a theatric reaction that would even make Porto jealous. Just so we’re perfectly clear, I am not in favor of The Super League, I share opinions with many of you.

That said, I also don’t believe this is a legitimate course of action.

The official statement, structure and evolution of The Super League will lead many to assume otherwise. I simply find it all too coincidental. Of course, there have been murmurs of a so-called super league for the last few years. Don’t you find it a bit odd that all of this comes together 24 hours prior to UEFA’s announcement of the new Champions League structure? The new set-up has been reportedly opposed by many clubs due to the intense stress it puts teams under. The Swiss Model adds more games to an already crowded fixture list. Further, UEFA declared that its Financial Fair Play rules were set to be scrapped last month due to Coronavirus.

UEFA has gone about its way unopposed for too long. It’s time European football’s governing body faced backlash from its most crucial members. That’s what I believe this Super League is: a ploy. The ball is now in UEFA’s court and that’s exactly what the ‘founding members’ wanted.

On another note, nobody can take a look at the structure of this league and believe it’s legitimate. I’m not talking about the financials or tournament schedule either. Take a peak at the graphics. A multi-billion dollar tournament would surely have better branding. I’ve seen ‘Mom and Pop’ shops with more creative visuals. Then there’s the name. I mean come on, titles like the La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 aren’t creative, but at least they are professional. “The Super League” just sounds like DC Comics’ low-budget response to The Avengers. Seriously, there was no effort put into the creative side of this.

The names leading the charge toward this break-off project are laughable, as well. Real Madrid’s slimy president, Florentino Perez, has been named the inaugural Chairman of The Super League. Alongside him is Andrea Agnelli—the spineless Juventus CEO—and Manchester United’s Joel Glazier, who I don’t need to comment on as he makes a fool of himself on his own. Agnelli and Glazier are Vice Chairmans serving under Perez. The hierarchy is a bunch of greedy frauds. That much is certain, unlike the legitimacy of the league. According to reports, Agnelli cannot even guarantee The Super League will successfully launch. Reassuring, isn’t it?

This project is also said to be funded and influenced heavily by Americans. While many will not know the history of breakaway leagues in the United States, I implore you to do some research regarding how those proposals worked out—notably the AAF and XFL. Those defunct (sorry to spoil the surprise) leagues often have something in common though, many went on to inspire change in the NFL. This situation seems no different.

The future of football may seem uncertain and it’s easy to see why that’s a terrifying thought to many. It’s important to remember that despite the anger shared by FIFA, UEFA and the respective leagues at this moment in time, nobody truly wants this to go through. I can guarantee that both sides will do everything in their respective powers to find some common middle ground—although I do not know what exactly constitutes said middle ground.

The only frightening fact from Sunday is how much influence a handful of clubs have on the global game. We learned that a group of power-hungry, greedy individuals can grab football by the metaphorical cajones and ruin it for everyone. That’s a topic for another day though. In the meantime, take a deep breath and relax. Football will be fine in the long run; Chelsea Football Club will still exist when you wake up tomorrow morning. Besides, Brighton awaits on Tuesday.

If I was asked to state my prediction on the record—I haven’t been, but I’ll give it anyway—I’d say this fiasco results in sweeping changes to UEFA. The 12 clubs will continue to play in their domestic leagues, the Champions League will continue to be Europe’s premier tournament and the delicate football pyramid remains intact.

That’s enough of my thoughts, what do you think? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!