Football agent and one of the former founders of the Premier League Jon Smith has given his exclusive views to CaughtOffside on the potential formation of a new European Super League.
The European Court of Justice has today ruled that it was illegal for UEFA and FIFA to block the creation of the Super League back in 2021, so it seems clubs could now have the freedom to try pursuing this new venture again.
Of course, there was notably huge backlash from fans at the time, so that might be a major issue for teams to contend with if they once again attempt to get a new competition going.
Still, Jon Smith believes we shouldn’t be too close-minded about new ideas in football, and he’ll know all too well about this kind of thing as the initial foundation of the Premier League was also not well received at first.
“In 2023, restriction of the ability to trade and advance that trade is of sizeable consequence. Why shouldn’t people be able to come forward from outside of the UEFA and FIFA framework and bring new ideas to the table?” Smith wrote in his CaughtOffside column yesterday.
“Don’t forget the people that control the game at the very top across the world are doing very nicely out of controlling the game at the top. They don’t want this change.
“That’s not to say they’re wrong but I think we should listen to everybody.
“We’re in a very interesting environment at the moment where Saudi as a major player is actually beginning to become a bit of a disrupter. And again, I don’t see that as a problem.
“If the courts would allow discussion with the authorities and possibly have an open forum of what is best for the sport in the coming decade, then I don’t see that as a problem rather than just slamming the door and say no, not allowed.
“We should be happy to entertain conversations in the round with all parties about what’s best for the game. Let’s throw it on the table and see what happens.
“Football is doing so well with eyeballs from around the world on the game. We don’t want to lose that in a melee of in-fighting. We want to grow it in a in a manner that intrigues the next generation of football fans – and that means discussion.”