Should Milan support the idea of a European League?

[captainbeecher]

If the possibility of a European league came about would Milan fans want them to take part?

Would you swap games against Empoli, Livorno and Reggina for regular season games against Celtic, Lyon and Real Madrid?

On the weblink below there is a site containing a European League proposal, I'd love to hear Milan fans views on the idea of resigning from Serie A to join such a league. There is more information at...

www.freewebs.com/europeanpremierleague

[Warro Bantan]

This is a good topic captain...and while I do have strong thoughts about this, I dont have the time now to go into detail.

Rest assured though, that when I do, it will be 1000 words or more! Good first thread!! (if it is indeed your first)...and welcome to MM!

[Jeff]

I honestly think that it's a good idea. Again, I Don't have the time to go deep into it, but I"ll be willing to see how it goes.

[Warro Bantan]

Ok, so now that I have a bit more time....

My thinking is that one will get a very different answer depending on whom u ask...

A nationalistic Milan fan, say, one actually born and raised in Milan...will probably say:

Ok, but not at the expense of the Serie A...which according to his perspective, should be the club´s primary target every season...the UCL for him, is icing on the cake...

For most international supporters of Milan, such as myself, nothing would please me more, but if I really think long and hard, would I really want it to come at the expense of say, the twice yearly games vs Juve and Inter? (Under the assumption that both those clubs would not be our opponents until much later down the "European League" season....and then, probably in a semi-final "one-off"....)

Which brings to question the structure of said league...? Are we talking traditional league structure here...home and away, then points to determine the ultimate winner?

Or something similar to the structure the present UCL employs...where there are knockout stages or "playoffs"...to use the NFL model?

So long as the "suits" in UEFA dont mess with the structure (and the money flow) of the UCL, I see it as a suitable substitute...and Platini has done much to render impotent the G-14....however, that being said, if said clubs feel that their income stream is being threatened (ie by Cup teams being allowed entry, and the amount of clubs allowed entry from the league table, eg top 4 in Italy being reduced) then we will surely hear more about the establishment of an European League..though how this could be established without the blessing of UEFA, is something I fail to understand....as I dont see FIFA saying "Yes" and UEFA saying "No" and there not being some fallout of nuclear proportions.

Now, if you ask Berlusconi, he would, I am sure, say: "Sure! Milan are Italy´s best performing club in European competition...its in our DNA..." (But who knows...he is a politician after all, and so your guess is really as good as mine what he might say). :D

If I were Berlu, and all things being equal with regard to the establishment of said league (ie UEFA being impotent to stop, or sanction participating clubs or players) I would abandon Serie A and its plethora of problems, and be Italy´s representative in the: "European Premiere League"..or whatever moniker it is christened with.

[Tommybhoy]

If this European League was to go ahead i can only see it operating in addition to each teams local league ie; Serie A for Milan. The new league would probably be set up similar to local leagues where say 30 teams would form 3 leagues of 10 who play each other home and away (20 games per season) where at the end of each season teams would be promoted or relegated according to their league position. There would also have to be a sacrafice by each team to drop out of its countries cup competitions to allow time for these games to take place. I don't see that there would be much opposition from local teams as they would deem their chances to have improved in the competition without the favourites. Obviously, as a Celtic supporter whose team is in a financially poor league i would love to see this happen but i do believe it would serve the interests of teams of the stature of Milan, Inter, Barcelona etc both from a financial point and from a competitive point. The game has changed over the past 15 years and is driven by money more than anything else and i think that this will be the major factor in UEFA giving it its blessing.

[Nalx]

I don't agree with this idea. I always anxiously waiting for World Cup because it only happens once in four years. That means every participating national team must put on some extra effort and concentration because they know that they don't have many chances to take a part in this competition. I mean the WC will be less prestigious if it's played every year, right?

The same principle prevails in UCL, although in a smaller scale IMO. It sends quiver down to my spine everytime Milan is about to play against other great clubs with rich tradition such as Madrid, Muenchen, or Liverpool, because that thing doesn't happen really often

[Warro Bantan]

Having read the document at the other end of the link, I retract several, if not all of my reservations of this league.

I read with interest the information about the league, and really really like it...I think it is essential that one reads the "position paper" at the end of the link in the Captain´s post, so that one can speak to the sort of league that is being proposed.

This set up is too detailed to go through here, and does require at least 1/2 hour of your time to digest, but I confess that I would welcome such a set up with open arms, and I think many of us here would as well.

Would the Italian fan, born and raised in Milan share the same sentiment....I think he would.

This model of a pan-European league is soooooo good, I hope someone designs a video game around it...I know I would buy that model over the current FIFA versions in a heartbeat!

Wonderful potential for big matches, right throughout the season, and importantly, the "derby" matches are possible, and play a strong role in the overall league structure.

I support the creation of such a league structure wholeheartedly.

[SANT]

I think it's necesary to help local leagues grow in order to have better players growth, better connection between the club and its fan, local rivalries in national tournaments, and then translate this into the UCL and other international European competitions.

With the EuroLeague, you pretty much kill the smaller sides, although someone will say:

- Oh, but imagine the attendance when Empoli plays against Man Utd. at home...
this will be very short thinking, IMO.

[inter-1908]

It would be a good idea, but the problem is fatigue of players. Milan is a champions league team, and if they have to play in the serie A, and champions league, and then this european league, they will be extremely tired, and injuries will build up, meaning Milan will have to take Primavera players. In the end the final descison goes to whoever came up with this idea in the first place, technically it wouldnt be a good idea.

[ACMILAN1983]

It would be a good idea, but the problem is fatigue of players. Milan is a champions league team, and if they have to play in the serie A, and champions league, and then this european league, they will be extremely tired, and injuries will build up, meaning Milan will have to take Primavera players. In the end the final descison goes to whoever came up with this idea in the first place, technically it wouldnt be a good idea.

The European league would be at the expense of Serie A, not as another new tournament in addition to Serie A.

[inter-1908]

The European league would be at the expense of Serie A, not as another new tournament in addition to Serie A.
So you are basically saying that this league, if it were to happen, would happen when serie A is on break?

[ACMILAN1983]

So you are basically saying that this league, if it were to happen, would happen when serie A is on break?

nope, it means the team wouldn't take part in Serie A at all

[Tommybhoy]

nope, it means the team wouldn't take part in Serie A at all
If that is the case then i can't imagine the fans wanting it. I know our Scottish league is far from the best league but i like to know that my team is the best in Scotland rather than the worst in a new european league. All of the teams being proposed to are all the top teams of their respective countries and the fans are more interested in team success than the financial gains of the club. This league could only take place (as far as the fans are concerned) in conjunction with their own league but sacraficing the cup competitions instead. Milan -granted- would be as much favourites to win this new league as they are to win Serie A so they wouldn't drop in stature as a worldwide brand but most other clubs could suffer some loss of revenue from their distant support.

[Warro Bantan]

Guys...we need to ensure that we read the link pasted in the very first post on the thread, so as to be properly informed as to the league structure being proposed.

Again, I believe it would work, and disagree with you SANT, mainly because I dont think u read the entire piece (admittedly its quite detailed) but if/when you do, I am sure you would come around to the idea...

Actually, it makes for a better "European" structure, and requires less matches than the top sides who progress in the UCL would have to play as things stand.

So, though quite a long read, its important to read it, so that you can understand basically what they are trying to say.

[slifersd]

This new league sounds like a great idea to me. I for one am sick and tired of Platini constantly trying to take everything away from the power house clubs like they are the ones who are destroying soccer. A good economist understands the importance of power house organizations to an economy. USA wouldn't be the strongest economy without all of its Microsofts. Teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man Utd, AC Milan, Inter, and Bayern Munich brings audience worldwide. Their strong financial power gives them more star power and more star power attracts more people to watch the games. These teams shouldn't be punished for being powerful, they should be respected. But of course, Platini has to help the little countries because he is a politician after all. He has to be the guy who help the little guy even though deep down even he knows that is not a good idea. If Platini truly wants to cut down on the number of teams allowed for CL in favor of small league teams, then G14 should not hesitate to start their own league. With their reputation, their league will crash the CL or whatever league they don't participate in. That is good for their finances. With even stronger financial power, those teams are going to rob every single good player not in their league, which in turns improve the quality of the league itself.