European Super League, the competition stirring up the football world

At the time of writing, some clubs have withdrawn from the competition in the face of fan discontent. However, as Florentino Perez, the president of the competition, has explained, "no club has the right to withdraw ". So the situation is still very unclear and it is impossible to know what will happen as new information comes out every day.

What is the European Super League?

In the last few days, the football world is experiencing a turning point in its history with the creation of a new major competition. The European Super League or European Football Superleague was unveiled on 18 April by all member clubs. In an official statement, the 12 founding clubs announced their participation in this new type of tournament.

This competition aims to compete with the Champions League, one of the major competitions in football. The closed league will be composed of 20 clubs, 15 of which will be present for eternity. Thus, each year only 5 clubs will have the opportunity to join the 15 permanent member clubs of the ESL. The remaining 5 clubs that will participate each year will be chosen "on merit" and may change each year.

What are the differences between the Champions League and the European Super League?

Many people think that the Champions League and the European Super League have the same way of working, but this is not the case.

At the moment the Champions League works as follows:

• 8 groups of 4 teams with 6 rounds;

• The top 2 qualify, the third goes to the Europa League and the 4ᵉ is definitely out;

• Then, from the round of 16 onwards, you need 13 games to win the Champions League;

• With this format, 96 matches are played from September to December.

However, from the 2024 season, the Champions League will adapt a new format.

• 4 groups of 9 teams with 10 matches (5 home - 5 away, no home and away);

• The top two teams in each group qualify for the last 16. Teams ranked 9 to 24 play a two-legged match and the winner goes to the last 16. Teams ranked 25 to 36 are eliminated.

• To win the LDC, you now have to win 17 to 19 matches.

• 180 matches will be played from September to January.

So how does the European Super League work? It might surprise some, but the format is very similar to the one adopted by the Champions League from 2024. Thus:

• 2 groups of 10 teams with 18 rounds (home and away matches);

• The top three teams in each group advance to the quarter-finals. The fourth and fifth teams play off against each other, while the last teams are eliminated from the competition.

• Then quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

• 15 clubs are permanent while 5 clubs are invited or qualify each season.

The huge difference between the two competitions is that the European Super League will be a closed competition, giving very little chance to weaker clubs to enter and not taking into account results in national leagues. Clubs that qualify for the Champions League do so on the basis of their results in domestic competitions throughout the year.

Source: l'Équipe.

Which teams will participate?

The 20 most famous teams in the world are expected to play in this closed league. However, many clubs such as PSG, Bayern Munich, Dortmund and FC Porto have, for the time being, refused the invitation to join this competition. For the time being, only the 12 founding clubs are sure to participate in this competition. The breakdown is as follows: 6 English clubs, 3 Spanish clubs and 3 Italian clubs. Thus:

• FC Barcelona (Spain)

• Real Madrid (Spain)

• Atletico Madrid (Spain)

• Juventus FC (Italy)

• Inter Milan (Italy)

• AC Milan (Italy)

• Manchester United (England)

• Manchester City (England)

• Chelsea (England)

• Arsenal (England)

• Tottenham (England)

• Liverpool (England)

Why is it so controversial?

When this new competition was announced, a lot of reactions emerged on social networks. It's a new competition that's causing a stir. You have the fervent defenders of this new proposal and those who don't even want to hear about it.

Firstly, it is at the top of the football world that the fight seems to be taking place. There are two sides to the battle: UEFA and FIFA, who are opposed to the presidents of the 12 founding clubs. On the one hand, the president of the European Super League, Florentino Pérez (also president of Real Madrid), believes that "40% of young people are not interested in football because there are too many poor quality matches... We created the Super League to save football ", he said in an interview on Spanish television.

On the other hand, there are many people who denounce the fact that this new competition is closed, just like what is happening in the NBA. This is what FIFA president Gianni Infantino is denouncing.

Many politicians, fans and football players seem to disapprove of this competition. Indeed, among the clubs involved in this competition, some football stars have not hesitated to express their discontent. This is the case of James Milner, a Liverpool player.

Finally, the last argument put forward by the fervent defenders of the Champions League is the question of money. The reason why football is so popular is that all classes of the world's population can play it. So to create a closed league where only money is the key word is an aberration for a majority of people who think that football is a sport for poor and rich people alike. David versus Goliath is a metaphor often used in the football world to show that a club with no significant income can still win a match against a club that is among the richest in the world. For Champions League advocates, creating a closed league is the end of football. Marcelo Bielsa, the notoriously outspoken Leeds coach and former Olympique de Marseille manager, has spoken out about the new creation.

Aware that the new competition is very badly perceived by many people, Florentino Perez defends his idea of a closed league. According to him, this will not kill football, quite the contrary.

To make a long story short, this new competition is the talk of the town. On social networks, it has become the centre of discussion for many people. Football stars, politicians, former professional players... everyone has a word to say and it is likely that this is only the beginning. Indeed, a real war between the two major bodies is taking place before our eyes and no one knows who will emerge the winner.

What about the Champions League?

With the creation of the Super League, the Champions League is the big loser. UEFA's flagship competition, the Champions League is known throughout the world. With its emotional evenings, historic matches and the greatest players giving their all to win the cup with the big ears, the recipe seems perfect. However, aware that there are changes to be made, the authorities have decided to vote for a new format that will take place for the 2024 season.

But with the creation of the Super League, what is the future of this competition? No one knows because the situation is so historic. The authorities are doing everything to push the big clubs back into this historic competition. As has been written, some clubs have refused to enter the Super League.

For some days now, UEFA officials have been threatening the teams involved in the new competition. According to them, they could even be excluded from the ongoing Champions League. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea are concerned. So, if the authorities decide to exclude these teams, it will be PSG who will automatically become champions! This is an unprecedented and historic situation that all football fans are following with a keen eye.

However, Real Madrid's president, Florentino Perez, does not believe for a second in the threats of UEFA's top bodies.

With less than two weeks to go until the first semi-finals between Chelsea and Real Madrid and PSG and Manchester City, the situation is looking increasingly uncertain and it is impossible to know whether the matches will take place.

Is it possible to bet on the Champions League?

Yes, it is possible to bet on the Champions League. As previously mentioned, the Champions League is one of the most popular competitions in the world and many punters can win or lose on this competition. On special Champions League nights, betting sites do not hesitate to run special promotions or offers to attract as many people as possible.

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