tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/european-super-league-103233/articlesEuropean Super League – The Conversation2021-04-27T16:50:57Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1597772021-04-27T16:50:57Z2021-04-27T16:50:57ZTop football stars: famous because they’re rich, or rich because they’re famous?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397334/original/file-20210427-21-jgiq8g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C135%2C5313%2C3388&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">On the occasion of a 2011 match between Portugal and Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi (right) show off a pair of high-end watches. The riches have only continued to flow in. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Cristiano_Ronaldo_(L),_Lionel_Messi_(R)_%E2%80%93_Portugal_vs._Argentina,_9th_February_2011_(1).jpg">Fanny Schertzer/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Football (known as soccer in the United States) is the most popular sport worldwide with <a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-most-popular-sports-in-the-world.html">4 billion fans</a>, who consider it a passion and sometimes even a religion. In terms of quality and tradition of the game, Europe is considered by many as the most attractive location for talents, sponsors, investors, and fans. Such success is reflected in the total revenue generated by the top-five European football Leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) that reached, in 2020-21, <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/261218/big-five-european-soccer-leagues-revenue/">18.1 billion euros</a>.</p>
<p>All that glitters is not gold, however. This upward trend has produced an inflationary effect on salaries of professional players who, contrary to their counterparts in some US professional sports, benefit from the absence of a salary cap. One representative example that recently caused a mix of admiration and outrage was the most recent four-year contract of the football star Lionel Messi, who signed in 2017 an agreement for the huge sum of <a href="https://www.marca.com/futbol/barcelona/2021/01/31/6015dd7446163fab378b45e8.html">555 million euros</a>. The costs that professional football clubs must cope with are therefore strongly challenging the sustainability business model.</p>
<p>Given the astronomic salaries of some stars, a question that many observers and fans is ask again and again: do professional football players really deserve what they’re paid?</p>
<h2>Popularity and performance</h2>
<p>In a <a href="https://management-aims.com/index.php/mgmt/article/view/4511">March 2021 study</a>, carried with the co-authors Alessandro Piazza (Rice University, United States), Fabrizio Castellucci (Bocconi University, Italy) and Cyrus Mohadjer (IESEG School of Management, France), we sought to shed new light on this topic by exploring the existence of potential mismatches between players’ performance and their salaries that are generated by their level of celebrity and status.</p>
<p>Based on a dataset of 471 players from the top-five Football European Leagues during two consecutive years (2015–16 and 2016–2017), our study shows that celebrity (measured via counting and logging how many “likes” each player received by fans on their official public Facebook page) and status (measured via the number of appearances in their national team) have an impact on the relationship between players’ salaries and performance (measured by the score available on the website <a href="https://fr.whoscored.com/">Whoscored</a>). More specifically, the results show that for average performers, being popular (figure 1) and having a high status (figure 2) leads to higher salaries for the same levels of performance.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397137/original/file-20210426-17-cpnnx4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397137/original/file-20210426-17-cpnnx4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397137/original/file-20210426-17-cpnnx4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397137/original/file-20210426-17-cpnnx4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397137/original/file-20210426-17-cpnnx4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397137/original/file-20210426-17-cpnnx4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397137/original/file-20210426-17-cpnnx4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Figure 1. Interaction effect between player celebrity and performance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Giangreco et al., 2021</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397138/original/file-20210426-15-6b4uun.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397138/original/file-20210426-15-6b4uun.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397138/original/file-20210426-15-6b4uun.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397138/original/file-20210426-15-6b4uun.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397138/original/file-20210426-15-6b4uun.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397138/original/file-20210426-15-6b4uun.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397138/original/file-20210426-15-6b4uun.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Figure 2. Interaction effect between player status and performance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Giangreco et al., 2021</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This suggests that, to maximise their salary, players may try to increase the interest of their profile and popularity through, for example, social media and the press. Indeed, popularity does not depend necessarily on players’ performance, but might be determined by their “public” lifestyle, which increases their visibility. These findings on celebrity are particularly relevant not for the best “performers”, who can still obtain high levels of compensation and visibility, but for more “average” players who, through the professional management of their social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) could obtain higher compensation. Furthermore, higher visibility for these players might translate in higher revenues for the club (for example through merchandising, advertising and broadcasting rights) and clubs take into consideration not only players’ performance, but also their capacity, as a celebrity, to generate economic revenues in determining salary levels.</p>
<p>Furthermore, our results show that having a higher status might “shield” certain footballers from variations in performance. For example:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>High-status players (playing regularly for their national team) appear to be less exposed to scrutiny (by fans and journalists for example).</p></li>
<li><p>Once status is acquired, it tends to remain stable, even in the face of declining quality or performance.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Our study shows, therefore, that a player’s compensation is less determined by performance when he plays regularly for the national side, as in indicator of status.</p>
<p>This result is particularly relevant for players who, at the twilight of their career, might expect a decline in their performance, or experience diminished motivation, and therefore, can benefit from a higher salary based on the quality of past performance. Players such as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo offer a level of performance that guarantees their level of salary, so that they are celebrity and have high status because they are top performers, although we may expect that in the last part of their career, their performances will be less scrutinised. </p>
<p>The results of our study suggest that this does not necessarily happen for average performers, who by becoming more famous (through social media and by having played for their national team), then might become richer.</p>
<h2>Resources and rationality</h2>
<p>Our results provide insights for the debate about a more rational use of the decreasing resources available in the football industry, an issue that became of global interest in relation to the recent failed attempt of 12 top clubs to create an alternative European Super League. The lack of resources has been recently acknowledged by UEFA that has suspended the application of the “financial fair play” for the current season, given the effect of the pandemic on the revenues of professional clubs. Observers, however, <a href="https://myfootballmaniac.com/top-10-european-clubs-with-the-biggest-debt/">argued</a> that the debts of many professional football clubs, such as Manchester United, Atlético Madrid, Galatasaray or Juventus, were at a worrying level even before the pandemic.</p>
<p>Our conclusions could also be relevant for other different contexts and sectors that are exposed to high levels of public attention, such as CEOs in different business settings, creative directors in industries such as film and fashion, or chefs. Since the public profile is not always linked to actors’ “job-related performance”, organisations should be aware that actors considered for their celebrity might be hired for the attention and publicity that they might bring to the organisation. This, in turn, might result in higher revenues for organisations which may be willing to pay higher salaries to actors who do not necessarily directly affect organisational results through their individual performance.</p>
<p>A notable example is what happened when Chiara Ferragni, an entrepreneur and fashion influencer, <a href="https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Share-price-for-tod-s-flies-after-chiara-ferragni-joins-board,1293751.html">joined the board of Tods</a>, an Italian Fashion company. Tod’s share price, which was earlier capped, saw an increase of 12%, reaching the value of €32.24, the highest since March 2020.</p>
<p>Thus, even in the upper reaches of the sports world, the centuries-old question remains: do clothes make the (wo)man?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159777/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>A new study explores the how the celebrity and status of professional footballers in the “Big Five” European leagues can affect both performance and pay.Antonio Giangreco, Full Professor in HRM & OB, IÉSEG School of ManagementBarbara Slavich, Professor of Management, IÉSEG School of ManagementLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1594732021-04-23T16:04:55Z2021-04-23T16:04:55ZEuropean Super League failure was a lucky swerve for women’s football<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396789/original/file-20210423-13-yx5eyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=28%2C0%2C3118%2C2077&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A Women’s Super League fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Bristol City.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-march-21th-alanna-kennedy-1940438806">Federico Guerra Moran/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Within 72 hours of announcement, the European Super League (ESL) was killed. It was a testament to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/european-super-league-owners-have-witnessed-the-power-of-fans-and-should-listen-to-them-to-avoid-future-failure-159469">power of fans</a> and a reminder that football isn’t just about the interest of owners but a game for all.</p>
<p>While much talk has centred on the men’s game, in the breakaway league’s initial statement it was announced: “As soon as practicable after the start of the men’s competition, a corresponding women’s league will also be launched, helping to advance and develop the women’s game.” </p>
<p>The failure of the ESL and its women’s game is a lucky swerve. If it had gone ahead, women’s football would have been being caught up in global football politics and ultimately being held back in its development, contrary to the ESL’s statement.</p>
<h2>A damaging impact?</h2>
<p>The most obvious issue was how much of an afterthought a women’s league was in the ESL announcement. With just a single sentence within the initial statement, there was no reassurance for women’s football managers, players or fans that the game was a strategic priority. </p>
<p>Often seen as the “little sister” to men’s football, the presumption that the women’s game would simply follow suit is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430437.2018.1548612?casa_token=S38EKnK8OvkAAAAA:NN-UZUE1aAmeJXsG9fftKhiu2CvCjJNR4Lb-O1yHvn5hXZLDwMB0GQs_lrtR7lnu90WmWyXuWGw">further evidence</a> of the increasing swallowing up of women’s football by the men’s game. </p>
<p>In 2011, the FA encouraged independent women’s teams to strategically align to men’s professional clubs to support the development of the women’s game. Fast forward ten years and how integrated those women’s teams are within the men’s setup is different across the leagues. For instance, players from Birmingham City Women, for example, <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12266707/birmingham-city-women-fa-investigating-possible-wsl-licence-breach-following-letter-from-playing-staff">recently wrote to the board</a> criticising their lack of basic working conditions in comparison to the men’s team.</p>
<p>One of the biggest problems with the proposed women’s ESL was how many of the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/04/19/womens-european-super-league-feels-suspiciously-like-after-thought/">top women’s teams would have missed out</a> because their men’s teams were not as successful. Notable exclusions would be France’s Lyon (seven times winners of the Women’s Champions League) and Germany’s Wolfsburg (twice winners). </p>
<p>Of those clubs guaranteed participation, the proposal assumed that the women’s team within each club were equally “a top club” within their league, which is not always the case. For example, Tottenham Women are only in their second year as a professional team and currently only six points off relegation from the Women’s Super League.</p>
<p>The whole fiasco also overshadowed the reforms to the Women’s Uefa Champions League for the 2021-22 season. This would see an <a href="https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/0258-0e222dadd45e-11c2e2ca042a-1000--new-format-from-2021-22/">expansion of the competition</a> with a 16 team group stage and increased revenue from a new model of centralised marketing and TV coverage. </p>
<p>In stark contrast to the ESL, there was heavy consultation for this change with member associations and clubs. The European Club Association also released their <a href="https://www.ecaeurope.com/media/4877/eca-womens-football-strategy-2021-23-be-a-changemaker_lowres.pdf">women’s football strategy</a> this month with a commitment to driving a sustainable future for the game through new research insights that inform strategic directions. These considered measures should accelerate European women’s football.</p>
<h2>Measures must address inequalities</h2>
<p>Women’s football has taken great strides in recent years, with high viewing figures at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. More recently in England, a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/03/22/wsl-seals-landmark-7m-tv-deal-bbc-sky-sports/">£7 million landmark broadcasting deal</a> for the FA Women’s Super League has been announced to regularly connect women’s football to mainstream audiences. This move is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/21/womens-football-increase-viewing-figures-globally">predicted on a forecasted 350% viewership spike</a>. The deal also involves investment into the lower tiers of women’s football, to start bridging the increasing gaps between elite clubs. </p>
<p>The notion of visibility has been at the forefront of discussions of women’s sport in the UK recently, following the <a href="https://www.womenssporttrust.com/closing-the-visibility-gap/">Women’s Sport Trust’s impactful study</a>. However, we must not presume that visibility is the solution to all problems. Broadcasters have a responsibility to not only make these women visible but also demonstrate that they’re valued and valuable. This would involve primetime scheduling and high production value, which have been inconsistent to date.</p>
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<p>Let’s not gloss over persistent and perpetual inequalities that plague the women’s game beyond visibility. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23750472.2020.1766377">Research published last year</a> found that the pandemic has impacted women’s football differently to men’s football and is facing serious economic threats. </p>
<p>Before the pandemic, the elite game in England already had to deal with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2020/feb/12/why-wont-clubs-invest-properly-in-their-womens-super-league-teams">poor pitches, facilities and working conditions</a> for players. Women’s football is in the very early stages of professionalisation in the UK, and while progress is evident, it is crucial investment continues into professional structures, so more players can benefit. </p>
<h2>Seizing the moment</h2>
<p>There are lessons to be learned from the ESL debacle and real political, economic and cultural change which has gender equality at heart that can be enacted as a result. Here are some of our suggestions: </p>
<p>1) Capitalising on growth. If clubs do not consider women’s football as core business, governance structures need to make them.</p>
<p>2) Consultation. The ESL clubs did not consult their women’s teams on the strategy. This resulted in top teams missing and mismatched because they copied the men’s game. Clearly, “one size does not fit all”.</p>
<p>3) Strategy development. The Champions League reforms will help international football, but we worry this will also exacerbate the difference in financial capabilities between the top and bottom clubs. Fair distribution of wealth needs to be considered.</p>
<p>4) Collective action. Beyond sexism, Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford, stated it is a <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/patrick-bamford-says-its-shame-23946682">shame that football does not react as strongly to racism</a> as it did to the ESL. We could implore a similar demand for issues related to homophobia, transphobia and beyond. </p>
<p>5) Fan advocacy – Women’s football fans need to remain ardent in their support of women’s football as separate but related to men’s football. </p>
<p>Football is often slow to resolve issues that have plagued the game. However, the reaction to the ESL can and should provide hope in what can be achieved in unity, highlighting the social and political significance of football as a space for change.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159473/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A women’s European Super League was an afterthought, evidence of the sport’s increasing swallowing up the men’s game.Beth Clarkson, Senior Lecturer in Sports Management, University of PortsmouthAlex Culvin, Senior Lecturer in Sports Business, University of SalfordAli Bowes, Senior Lecturer in Sociology of Sport, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1593642021-04-23T14:30:04Z2021-04-23T14:30:04ZThree things the European Super League fiasco tells us about the future of football<p>The plan by 12 football clubs from Spain, Italy and England to form a “<a href="https://thesuperleague.com/">European Super League</a>” (ESL) collapsed <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56768728">in less than 48 hours</a> in the face of near universal opposition by fans and players. Based on my research on football fans, I want to suggest three key considerations helping us to map the future of the game following the ESL’s swift demise.</p>
<p><strong>1. Football and commerce are more closely linked than we like to admit</strong></p>
<p>Football’s most pertinent myth is that of a golden age when football belonged to fans before being corrupted by forces of commercialisation. The power of this myth derives in no small part from fan experiences: the cost of tickets, pay-TV subscriptions and merchandise; changing kickoff times to maximise television revenue; billionaire owners with questionable intentions. More problematically, the myth is also attractive to those who resent the greater role in football fan culture of those previously excluded: <a href="https://pure.hud.ac.uk/en/publications/gender-play-and-identity-a-longitudinal-study-of-structure-and-ag">women</a>, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/A-Game-of-Two-Halves-Football-Fandom-Television-and-Globalisation/Sandvoss/p/book/9780415314855">those who are not white</a> and <a href="https://www.routledge.com/A-Game-of-Two-Halves-Football-Fandom-Television-and-Globalisation/Sandvoss/p/book/9780415314855">fans from other countries</a>.</p>
<p>Politicians nevertheless embrace this myth. To many on the left, the ESL serves as an illustration of <a href="https://www.owenjones.tv/video/first-the-super-league-next-capitalism/">how capitalism destroys all that is dear to us</a>. The right proclaims football to be part of our national soul and heritage that hence <a href="https://www.itv.com/hub/peston/2a4458a0208">warrants protection and market interference</a>. And that, as a special case, this holds no lessons about what a global plutocratic elite might get up to otherwise.</p>
<p>Football and being a fan are however inseparable from the social order that gave rise to both: industrial capitalism. The practice of medieval folk football was a violent free-for-all, marked by an absence of rules and played between villages in open fields. </p>
<p>The modern game, <a href="https://specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=5891">formalised in the 1863</a>, reflected a new era. Time was now measured by clocks, touchlines separated those playing from those watching. Soon stands and stadiums followed. Those who did not play had to pay to watch. Media have since dramatically increased access to such forms of spectating and so revenue. </p>
<p>The failure of the ESL does therefore not represent a victory of fans over commerce, or of culture over capitalism. It is the very existence of fans that cements football’s commercial nature. </p>
<p>Instead, what is at stake is the question of how capitalism is governed. As sharp as the contrast between laissez-faire capitalism and social-democratic welfare states, different forms of football governance allow for vastly different experiences of the game for fans and spectators. </p>
<p><strong>2. Globalisation slowly but steadily changes football</strong></p>
<p>In their opposition to the ESL, many fans expressed the worry that national leagues which have been the focus of their fandom for decades will be downgraded or even disappear. Yet, the failure of the ESL tells us more about the pace of globalisation than indicating its reversal. </p>
<p>With the deregulation of broadcast markets and the rise of digital media, football’s horizons have been transformed, <a href="https://pure.hud.ac.uk/en/publications/jeux-sans-fronti%C3%A8res-europeanisation-and-the-erosion-of-national-">gradually shifting from the national to international frames</a>. In the early 1990s, national newspapers at most afforded a few lines in the results section to footballing competitions elsewhere. Today detailed coverage of football from around the world fuels a diversifying football media landscape including pay-tv providers, streaming services, <a href="https://theathletic.com/uk">paywalled digital print magazines</a> and podcasts.</p>
<p>For those whose fandom originates in this changing football landscape, the importance of matches between, say, Real Madrid and Manchester City – full of famous players from across the globe – will only grow. But this is generational shift, not one that will save clubs from the imminent financial doom that Madrid president <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/20/real-madrid-florentino-perez-claims-super-league-is-here-to-save-football">Florentino Pérez warned of</a>. </p>
<p><strong>3. Many football executives have a surprisingly poor understanding of what being a fan involves</strong></p>
<p>As journalist Simon Kuper <a href="https://twitter.com/KuperSimon/status/1384591742519988229">reminded us</a>, the performance standards required on the field are rarely matched by football executives. The failure of ESL owners and executives to command a basic understanding of those at the heart of their revenue model, fans, is staggering.</p>
<p>From replica shirts to match day attendance, being a fan is a way of signalling what is important to us, of performing who we are. As other aspects of our lives that define us – employment, romantic partnerships, nationality – have become less stable and more flexible, being a fan serves as a fixed point. When fans talk about their favourite club, they’re also talking about themselves and what is important to them. Their club matters so much to fans because it also defines and signals who they are.</p>
<p>Success and a style of play that fans embrace are both important in the way they imagine their clubs ‑ and by extension themselves. Clubs that fail to replicate past successes lose fans. More importantly though, clubs need to allow fans to recognise their values in their clubs. Commonly, clubs achieve this by not doing very much at all – fans readily bring these beliefs to their reading of the team they support.</p>
<p>However, if fandom functions as a <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Fans/js60pTNRUTsC?hl=en">mirror that matters because fans see themselves </a> in the clubs they support, the ESL proposal amounted to taking away the frame that holds the mirror in place. Fans’ emotional investment in clubs is premised on these feeling true. No one builds their sense of self on something they perceive as inauthentic. </p>
<p>A proposal that suggested bypassing competition-based qualification for a privileged few ran counter to fans’ fundamental sense of who they are and of the purpose of the sport they support. As <a href="https://www.theshedend.com/topic/34784-chelsea-breakaway-from-breakaway-european-super-league/page/30/#comments">one Chelsea fan</a> concluded: “My only issue with it really is the fact that teams don’t need to qualify.”</p>
<p>Forces of commercialisation and globalisation will continue to shape football, while the failure of many inside the sport to understand why football matters to fans means we won’t have to wait long for the next ill-judged proposal.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159364/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cornel Sandvoss does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The failure of the ESL does not represent a victory of fans over commerce, or of culture over capitalism. It is the very existence of fans that cements football’s commercial nature.Cornel Sandvoss, Professor of Media and Journalism, University of HuddersfieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1594692021-04-23T14:23:31Z2021-04-23T14:23:31ZEuropean Super League: owners have witnessed the power of fans and should listen to them to avoid future failure<p>In the past year, football has gone ahead in silent, soulless stadia. It has been a testament to how important fans are and there was hope that when COVID restrictions lifted and clubs could welcome them back, they would do so with open arms. It would be a new era where they would appreciate and value their fandom more.</p>
<p>Then the breakaway European Super League (ESL) was announced with six Premier League clubs among its 12 founding members. It caused widespread outrage and was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56800351">described by Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin</a> as a “disgraceful, self-serving plan” and “a spit in the face of football lovers”. </p>
<p>One of multiple leaks from what ultimately became a sinking ship described domestic football supporters as “legacy fans”. The suggestion was that traditional home-based support is perceived by some club owners as a poor relation to an overseas armchair fanbase or “fans of the future”, <a href="https://twitter.com/danroan/status/1384062591450771465">as BBC Sport reported</a>. </p>
<p>It is no secret that those clubs agitating to form a football cartel have become increasingly concerned at getting larger shares of broadcast rights and recognise the untapped potential of global markets. </p>
<p>That is essentially what the ESL was about – maximising profits through global expansion with like-minded invitation-only clubs. But at what cost? There was a gross underestimation of how big the backlash from politicians, governing bodies, sidelined clubs, and of course, fans would be.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Liverpool football fans hold up their scarves." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396534/original/file-20210422-20-4feqid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5332%2C3711&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396534/original/file-20210422-20-4feqid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396534/original/file-20210422-20-4feqid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396534/original/file-20210422-20-4feqid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396534/original/file-20210422-20-4feqid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396534/original/file-20210422-20-4feqid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396534/original/file-20210422-20-4feqid.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Liverpool was one of the teams who joined then backed out of the European Superleague.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/madrid-spain-june-1-2019-liverpool-1422698105">Cosmin Iftode/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Political football</h2>
<p>English football’s disregard for fans is not new. In the past, the recommendations that clubs curb ticket prices, made in the post-Hillsborough-tragedy <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-long-haul-implement-taylor-report-1087369.html">Taylor report</a>, were ignored. Then there was the implementation of the dubious “fit and proper” person test, which ascertains the suitability of a person to take over a club. The test has only led to a multitude of takeovers from investors with suspect motives, further pushing fans to the sidelines. </p>
<p>A Football Task Force was introduced in 1997, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-task-force-will-deliver-fair-deal-for-fans-1119278.html">to reportedly</a> “give fans a fair deal” at a time when ticket prices were rising exponentially above the rate of inflation. An enduring outcome of the task force has been Supporters Direct – amalgamated into the <a href="https://thefsa.org.uk/">Football Supporter’s Association</a> (FSA) – a group with cross-party support that has helped establish more than 140 supporter trusts to provide greater accountability and strengthen fan influence in the running of clubs. And yet, the ESL reached an advanced stage without any supporter consultation.</p>
<p>Increased fan input to club administration, perhaps even involving a presence in the boardroom, has been suggested in the wake of the ESL debacle. The reality of wholesale takeovers is unlikely though, with the sums now required to own a so-called “big six” club far beyond the reach of supporters’ groups. </p>
<p>Boris Johnson promised to “drop a legislative bomb” to thwart the ESL. Whatever that would have entailed is unlikely to be required now all six English clubs have withdrawn. Nonetheless, the UK prime minister is said to be keen to continue working with supporters groups to help reform the governance of football and prevent similar moves in the future. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Empty stands at a football stadium." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396552/original/file-20210422-21-55qwsz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396552/original/file-20210422-21-55qwsz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396552/original/file-20210422-21-55qwsz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396552/original/file-20210422-21-55qwsz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396552/original/file-20210422-21-55qwsz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396552/original/file-20210422-21-55qwsz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396552/original/file-20210422-21-55qwsz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">On the Premier League’s 20th anniversary in 2012, the cost of the cheapest ticket at Manchester United’s Old Trafford had risen by 700%.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/manchester-england-april-13-old-trafford-436726813">Nook Thitipat/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One idea is for an independent regulator to have overarching powers to keep renegade clubs in check. Another potential option could be the introduction of “golden shares”, providing fans groups with the power of veto over board decisions. </p>
<p>The FSA and others have highlighted <a href="https://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/Bundesliga/german-soccer-rules-50-1-fifty-plus-one-explained-466583.jsp">Germany’s 50+1 model</a> that requires fan ownership of a minimum of 51% of shares. This explains why the ESL was a non-starter for the likes of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, whose absence from the “dirty dozen” was applauded. </p>
<p>For some, the German model is the ideal. Again, this could be unrealistic with some of England’s top clubs now valued in the billions. At the very least, there will now be a discussion involving supporters’ groups to test the practicality of these and other ideas for reform amid calls for greater transparency from club owners and better engagement with fans. </p>
<p>Responding to news that his team was pulling out of the ESL, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkWNYFME4Bo&ab_channel=WeShowFootball">commended the fan protests</a>, saying that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[They were] really loud and clear, and they sent probably the strongest message that has ever been sent in [the] football world … we have to listen to them.“</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As the ESL crumbled, owners witnessed the power their "legacy” fans wield and they should realise that if they are to avoid such failures in the future, having their interests in mind and listening to what they have to say is worthwhile.</p>
<p>Whatever measures are put in place, if steps are taken to give supporters more control over how clubs are run, then perhaps Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had a point when he claimed the ESL was being created to “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56812151">save football</a>”. </p>
<p>Paradoxically, the league that was killed within 72 hours of its unveiling could have a lasting impact.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159469/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Randles does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What at first appeared as a horror story for supporters could turn out to have a happy ending.David Randles, Senior Lecturer in Sports Journalism, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1594762021-04-21T15:44:20Z2021-04-21T15:44:20ZEuropean Super League collapse: US football owners badly misread supporter culture in England<p>Barely two days after it was unveiled, the European Super League (ESL) is dead in the water. All six of the English clubs who made up the 12 founding members of the proposed breakaway competition pulled out, following loud opposition from everyone from the FA to Uefa to the UK government to fans. With the owners now hastily apologising and trying to make amends, the ESL founder and Juventus chairman, Andrea Agnelli, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/21/european-super-league-vows-to-reshape-after-english-clubs-pull-out">has conceded</a> defeat. </p>
<p>There is much discussion about what exactly the owners of these 12 clubs were hoping to achieve with their ESL announcement, but it surely wasn’t this debacle. One aspect of this story that is particularly noticeable is that American owners figured heavily in the English end of the breakaway, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United all controlled from the US. </p>
<p>While England and the US have a lot in common, the design and administration of field sports is not one of them. This very short-lived super league has demonstrated just how big these differences are.</p>
<h2>Place power</h2>
<p>The franchise model of the US is as much about cooperation off the field as it is competition on it. Things that would be unconscionable in England are commonplace in the US. Relocation is probably the best example.</p>
<p>Beginning in 1936, the National Football League’s Los Angeles Rams have also been called the Cleveland Rams and St Louis Rams. Most recently, the NFL’s Oakland Raiders <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2019/12/15/21020536/las-vegas-raiders-oakland-explained-relocation">have shifted</a> to Las Vegas (they also had a stint in Los Angeles in the 1980s and 1990s). </p>
<p>And it doesn’t end with American football. In baseball, the Salt Lake City Trappers <a href="https://www.deseret.com/1992/12/3/19019425/trappers-proud-of-their-part-in-triple-a-plan">were forced</a> to move several hours away to Pocatello, Idaho in 1993 and then Ogden, northern Utah in 1994. This was because the Portland Beavers, who played in a superior league, did a deal with Salt Lake City officials to move to the city and use the Trappers’ baseball park. The Beavers renamed as The Salt Lake City Buzz, and following several more name changes, they are now known as the Salt Lake City Bees. </p>
<p>English football fans do not tolerate this kind of thing. In June 2012 the Malaysian owners of Cardiff City announced that the club would be changing from their traditional blue jerseys to a new red kit, emblazoned with a dragon rather than the bluebird that had first appeared in the 1960s.</p>
<p>Outrage immediately ensued from the supporters. The blue of Cardiff, first worn around 1908, was not for changing. A statement issued by the club at the time, focusing on broadening the club’s appeal to “international markets” and “major and significant” investment, did nothing to appease the fans. The red jersey had to go.</p>
<p>Following two and a half years of pressure from fans, Cardiff City announced on January 9 2015 that the “club will wear a blue home kit and red away kit next season (2015/16)”. The crest was also going to be redesigned to feature the traditional bluebird. So much for Welsh dragons. </p>
<p>Around the same time, Hull City supporters entered a protracted battle with the Allam family, which owns the football club. Hull’s chairman, Assem Allam, a British-Egyptian industrialist, was seeking to change the name to Hull Tigers. After more than two years of protests and disagreement, a vote confirmed that the change had been resisted. The fans had won again.</p>
<p>What both owners apparently failed to appreciate were the historical roots of these clubs, stretching back more than 100 years. Supporters have deep emotional attachments to club colours or names that are intertwined with customs, habits and ways of behaving. </p>
<h2>Why the ESL got relegated</h2>
<p>The owners of England’s big six clubs seem to have made a similar mistake on a massive scale. The idea that six clubs, all members of the oldest set of interconnected leagues in the world, could simply walk away from nearly 140 years of tradition, league design and competitive behaviour as well as unravel 70 years of European competition by moving to a system with no promotion or relegation, was never going to work.</p>
<p>The sanctity of promotion and relegation is what sets European football apart from most American team sports. A super league in which the biggest teams automatically took part would have had devastating consequences for domestic leagues: weakened teams, meaningless fixtures, reduced attendance demand – the list goes on. </p>
<p>While the fallout from this is yet to be known, almost everyone agrees that European football needs to change to reflect the modern game. There are too many international commitments for players, and the group stages of the Champions League have become largely uncompetitive. This is down to both the seeding of the draw by Uefa and the large number of top clubs in the competition, many of whom appear every year, since three or four clubs from each league qualify each season. </p>
<p>However, the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/04/21/future-champions-league-will-revamp-work-will-breakaway-rebels/">new Champions League system</a> that is due to begin in 2024-25 looks like a move even further in this direction. It will expand the competition in a way that will make it possible for two or three more big clubs to qualify even if they don’t finish in the top four places in their domestic league the previous season (or win the previous year’s Champions League or Europa League). </p>
<p>It means almost twice as many European matches each year and moves closer to a system in which the biggest clubs are always guaranteed to qualify – though clearly not guaranteed enough from the perspective of the breakaway 12. It is not clear whether they these teams will now accept this system or insist on further negotiations with Uefa. </p>
<p>Whether the collapse of the ESL could now change the direction of travel to reduce the dominance of the top clubs in this system is an interesting question. The fabric of the game and the wishes of supporters throughout Europe should be protected, though there is not much sign of opposition to the Champions League reforms. </p>
<p>At any rate, Uefa and the breakaway clubs are co-dependent and will inevitably have to come back together. The European Super League was not the answer but it may still act as the catalyst for a way forward.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159476/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Butler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Two days after 12 of Europe’s leading clubs broke away to launch a new competition, they appear to be back in the fold.Robert Butler, Director of the Centre for Sports Economics and Law, University College CorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1593932021-04-20T17:31:20Z2021-04-20T17:31:20ZEuropean Super League: what can its opponents legally do?<p>The proposed <a href="https://theconversation.com/european-super-league-why-punishing-the-breakaway-12-could-backfire-badly-159292">European Super League (ESL)</a> has fans and politicians more or less united in condemnation. In response to the 12 football clubs who initially signed up, including the “big six” in England, MPs of all major parties in the UK are lining up to support Uefa and the FA against the new proposals. </p>
<p>The UK government <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12281175/european-super-league-pm-says-no-action-is-off-the-table-in-blocking-plans-for-breakaway-league">threatens to do</a> whatever it can to wreck the breakaway mid-week league – and several English clubs have already <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/20/chelsea-to-withdraw-from-european-super-league-amid-fan-protests">reportedly pulled out</a>. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to drop a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/20/uk-government-may-legislate-to-stop-european-super-league-says-minister">legislative bomb</a>”, with talk of changes to football governance and ownership structures. There are also threats around granting visas to overseas players and policing matches.</p>
<p>Meanwhile the UK’s competition authority promises to review the plans closely, and the opposition Labour party is questioning whether an ESL would breach fairness laws. But what options are legally available to the government, and what is likely to happen in practice?</p>
<h2>What the authorities can do</h2>
<p>There are two possible avenues for a competition referral. If the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) carries out a domestic investigation under the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/41/contents">Competition Act 1998</a>, this essentially seeks to prevent either a monopoly emerging, or market dominance being abused. </p>
<p>The CMA can allow such a move, allow it with stipulations (that reduce the anti-free market effect) or rule it unlawful. The usual turnaround is 40 days, though the CMA has a 15-day “fast-track” procedure. There could then be a more in-depth “phase two” investigation, so timescales are unpredictable. </p>
<p>The second avenue is the EU. The UK may have left the bloc, but the EU Commission could still investigate the ESL along almost identical lines to the CMA, since half of the breakaway clubs are based in member countries. The commission <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32003D0778">last investigated</a> the negotiation of broadcasting rights through a single representative (Uefa) in 2003 and concluded it did not breach European law. </p>
<p>Labour’s call for an investigation into whether the plans would breach fairness laws is rather vague. Like all UK sports, football is self-regulated. This means sports groupings are private organisations, with limited grounds under which the courts can intervene in how a sports governing body operates. </p>
<p>The same is true of UK human rights laws. In broad terms, under the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/42/contents">Human Rights Act 1998</a>, even if something could be identified to have caused harm to an individual or group, the breach needs to be committed by a governmental body, which the ESL fundamentally is not. </p>
<p>The European Court of Human Rights, which has nothing to do with the EU, takes a broader view but a case would normally have to exhaust the route through the domestic courts first. Again, this is a difficult timeline to predict.</p>
<h2>The legislative bomb</h2>
<p>If the government legislated to change football governance, it would run fundamentally counter to the self-regulation model, and would therefore be explosive. Fifa statutes also prevent overt government interference with domestic football governance as incompatible with membership. It would certainly be ironic if Fifa opposed legislation that would help Uefa in this scenario.</p>
<p>A windfall tax on the clubs concerned and laws about ownership might have more mileage. Germany, where 51% of a club must be owned by the fans, has been mentioned as a possible model. But pushing through such legislation with the pandemic and the Northern Ireland/Brexit issue both still clear and present dangers seems fanciful. And if tax laws were enacted, they would have to be steep enough to make membership of the ESL unviable, which seems a tall order. </p>
<p>Legislating to reduce the visa rights of foreign footballers intending to play in the ESL is possible, but it could trigger human rights cases or claims that the government is acting in restraint of trade. </p>
<p>Withdrawing funding from the policing of football matches has also been mentioned. On the face of it this sounds unreasonable, even spiteful. If games are poorly policed because of reduced government funding and individuals or clubs suffer, a judicial review application might well follow, at the very least.</p>
<p>As for threatening to ban players from Uefa competitions and even from playing for their national teams, this tactic has failed before. In 1978, the cricket world was rocked by the news that Australian media magnate Kerry Packer <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152098.html">had signed up</a> group of top players to launch a big-money breakaway competition called World Series Cricket. </p>
<p>England star Tony Greig, who was a lynchpin for the project, was stripped of the national captaincy. The Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) and International Cricket Council (ICC) then restricted other participants in Packer’s competition from playing in international test matches, which significantly affected the English national squad. Greig and his colleagues challenged the move at the high court and won against the ICC and TCCB, on the grounds that it was an unlawful restraint of trade.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/european-super-league-a-history-of-splits-over-money-in-professional-sport-159312">European Super League: a history of splits over money in professional sport</a>
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<p>Penalised players could also turn to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, which could have jurisdiction because Uefa, via the FA, is contractually linked to the breakaway clubs. Other cases before this court have included the Brazillian Francelino da Silva Matuzalem, who <a href="https://www.swissarbitrationdecisions.com/sites/default/files/27%20mars%202012%204A%20558%202011.pdf">won in 2012</a> when money demanded by Uefa for breach of contract was considered disproportionate. </p>
<p>In short, it may therefore be easier to make threats against these clubs than to carry them out. There are also other reasons why Boris Johnson’s early intervention was a mistake. Some from outside sport may be taken aback by the government’s willingness to put time aside to deal with this issue during an international pandemic. </p>
<p>And if the current bluff and bluster dies down and the ESL becomes more or less accepted, like the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) <a href="https://dartsnews.com/pdc/pdc-and-bdo-why-did-they-split-and-what-is-the-difference">when it split</a> from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) in 1997, the government may be left with egg on its face. It will certainly be fascinating to see how the story develops from here. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/european-super-league-why-punishing-the-breakaway-12-could-backfire-badly-159292">European Super League: why punishing the breakaway 12 could backfire badly</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159393/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The British prime minister has vowed to drop a ‘legislative bomb’ on the new proposals.Jonathan Merritt, Senior Lecturer in Law, De Montfort UniversityGenevieve Gordon-Thomson, Director of the Centre of Research and Innovation for Sport, Technology and Law, De Montfort UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1593122021-04-20T14:47:49Z2021-04-20T14:47:49ZEuropean Super League: a history of splits over money in professional sport<p>The world of European football experienced one of the biggest shake-ups in its history when a prospective <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56794673">European Super League</a> (ESL) was announced. Fans, football associations and even the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/the-european-super-league-what-can-boris-johnson-do-about-it">government</a> united in condemning the new tournament, which was criticised as “a cynical project founded on the self-interest of a few clubs”.</p>
<p>Described as a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/apr/19/european-super-league-latest-reaction-to-breakaway-football-competition-live?page=with:block-607d82a78f08080a7ae65413with">new midweek competition</a>”, the league was initially announced with 12 founding members from across Europe, including the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56795811">six “top” English football clubs</a> (who have now <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/20/european-super-league-unravelling-as-manchester-city-and-chelsea-withdraw">reportedly pulled out</a>, throwing the creation of the tournament into jeopardy). These founding clubs could not be relegated from the competition – one of the major points of contention. </p>
<p>The draw for these clubs is easy to understand. Each of the founding teams <a href="https://qz.com/1998582/how-much-tv-money-could-the-european-super-league-command/">would receive</a> an expected €3.5 billion (£3.02 billion) to join, plus €10 billion (£8.6 billion) for an “initial commitment period”. </p>
<p>In a statement, the Football Supporters’ Association voiced: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>This competition is being created behind our backs by billionaire club owners who have zero regard for the game’s traditions and continue to treat football as their personal fiefdom.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is an overwhelming sense from all angry parties that owners of the already wealthy clubs have sought further financial domination by distorting competition. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1383909222895603716"}"></div></p>
<p>The initial outrage will give way to more measured thought and criticism, but the burning questions are whether this model represents a realistic challenge to the current style of competition and what the consequences would be for both the European and domestic English game. The history of sport can offer some clues.</p>
<h2>A history of break-ups and conciliation</h2>
<p>Sport has historically been mired in splits and divisions. Football experienced such episodes during the last quarter of the 19th century with the separation between football and rugby football and then the latter into the amateur Rugby Union and the professionalised Rugby League. </p>
<p>The Premier League itself was the result of a split away from the Football League in 1992. The Football Association wanted to exploit the developing commercial opportunities, notably the sale of broadcasting rights. The legal challenge by the jilted Football League failed and the Premier League clubs have since prospered, largely thanks to the new subscription model of broadcasting.</p>
<p>Cricket’s great split occurred in 1977 over the allocation of broadcasting rights to Australian cricket. TV magnate <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/haigh-on-the-wsc-323297">Kerry Packer</a> wanted the rights to show Australian matches but was rebuffed as the traditional relationship with the state broadcaster (ABC) prevailed. </p>
<p>Packer’s response was to launch his own competition, the innovative World Series Cricket, and in great secrecy contracted the world’s leading players, including England captain Tony Greig. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/13/newsid_2512000/2512249.st">Greig was duly sacked</a> and players earning a living in England who had signed were banned from playing in England. The resulting court case went in favour of the players and the bans were rescinded. World Series Cricket ran for two seasons, embracing new ideas such as coloured clothing and games that were played later in the day and continued into the evening (known as day/night games), which attracted spectators and made the more traditional offering appear jaded. </p>
<p>The financial pressure on the Australian Cricket Board led to an inevitable compromise and Packer gaining the broadcasting rights. </p>
<p>More recently, the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) fought off the challenge by the broadcasting-driven India Cricket League (ICL). A combination of player bans and improved prize money in existing competitions were used. However, it was the formation of its own competition, the highly successful <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ipl-history/indian-premier-league-how-it-all-started/articleshow/19337875.cms">Indian Premier League</a>, that proved the trump card. The ICL was strangled in infancy. The Packer affair and the Indian Premier League clearly demonstrate that new markets for a traditional sport could be developed and exploited.</p>
<h2>Possible outcomes</h2>
<p>These examples point towards possible outcomes for football. </p>
<p>Broadcasting income is a key driver of sports and since the formation of the Premier League and sale of the rights to Sky, new players – BT and Amazon – have entered the market, driving up the value of the content. The big clubs want a larger slice of this and other commercial income, arguing that it is their profile and popularity that attracts subscribers and viewers. </p>
<p>A new formula for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/07/premier-league-big-six-win-battle-overseas-television-rights">international broadcasting income</a> has already been agreed upon. Where previously the income from sharing rights was split equally, the top six clubs now receive larger sums. Any changes to the system would no doubt apply pressure to approve a new domestic formula. </p>
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<p>A threat to potentially <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56795811">ban teams and players involved in the ESL</a> from the Premier League will have concentrated the minds of those clubs who are dependent on broadcasting income for their viability. The smaller clubs have less in the way of gate receipts and other commercial income so are very vulnerable to any decrease in TV revenue. A domestic league without the big six clubs has significantly decreased value and the same arguments apply at European level. </p>
<p>Fans have protested about the rich clubs getting richer and the betrayal of tradition, but the combination of the attractiveness of the Premier League product, ironically created by a split orchestrated by the FA, and the willingness of club owners to exploit their assets suggests a willingness to actively pursue change. The decision for the national governing bodies across Europe and the Uefa itself is whether to embrace and incorporate change and inevitably cede some control or stand firm and fight off the threat and with it consign professional football into a maelstrom of uncertainty.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159312/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steve Greenfield does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>From the emergence of Premier League to Cricket’s newer formats, the history of professional sport is full of breakups.Steve Greenfield, Professor of Sports Law and Practice, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1593162021-04-20T12:35:52Z2021-04-20T12:35:52ZThe ups and downs of European soccer are part of its culture – moving to a US-style ‘closed’ Super League would destroy that<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395883/original/file-20210419-15-7mlgt9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=185%2C0%2C1911%2C1072&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Super League plans have fans screaming into the void, like soccer star Lionel Messi here.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/barcelonas-argentinian-forward-lionel-messi-reacts-during-news-photo/125614181?adppopup=true">Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A dozen of the world’s biggest soccer clubs – including Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool FC – announced on April 18, 2021, that they are forming a new European super league, underwritten by a reported <a href="https://apnews.com/article/uefa-could-ban-super-league-players-euro-2020-world-cup-749ce4257b0f9a17b3fc34d60cccd00c">US$5.5 billion in funding from banking giant</a> J.P. Morgan Chase. The competition – membership in which is expected to expand to 20 teams – would supersede the <a href="https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/">UEFA Champions League</a>, which is the competition in which these top-tier teams usually compete.</p>
<p>The clubs have two motives for creating this breakaway league. First, the proposal would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/explainer-how-will-the-new-european-super-league-work">significantly increase the number of games played among big clubs</a> from different countries. This would likely attract huge global audiences and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56800611">significantly increase revenues</a> – to be split among the member clubs. Second, the intention is that the founder clubs would be guaranteed a place in the league regardless of how they performed in the previous season. In contrast, clubs have to earn their place in the Champions League and all European national leagues. </p>
<p>As an <a href="https://www.kines.umich.edu/directory/stefan-szymanski">expert on sports management</a>, co-author of the book “<a href="https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/simon-kuper/soccernomics/9781568588865/">Soccernomics</a>,” and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/economicpolicy/article-abstract/14/28/204/2366354">someone who predicted the super league some 22 years ago</a>, I can appreciate the benefit of more games. UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, was itself about to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2940389-report-uefa-to-expand-champions-league-to-36-teams-after-super-league-formation">announce a revamped version</a> of the Champions League with more games for the big clubs. It is, I believe, a reasonable response to the level of demand.</p>
<p>But the desire of the elites to insulate themselves from competition and enhance profitability is much more questionable. And it is here that <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/soccer-uefa-holds-crisis-meeting-after-breakaway-super-league-launched-2021-04-19/">much of the backlash</a> has been directed.</p>
<h2>A sporting world leagues apart</h2>
<p>To an <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcedelman/2021/04/19/european-super-league-brings-lucrative-us-sports-model-overseas/">American audience</a>, the move might seem uncontroversial, but to Europeans it represents a fundamental breach with tradition and has raised enormous passions.</p>
<p>All major <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcedelman/2021/04/19/european-super-league-brings-lucrative-us-sports-model-overseas/">professional leagues in North America are “closed”</a> leagues; obtaining entry to a league is secured by payment of a franchise fee, which for the major leagues would amount to billions of dollars nowadays. </p>
<p>But soccer leagues in Europe have always been “open” leagues. Divisions are ranked according to a recognized hierarchy – the best teams play in the top league, the next-best group in the second, and so on.</p>
<p>Every season the best-performing teams in lower divisions obtain promotion to the next league up, while the worst-performing teams are relegated to the next tier down. This promotion-and-relegation system characterizes the organization of soccer in almost every country in the world, with the U.S. being a notable exception.</p>
<p>The European Commission has <a href="https://www.sportaustria.at/fileadmin/Inhalte/Dokumente/Internationales/EU_European_Model_Sport.pdf">long described the system</a> as “one of the key features of the European model of sport.”</p>
<p>Americans are often puzzled by the commitment of Europeans to this promotion-and-relegation system. After all, promoted teams can be uncompetitive, ensuring relegation 12 months later. And a team currently playing in the fourth tier of its national league system is very unlikely to play in the Champions League – not soon, and probably not ever.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, fans of these <a href="https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/soccer-super-league-could-hurt-smaller-clubs-sports-finance-expert">small clubs</a> responded to news of the Super League with outrage. The belief that one’s team, no matter how small, can make it to the top tier, playing against the best clubs – regardless of the fact that the odds are stacked against this – is a dream many smaller clubs cling to. It is the soccer equivalent of the American dream.</p>
<p>And versions of this dream have happened. The English club Leicester City <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/oct/22/newsstory.sport5">went into bankruptcy in 2002</a> and was relegated to the third tier in 2008 – but won the <a href="https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/15447878/putting-leicester-city-5000-1-odds-perspective-other-long-shots-espn-chalk">Premier League at odds of 5,000-1</a> in 2016, guaranteeing it a place among the European elite in the Champions League the following year.</p>
<h2>An own goal?</h2>
<p>Without the opportunity to rise up the system, the European soccer system will end up much like baseball in America – a sport dominated by one major league, controlling a collection of minor league teams, with no lower-level competition to speak of.</p>
<p>But baseball in the U.S. needn’t have taken that direction. A century ago, <a href="https://www.hpb.com/products/baseball-the-golden-age-9780195059137">American baseball was more like European soccer</a> – every town of any size had a team playing in a league that commanded significant local interest. History books tell us that these teams and leagues were <a href="http://doi.org/10.1353/nin.2004.0059">killed off by radio and TV</a>, giving fans access to a higher level of competition that was deemed to be more attractive to watch.</p>
<p>But that’s not quite the whole story. Europe got radio and TV too, but every small town has its own team competing in a league at some level in the hierarchy. These teams did not die when people were able to watch higher-quality soccer on TV – because these teams embodied the one quality that lies at the core of both sport and human survival: hope. Ask any fans of a small club about whether their team could one day rise to the top, and they will likely tell you that they believe.</p>
<p>What Europeans fear, and loathe, about the proposed Super League is that it will be a first step toward ending the promotion-and-relegation system, which to supporters across the continent amounts to saying that it is the first step toward extinguishing hope.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Manchester United fans unfurl a banner against the Glazer ownership of the club." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395887/original/file-20210419-19-14oxm90.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Opposition to Manchester United’s American owner was evident even before the Super League announcement.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/manchester-united-fans-unfurl-a-banner-against-the-glazer-news-photo/463776989?adppopup=true">Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>It is also not lost on European fans that three of the prime movers of the Super League are American owners of major franchises – the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european-super-league-neville-manchester-united-b1834029.html">Glazer family</a>, which owns both Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/483802-liverpool-sold-after-years-of-uncertainty-to-boston-red-sox-owner-john-henry">John Henry</a>, Liverpool and Boston Red Sox owner; and Arsenal and Colorado Avalanche owner <a href="https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/stan-kroenke-arsenal-mikel-arteta-20418137">Stan Kroenke</a>.</p>
<p>The proposed Super League would in all likelihood increase both their profits and their power within the game. Already, the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9488185/UEFA-official-fans-slam-snake-American-billionaire-team-owners-European-Super-League.html">backlash has featured an element of anti-Americanism</a>. And given the high feelings across Europe to this proposal, that could become very ugly.</p>
<p>[<em>Insight, in your inbox each day.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=insight">You can get it with The Conversation’s email newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159316/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stefan Szymanski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More competitive games between top soccer clubs is desirable but creating a ‘closed’ system would harm a soccer culture built on dreams, says the man who predicted the Super League two decades ago.Stefan Szymanski, Professor of Sport Management, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1592922021-04-19T17:49:10Z2021-04-19T17:49:10ZEuropean Super League: why punishing the breakaway 12 could backfire badly<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395796/original/file-20210419-23-hqr4jf.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/soccer-ball-95315320">Mikhael Damkier</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The football world has been rocked by the announcement of a breakaway European Super League (ESL). The majority think it a bad idea, from governing bodies <a href="https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/fifa-statement-x3487">Fifa</a> and <a href="https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/news/0268-12121411400e-7897186e699a-1000--statement-by-uefa-the-english-football-association-the-premier-/">Uefa</a> through to national bodies such as the FA and English Premier League. </p>
<p>The same goes for the fan groups at the six English clubs that comprise half of the ESL’s initial membership of 12: Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal from England. The remaining founders are Barcelona, Real Madrid and Athletico Madrid from Spain; and Juventus, AC Milan and Inter from Italy. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/bayern-munich-and-borussia-dortmund-not-joining-european-super-league">top German</a> and French clubs are <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakgarnerpurkis/2021/04/19/why-paris-saint-germain-and-bayern-munich-bailed-on-the-super-league/?sh=43482dd299f5">not participating</a>. </p>
<p>Under the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/explainer-how-will-the-new-european-super-league-work">proposed system</a>, these 12 clubs would join three more unconfirmed founder members and five additional clubs that would have to qualify each year. They would play midweek fixtures in two mini-leagues of ten clubs, with the highest finishers progressing to knock-out stages and eventually a final each May. </p>
<p>Effectively replacing the <a href="https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/">Uefa Champions League</a>, the founders stand to receive €3.5 billion (£2.5 billion) in initial infrastructure payments between them, plus €10 billion for an “initial commitment period”. The 12 clubs propose to compete in their national leagues as normal. </p>
<p>The proposals are considered so outrageous that even the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/ministers-urged-to-take-action-over-european-super-league-plan">vowing to</a> find a way to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/government-pledges-to-stop-english-clubs-joining-european-super-league">block them</a> – despite not being known for his love of football. Pundits, <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12279996/gary-neville-on-european-super-league-plans-im-fuming-but-it-wont-go-through-not-a-chance">including Gary Neville</a>, the former Manchester United defender, have also been showing exasperation. </p>
<p>The ESL is being condemned as money-grabbing, since it would mostly be a “closed shop” without the jeopardy of relegation for founding clubs. Many consider it against the spirit of football’s long history, particularly with lower-league outfits struggling from the pandemic. </p>
<p>Neville thinks there is “not a chance” the proposals will go ahead, given the huge opposition. Others <a href="https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/european-super-league-teams-champions-league-reforms-arsenal-man-utd-city-liverpool-tottenham-chelsea">suggest they could</a> be intended as a bargaining chip as <a href="https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/mediaservices/mediareleases/news/0268-1213f7aa85bb-d56154ff8fe8-1000--new-uefa-club-competition-formats-from-2024-25/">Uefa unveils</a> a revamped and expanded Champions League, which it says will take place regardless of the ESL proposals. </p>
<p>In England, many also want the football authorities to punish the “big six”. Relegations, expulsions and bans on players competing in the Euros and World Cup are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/super-league-players-face-world-cup-and-euros-ban-warns-furious-uefa-chief">being mooted</a>. </p>
<p>But we suggest that everybody pauses for breath. Acting harshly against these clubs could achieve exactly the opposite effect to what is intended. </p>
<h2>Pots and kettles</h2>
<p>Authorities such as the English Premier League (EPL) may struggle to win hearts and minds by invoking football’s history. The EPL itself broke away from the English Football League in 1992, and the football authorities and fans were just as enraged at the time. Relegation was included in the proposal, although the clubs did not ask permission for the structure they created. </p>
<p>With the lion’s share of English football broadcasting revenues going to Premier League clubs, many in football <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/05/10/premier-league-spending-obscene-greedy-threatening-future-lower/">already criticise</a> the footballing pyramid. Not enough money filters down to the lower leagues, they argue, while years of transfer-price and wage inflation drove numerous clubs to the brink even before the pandemic.</p>
<p>Amid the empty stadiums of 2020-21, <a href="https://theconversation.com/english-football-why-financial-calamity-facing-clubs-is-even-worse-than-in-mainland-europe-147156">football is facing</a> a choice: watch more clubs go to the wall or consider some kind of reset with reduced player salaries, regulated transfers, agents removed from the game, and resources distributed more equally. </p>
<p>The clubs behind the ESL appear to be rejecting this form of sustainable austerity. They are positioning themselves above rather than atop the existing pyramid. Of course, with some <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/barcelona/story/4301666/barcelonas-debt-is-greater-than-1-billion-forget-bringing-back-neymarthey-cant-even-afford-eric-garcia">sitting on</a> more than €1 billion of debt, receiving a <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/f00bb232-a150-4f7d-b26a-e1b62cd175c3?desktop=true&segmentId=d8d3e364-5197-20eb-17cf-2437841d178a#myft:notification:instant-email:content">signing-on bonus</a> of €200 million to €300 million may solve their own financial crises.</p>
<h2>What happens next</h2>
<p>The ESL could be a bargaining chip, of course. The big clubs have long sought Champions League reforms that benefit them financially, and timing the announcement a day ahead of Uefa confirming the Champions League revamp was clearly no accident. </p>
<p>Adding games to the congested football calendar is not something any leading club will relish. So perhaps the ESL proposal melts away in the coming days on the back of a compromise with Uefa. As Neville has pointed out, <a href="https://accessaa.co.uk/project-big-picture-scrapped-manchester-united-down-70m/">something similar happened</a> with the English Premier League in 2020 having a plan to further strengthen the big clubs called <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/gary-neville-european-super-league-sky-sports-interview-b930353.html">Project Big Picture</a>. </p>
<p>On the other hand, the big clubs could be seeking an extreme reaction from football authorities to enable them to go further. Maybe a standalone league is what the owners really have in mind, rather than the parallel mid-week league proposed.</p>
<p>The model we need to consider is that of top American sports such as American football or basketball, where there is no relegation and teams travel thousands of miles to play. They schedule matches abroad on neutral venues, and often move the team to a new city without any care for their local fan-base. </p>
<p>That owners refer to clubs as “franchises” is <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/raiders-las-vegas-move-explained/26kge720q0dv1stx8mwfqij0q">instructive</a> here: four of the proposed ESL founder clubs have US owners with arguably little interest in football except for its earning potential. </p>
<p>You can imagine them thinking a group of 20 clubs from Europe will act like a gigantic vacuum cleaner to suck all the cash from football broadcast revenues and sponsorship. Teams can play multiple times each year, and why not have the local Madrid or Manchester derbies played to packed audiences in Rio, Shanghai or LA? Indeed, why restrict yourself to European clubs when you could also add rivals from South America, the US or China?</p>
<p>To counter this threat, the governing bodies and national leagues need to keep the 12 teams in their competitions. If such a standalone league effectively became – excuse the pun – the only game in town, it might matter little to individual players if they were banned from playing for national teams. They could console themselves with the even greater salaries likely to be on offer as the whole world watches their every game.</p>
<p>We certainly don’t think the ESL would be good for the game, but knee-jerk measures could do untold damage to all outside of the elite. It could squander a once-in-a-generation opportunity to remodel the Champions League and ensure that football at all levels remains financially viable. It may come down to who has the strongest brand: the football authorities, leagues or clubs – at the moment it seems the clubs have confidence in the answer to this question.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159292/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian R. Bell receives funding from the AHRC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Brooks receives funding from Innovate UK and the ESRC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Urquhart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Everyone seems united against the new proposals, but can they really be stopped?Adrian R Bell, Chair in the History of Finance and Research Dean, Prosperity and Resilience, Henley Business School, University of ReadingAndrew Urquhart, Associate Professor of Finance, ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of ReadingChris Brooks, Professor of Finance, Henley Business School, University of ReadingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.