European Super League | Would say it is not positive decision for football in long-term, asserts Gerard Pique
Barcelona veteran Gerard Pique believes that the Super League is not a positive decision for football in the long-term, especially since the numbers don’t fit. The La Liga giants were one of three Spanish sides, alongside Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, to join the Super League as founders.
While it shocked many to see the Super League created in the first place, the fact that the likes of Barcelona and Liverpool were a part of the project made things even worse. The two aforementioned clubs were two sides that loved their fans with them part and parcel of the entire football club experience. Not only that, Barcelona are a members-owned club with fans encouraged to become members with their motto, Mes Que Un Club (More than a club), central to their ideology.
That saw the Catalan giants receive more backlash than most with many fans, members and critics upset at the way things had gone. But with reports that Barcelona have withdrawn from the Super League, it has seen their players speak out with Gerard Pique admitting that the move wasn’t a “positive decision for football in the long-term”. The defender further added that it could see banks and investment funds, that put their money into the project, demand an even bigger return eventually.
"I would say it's not a positive decision for football in the long-term. They're saying that the domestic leagues are going to stay and remain competitive. But the numbers don't fit. At the moment, the Champions League is getting €3.5 billion in TV revenue and they say the Super League could triple revenue for the clubs,” Pique said, reported ESPN.
"If you speak with specialists and experts in TV rights, they will tell you that this change is not possible because the money's not there for it on the market. So, at first, they say the domestic leagues are going to stay, but the years are going to pass and then the banks and investment funds that have put in their money projecting this revenue are going to [want to see a return]."
The Spaniard also believes that with clubs struggling to balance the Super League and domestic leagues, it could force a choice that could be detrimental to the way football across Europe is played. Pique also added that the entire concept will eventually see the domestic league destroyed with the system following suit.
"And when it doesn't arrive, the clubs will have to make a decision because there will be losses because it's not sustainable. And the clubs will decide there will have to be weekend games and they will leave their domestic leagues. And there will be a competition Wednesday-Saturday. That's how I see it. That it will slowly eat into the domestic leagues' revenue stream. And that's how the numbers add up. You're destroying the whole system to achieve it.
"Do we want this for football? Is that what we want? That Sevilla, Valencia, Everton, Leicester, Napoli etc disappear? Because those clubs are going to end up becoming worth nothing. That's where we are going,” he added.
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