The first is determining what level you’re trying to equalize. None of the big spending leagues will unilaterally enforce it because it will handicap their clubs’ prospects in europe, which in turn harms them indirectly. If UEFA brought one in that had to be met to qualify for their competition then it would have to be set at the City/PSG level to have any value, but that would then be irrelevant for all but about 6-7 clubs in europe. It wouldnt, for example, prevent Ajax massively overspending their ditch rivals to main domination over the dutch league (dont fucking @ me with actuallys on this). Where it would have value is in the case of a closed shop super league.
The bigger issue though is what the City appeal showed. No mater what rule you put in place to regulate spending, the authorities dont have the power to enforce them. Again, theoretically, membership in the super league could be made contingent investigative power of the organizing entity being accepted.
It unfortunately all leads to either status quo or closed shop super league.
if you look at the MLB model, rich teams that spend far above the spending cap pay a luxury tax. those funds are distributed to the lesser teams and help equalize the revenue streams.
Your first point is a good one about incompatible playing fields at the domestic and European levels. The only thing I’ll say, and taking into account what Semmy said about the luxury tax, is that the spending cap doesn’t need to be set at the highest club. Set the cap lower than even teams like Real, pay over that and you are distributing money down to the lower leagues through the luxury tax.
Of course Real would never go for this. They only want a separate League to get a bigger piece of the pie. Not a smaller one. Heck, LFC aren’t innocent in the power and money grabbing game either.
As for the second point, if we are taking into account only transfer spending , then we are not providing City with the typical loopholes. For a transfer to take place, there needs to be a fee declared by the selling and recieving club. Beyond being in cahoots with the club you are dealing with, there aren’t many ways to fake that. If city for instance takes advantage of NYC to buy and sell at reduced/inflated prices, limits can be set on how often you can deal with the same club, no?
Wages is a different story. I’m not sure there is an easy solution to highlight when clubs are circumventing the wage rules…
Important context for people who skim this - this isn’t a proposal from the clubs, but basically a wishlist from the marketing company who were tied to the last proposal.
Don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing anymore with the mess UEFA have made but I wouldn’t be at all suprised to see a rupture take place within European football.
Not long before you need a squad of 35 players. Well I’m an old geezer if Liverpool is saying, fuck it we are out of this we will only play in the PL it is fine by me.
Without the clubs, any statement is just a business proposition from a keen third party.
The discussions happened previously because there are issues with UEFA. Those have not been fixed so the specter of some breakaway or club led revolt has not gone. But this is not that.
Our position has not changed. We remain fully committed to participation in UEFA competitions, and to positive cooperation with UEFA, the Premier League, and fellow clubs through the ECA on the continued development of the European game.
Doesn’t say they are therefore against the ESL?
Munich’s says much more;
“We have taken note of the judgement of the European Court of Justice. However, this does not change FC Bayern’s and the ECA’s position that such a competition would be an attack on the importance of the national leagues and the structure of European football. The Bundesliga is the foundation of FC Bayern, just as all national leagues are the foundation of other European football clubs. It is therefore our duty and our deep conviction to strengthen them, not to weaken them. We are also committed to the European club competitions under the umbrella of UEFA. So let me make it very clear once again that the door for the Super League remains closed at FC Bayern.”
Because they don’t care about fans, players, league history, national pyramids… anything. They want to build an insular and secure league that can serve as a personal cash machine like owning an NFL team.
They’ll just throw money at the players and outcast the ones who object.