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The Lesser Super League?

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The European Super League lasted just forty-eight hours. Premier League’s big Six (Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal) had to withdraw from the proposed league after immense backlash from their fan bases.

Most of these clubs had to issue grueling apologies and it looks like there have been irreparable damages done in the relationship between the fans and the owners. The Super League did not have the support of Football’s governing bodies nor the support of the respected Governments. This was a major reason behind the fallout of the League.

On the other hand, the call for the British Super League may have the green light of UEFA, FIFA, the English and Scotland FA, and also the backing of the respecting government’s. According to reports, it is understood that the plan is to onboard Celtic and Rangers of Scotland to the English Premier League. Hence making it an almost cross-border league.

 

 

ONBOARDING SCOTLAND’S BEST

Rangers F.C. and Celtic F.C. are the most dominant teams in the Scottish Premiership and have a huge fanbase in the country. These clubs are based in Glasgow and have an incredible fanbase worldwide. Each club is estimated to have a global fanbase of around nine million supporters. The British Super League could benefit from the extra revenue generated as the result of an additional chunk of supporters. The two clubs were founded in the 1870s and have a rich heritage and history.

 

 

Like many other European Leagues, the Scottish Premiership is also ruled by just two powerhouses. The last time another team was crowned the Scottish champions was in 1985. Aberdeen managed by Sir Alex Ferguson won the league in the 1984-85 season.

Rangers have won the league an astonishing 55 times (including the current season) while Celtic is close in pursuit with 51. The absence of these two clubs could result in a drop in revenue for the Scottish FA, but it can also reduce the power gap in the league. A more competitive league could be in store with the European qualifiers being opened up to many other teams in the process.

 

 

There is no doubt that the clubs are capable of playing in the Premier League. Ex–Liverpool captain and current Manager of Rangers F.C pointed out that his team would finish sixth in the league if they were competing in England. Rangers are the highest-scoring team in Europe this season with 131 goals in 54 matches across all competitions.

 

A CHANGE IN FRAMEWORK

There will have to be a change in the existing Premier League framework to accommodate the two clubs if the proposal is accepted. A 22-team format is being suggested to include the two teams. But there is also an increased number of votes for an 18-team system. Also, there are talks of making the final match weeks to a playoff-style system like seen in the lower divisions. The first and fourth-placed and the second and third-placed teams will play in a semi-final format and the two emergent teams will play in a final to decide the winners of the league.

The 18-team system is unlikely to be accepted as it would result in more teams being relegated and fewer teams being promoted to include Rangers and Celtic. At least 14 votes need to be cast out of a possible twenty from the Premier League teams for the proposal to be accepted. The teams on the bottom half of the table are unlikely to pass the reform as they will be under threat of relegation in the coming seasons and hence could miss a fair share of the revenue.

 

 

FIFA and UEFA are now are harboring the possibility of cross-border leagues and this proposal could be given the green light as a result. We could potentially see a more competitive league if this does happen. Although unlikely to surface any time soon, it will remain on the agenda for the near future.

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