RIP European Super League: April 21, 2021

Let us not mince words here: The proposed European Super League collapsed quicker and with the same dramatic thud as Marco Materuzzi after being head-butted in the chest by Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final.

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The, ahem, architects of the ESL admitted yesterday that it might be more than a tad challenging to move ahead with a new league of megaclubs after nine of the Original 12 - six Premier League franchises and three from Serie A - did an about-face faster than Lionel Messi’s feet (although its website was still up and running Wednesday afternoon).

The death knell to the super-short lifespan of the ESL was struck by the fans fed up with absorbing free kicks to the derriere from teams and leagues through soaring ticket prices, mediocre food and beverages at massively high prices, labour disputes in which owners and players fight over money, and sundry other things.

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The owners heard them loud and clear.

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This was all about the money, although as one wise, long-time observer of the international soccer scene told us, it was also about a group of American businessmen with ownership stakes in European franchises trying to force the North American sports model on international federations (in this case, UEFA, owners and operators of the Champions League).

“These guys care little about the integrity of the domestic product and the collaborative approach of a Premier League or Serie A,” said long-time soccer journalist Eoin O’Callaghan, author of Keane: Origins and the director of content for York United FC of the Canadian Premier League. “They want everything for themselves.”

The 12 teams - looking for a quick financial fix post-COVID - would have also undoubtedly been rubbing their hands with glee at, in O’Callaghan’s words, “an untapped resource for guys focused on making money” in reference to sports betting. Eight of the 20 Premier League clubs have a gambling company as their main jersey sponsor and other betting businesses have multiple club partnership deals.