David Gill (Man. Utd. Chief Exec) is advocating the re-organisation of the Champions League again (towards the foot of the piece). Fundamentally, what they’re after is a competition in which the largest, richest clubs play each other very regularly. The only way to provide the solution David Gill wants is to have an actual real European Super League, preferably with no promotion and relegation. That’s where the money is, right? That’s where the real (Real) excitement lies?
Except not, obviously. The glory of football, the interest in sport in general, derives from uncertainty, from unpredictable outcomes. A world in which no Brian Cloughs can steer their Nottingham Forests to consecutive European cups, or Mourinho’s Porto can’t earn the right to play in the final of Europe’s biggest cup competition on sporting merit, is a world in which people won’t be interested in soccer. And even if you picked Europe’s top fifteen richest clubs and had them play each other, there’d still be the ones at the foot of the league, there’d still be the meaningless games and the players would be the same anyway (it’s not like the biggest clubs are prevented from buying up any player they want as it stands).
Gill says: “Even Uefa president Lennart Johansson said last season’s final between Porto and Monaco was possibly caused by the impact of the revised format.” I know it’s obvious, but last season’s final was caused by Porto and Monaco beating the other teams to get to the final. It’s hardly the fault of the competition’s design if David Gill’s team, or those he calls “the big clubs” are not actually good enough to beat Porto or Monaco.
That’s why we’re interested.
I’m reminded of speaking to a Fulham-fan friend of mine a couple of years ago, when his lot were in the enviable position Everton are in right now. “We’re leading England!” he said. I looked at him, alarmed at what seemed like uncharacteristic nationalism. “We’re leading England against the multinationals!”
I know what he meant.