Sadly, this week’s edition of Cultured Football was always going to be dominated by one topic: the abortive Super League, an idea so bad and poorly executed that it managed to unite all fans against it. If only those ties could remain anywhere as strong in opposition of other ideas that are just as bad, then surely the game would be significantly better.
I genuinely tried to find other stories but there was nothing going. Instead, I’ve gone for articles that look at the issue from slightly different angles than most takes.
Florentino Pérez: the emperor who wanted more but lost for once
Of the many men humbled by the whole fiasco, few cut as embarrassing a figure as Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez. He was the only one of the leaders who chose to publicly front the idea with a somewhat bizarre TV appearance which exposed the lack of reasonable arguments underlying the project. More than anything, the lasting image is that of a man astonished at not being allowed to get things his own way. It must have been a novel feeling for him.
Reflections on the non-revolution
This is somewhat meta, a newsletter referencing another newsletter. Ian Leslie doesn’t often talk about football but he always has interesting things to say (I haven’t read his latest book Conflicted but loved Curious and wrote about it here). In analysing the Super League fiasco he picked on idea that is particularly intriguing to me: how is it that successful business people as most of the owners of the proposed clubs are also be so stupid?
The European Super League may be on hold, but it will be back
Now here’s a sombre thought: whilst the Super League might have been dismantled quickly this time round but, like most evils, it has not been completely killed off. As Dr Katarina Pijetlovic, author of EU Sports Law and Break Away Leagues in Football, says in this article “this wasn’t a serious or genuine attempt because any serious breakaway league or alternative league of any kind, particularly the Super League where the money involved – we're talking billions and we’re talking powerful investors such as JP Morgan behind them – everybody would do their due diligence.”
Fan ownership Is the future of football
One idea that has emerged strongly from the Super League’s ashes is the idea of fan representation and ownership of football clubs. The most widely touted example is that of the 50+1 rule that the majority of German clubs are governed by. It seems improbable that this rule could be adopted in England (and much less in other countries) but, then again, a week ago it seemed improbable that twelve clubs would break away and try to set up their own league.
The importance of seizing on the post-Super League moment
Let’s end on a hopeful note. The ever-excellent Jonathan Wilson looks at what happened and what might still happen in the aftermath to ensure football’s future. Hope he’s right.
Last Week’s Most Read
Bayern Munich emerged with a lot of credit from the Super League fiasco, being one of those invited who opted to stay out. It was a welcome distraction in a month that had seen them being eliminated from the Champions League, on the verge of losing key players whose contract is running out and with a successful coach who is leave following internal strife, this has been a rough week for Bayern Munich. Yet, with the not-minor consolation of yet another Bundesliga title seemingly wrapped up, they can also look to the future with a lot of hope following some breath-taking performances by the emerging talent of Jamal Musiala.