The creation of a new European soccer league has led some Marshall students to reconsider their overseas allegiances.
Twelve European teams from England, Italy and Spain confirmed they will join the European Super League, which would disqualify them from some of the world’s best domestic leagues, the most prestigious existing club competition, and ban players from events like the World Cup due to creating a league “outside of international football structures.”
“The Super League is a money grab for the biggest clubs in the world. It’s just a league where the rich clubs get richer, a league based on greed,” junior Collin Togher, a fan of the English team Arsenal, which has joined the league, said.
If the new league continues as planned, teams like Arsenal would be banned from all English and UEFA sanctioned competitions, meaning fans like Togher would only be able to watch their team play in the super league.
“[If this were to happen] I would not watch the Super League [and] not support Arsenal,” Togher said.
Junior Jared Hamilton said he also questioned whether or not he will remain a fan of his team, English club Manchester United, after they announced they would be joining Arsenal and the 10 other Super League founding clubs.
“I’m hugely upset that [Manchester] United agreed to this,” Hamilton said. “By making this decision, they’re ultimately saying they don’t care about their fans, [and] besides, there’s a number of other teams not in the Super League that I enjoy watching. I’m not sure at the moment [if I will stop rooting for Manchester United], but it’s definitely a possibility.”
Junior Jose Salazar is like Hamilton and Togher, however his team, defending European champions Bayern Munchen, reportedly declined an invitation to join.
“This European Super League marks the end of soccer as we know it, and is basically a monopoly over the sport, [with] the big clubs undermining all the small clubs,” Salazar said. “Soccer should be and always has been fair, it’s a part of the beauty, and this Super League takes away from what’s supposed to be the beautiful game.”
Hamilton said he worries it won’t matter how well traditional clubs do in historically prestigious leagues, because focus will be on the Super League.
“I personally don’t like the idea of it at all. It’s taking away the special moments that the Champions League brings, and it’s also taking away possible special moments from the domestic leagues such as Liecester’s championship run,” Hamilton said.
Manchester United executive Joel Glazer is Vice-Chairman of the new league, which will dish out 3.5 billion euros to each founding club.
“I think all fans should boycott the super league so they bring in less revenue,” Hamilton said. “This league is all for profit.”