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It seems every few years that soccer tries to push through some controversial plans. Be it the Super League (read more on that here), be it the infamous 39th game (more on that below).
Now it appears that world soccer’s most preeminent club competition, the European Champions League will try to play some of the competition’s games beyond European borders. That’s according to The Athletic.
Why would clubs want Champions League games outside of Europe?
Following the NFL’s International Games expansion idea, this is being proposed to grow fanbases globally. How? By offering real, competitive games that will sell out each year as hungry fans want to see the real deal, as opposed to pointless, meaningless friendlies.
Major markets, including the U.S., China, and the Middle East could be the destination for these games. The idea is also that early group stage games would be played outside of Europe, instead of the higher profile knockout matchups.
The current plans are merely at the idea stage, but have the support of senior soccer stakeholders including Paris Saint-Germain president and European Club Association (ECA) chair Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Also, another key reason for this proposal could be due to trying to mollify some of the Super League participants and their demands for greater revenues and more control of world soccer’s premier club competition.
The NFL has done a simply sterling job with its own international expansion, underpinned completely by offering fans competitive games. It has been a complete success, with games also now being played in a second European country for the first time (Germany), this season. Even baseball is getting in on the act too (read more on that here).
Getting rid of the Super Cup as well?
Related to this idea is that the Super Cup is replaced. I must ask, does anyone, anyone at all care about the Super Cup? I find it all a bit pointless, much like the World Club Cup too.
But the idea would be to replace the Super Cup complete and instead have a four-team tournament that would see the Champions League winner and three other teams compete for the “Opening Tournament”.
Sounds riveting doesn’t it? Also, the draft name of the tournament sounds like it was the first thing that came into anyone’s mind.
But again, more games for players that really if we think honestly about it, just aren’t needed in my view.
But would there be actual demand abroad for these games?
Let’s look at the US market.
Yes in my opinion – one rooted in some recent news and one rooted in my own experience.
Firstly, look at the broadcast rights deals that UEFA has secured for the Champions League with non-European media partners. Earlier this year it struck a $1.5 billion deal with Paramount to broadcast the competition’s game for six years in the US market. Clearly, there is an audience already there, hence Paramount shelling out such an outlay to secure these rights.
Secondly, and completely anecdotally from my own experience here, soccer, specifically European soccer is growing very, very fast in the US market. Supporters’ clubs of various European teams are sprouting up all over the country; while walking around any American city you will see at least one person wearing a European club soccer jersey. Again, this is just my experience but it is becoming bigger and bigger (with MLS not getting nearly the same level of attention by contrast from what I’ve seen).
Yet, would European fans put up with this? The outcry from fans regarding the Super League proposals (admittedly much more far-reaching than the idea to play ECL games abroad) put it to be pretty much instantly. However, after the Super League experience, I’d argue that fans have never been likelier to reject every and any proposals that threaten to alter the European game in both big and small ways.
Plenty of competitive games have been played abroad already though
Plenty of European leagues have played competitive games abroad already, however. The Italian Super Cup has hosted games in a myriad of places including China, Saudi Arabia and China.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has stated that it is willing to potentially host La Liga matches in Miami and other locations outside of Spain.
It isn’t a done deal though, Game 39 lives in infamy
Could the proposals actually get off the ground though?
Well, a word of warning, just look at the “Game 39” debacle. This was a suggested extra round of Premier League games that were to be held at various countries far beyond England’s borders
The Premier League consists of each team playing the other 19 teams at home and away for a total of 38 games.
Yet at a meeting of the 20 Premier League teams on February 7, 2008, the international round was suggested to be implemented for the 2010–11 season, when a new television broadcasting rights contract would be in place. Later, the projected start date was moved to 2013–2014. The chairpersons of several Premier League clubs apparently approved of the concept.
The idea called for 10 more games to be played over one weekend in January, (i.e. with one additional game for each side in the EPL). There would be two matches in each of the five cities on Saturday and Sunday. The idea would be that cities would compete for the privilege of hosting games.
And yet it didn’t happen. Opposition came from literally every stratum of the English game.
Managers hated it. Supporters blew their stacks about it. FIFA president Sepp Blatter came out against it (event saying it could kybosh England’s bid to host the then-upcoming 2018 World Cup tournament).
How dead is the idea even now? A story from Sky Sports in 2021 gives clear indications. There are simply no plans by the EPL to revive this idea at this moment in time.
Will it happen?
I’d say yes. The proposals aren’t so controversial to pull fans back out onto the streets and the club owners can stress to the UEFA that this is an obvious way to expand revenues in a fairly simple way without upsetting the entire applecart. For UEFA it is a way to show clubs that it is listening to their owners’ desires about raising additional revenues and also trying to expand fanbases beyond Europe.
