Quote:
Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus
Well then show me when this will happen. What is the timeline to get this going? Who has already signed up for it? Is it a FIFA or UEFA competition? What will happen to the Champions League? How will domestic leagues be restructured? I want facts via links here not opinion. TIA.
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I love this paragraph. In demanding UKHS gives you actual examples you’ve quoted one yourself
I’m guessing you are not old enough to have been interested in football politics back when the EPL and ECL were formed, but they were both classic examples of UKHS’s point in action.
The Media Partners led breakaway was allowed to reach a very advanced stage by the clubs, going as far as having a founders club agreement sent out which would have become legally binding had a dozen chairmen applied their signature and deposited their money. That is how close we came to the formation of the EFL.
Here is the timeline to demonstrate just how the clubs held the gun to UEFA’s head. In July the founders agreement was sent out to the prospective clubs. Throughout August the document (marked strictly private and confidential by-the-by) was leaked to numerous hacks, including twice to yours truly which is why I’m so familiar with this story. This put the breakaway in the public domain, ensuring UEFA knew about it, and the October 31st deadline. UEFA entered panic mode and on Tuesday 6th October they announced the creation of the modern ECL, tripling the money on offer, dramatically increasing the number of matches, and increasing the number of entrants from each league.
In case you still want to dismiss this as coincidence Johansson went on the record that day saying that “Media Partners was an alarm call” and “we accept the reality that big clubs demands have to be met”. To the passing eye of the public it might all seem like aimless talk, but these plans are normally very serious and the existing authorities have the option of caving to demands and maintaining some influence, or becoming an irrelevance. UEFA caved and still control the big European competition. The Football League stood firm, saw the top flight resign en masse, and are now an increasingly irrelevant body in English football.