Charlie Stillitano is on a mission to make Europe’s biggest clubs make more cash from the Champions League, given their contribution to making it such a financial success.
He is deeply distressed by the fact that lowly teams like Leicester City might actually make it to the Champion’s League this season.
So high level talks have been held with representatives from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs earlier this week in regards to the International Champions Cup, an annual summer tournament organised by Relevent Sports which is held across the US, Australia and China and in which they have all participated at one time or another.
The talks have been about “restructuring the Champions League”. And by restructuring, he means reserving the Champion’s League to the ‘elite’ teams and closing the door to all others.
Charlie believes that fans are more likely to watch the Juventus v Bayern Munich and Arsenal v Barcelona games in the current round of 16 rather than matches involving PSV Eindhoven and Ghent.
To further his case he has some bizarre arguments.
“What would Manchester United argue: did we create soccer or did Leicester create [it]Let’s call it the money pot created by soccer and the fandom around the world. Who has had more of an integral role, Manchester United or Leicester? It’s a wonderful, wonderful story – but you could see it from Manchester United’s point of view, too.
Maybe that is absolutely spectacular unless you are a Manchester United fan, Liverpool fan … or a Chelsea fan.I guess they don’t have a birthright to be in it every year but it’s the age-old argument: US sports franchises versus what they have in Europe. There are wonderful, wonderful, wonderful elements to relegation and promotion and there are good arguments for a closed system.”
Several coaches have spoken out against his delusion that football is essentially a cash cow and not a sport.
Claudio Ranieri has suggested any club that agrees to join the mooted European Super League would expose itself as cowardly rather than powerful. “You are afraid, you are not strong,” Leicester City’s manager said of teams who would form a breakaway league reserved for the traditional elite.
“All the fans want sport to be very clear, for there to be respect for everybody.I understand the bigger teams want to be sure to get money and don’t want to lose one year without the Champions League but this is sport. You have to deserve the Champions League.”
“For one year you don’t achieve this, you want to make something different? I think it’s not right. You are afraid, you are not strong. You are afraid to lose money. It’s not good for the sport because after, what happens? There are four or five teams from each country, and the rest, what do they do? People must think what the fans want, not only about money because culture and fans are more important than other things.”
“I understand they want to do something but if something strange happens, don’t blame the little teams. They have to blame themselves. Maybe they have a good idea but they should ask: ‘Why is a little team like Leicester doing better than us?’”
Pellegrini said..
“I think it’s important that every country has its own domestic competition and that you arrive in the Champions League for the merits from the whole season,” the manager said. “In South America there was something similar, where they tried to join all the important clubs of every country, and it was not very successful.The way the Champions League is doing so far makes it a very good competition. All the stadia are full. If you don’t have the merit to arrive in the Champions League I don’t think it’s the same. I understand there can be an interest in it from the most important clubs but I don’t think it will be the best way.”
Van Gaal said..
“Everybody knows, when you follow my career, that I am against all the super leagues and something like that. Sport is to be the best. When the Champions League was expanding, I said it was rubbish because now the second, third and fourth team is also playing.It has to be between champions in my opinion. I said that 20 years ago and I say it now again. I think sport is to win, not to be second or third.”
More on Charlie Stillitano’s grandiose dreams and how they are an insult to the spirit of the beautiful game here ..