rucks and mauls
However – colour me surprised – it would appear that there is after all something afoot amongst the sly peanut-cuddlers from which those in charge of proper football will indeed be taking copious notes. Despite being Jonny-come-lately to the world of professionalism, it hasn’t taken les rugbymen long to grasp sporting commercialism by its exposed binding points, as perhaps one would expect of a game traditionally drawing its player base from the ranks of merchant bankers.
The Heineken Cup, a Champions League-style European tournament, has been by consensus the world’s leading club competition since its inauguration in 1995. It comprises 24 teams, which given that very few places much care for chasing eggs requires multiple entrants from each participating nation. At present this consists of six from England, six from France, three each from Ireland and Wales, two each from Italy and Scotland, the reigning cup holders, and the winners of the previous year’s Challenge Cup (c.f. Europa League). No fair, say the two biggest nations. Pointing to the fact that, in order to drive up domestic standards and interest, the other four unions have chosen to form a single, supra-national ‘domestic’ league, that means that ten of these Pro12 clubs qualify by right, while still only six from the English and French competitions. Awwww. Diddums.
Their proposed solution is to sulk, throw some toys around, stomp out of the Heineken and create a new slimmed-down European Cup of 20 clubs. The others are welcome to join if they wish, but you can guess which domestic league the four cut clubs will be from.
Their argument, of course, makes logical sense. However it fundamentally misses the point that it is specifically penalising those four countries for attempting (quite successfully as it goes) to make their own game better. How Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Italy choose to structure their domestic rugby is, frankly, absolutely none of France or England’s business and they should beak out of it. Their enticing argument – that the new sexier competition will garner so much more revenue that the participating Pro12 clubs will themselves benefit, not just the English and the French honest guv – is massively disingenuous since it brazenly ignores the fact that, by making it 40% less likely that they’ll qualify in the first place, the long-term effect will be nil while the privately-funded big boys yomp off into the distance. Then back they’ll come, saying “you lot aren’t really good enough? maybe six Pro12 teams is too many”. Etc. Etc.
This is of interest to us because it is, almost certainly, the future fate of European football. With middle-ranking clubs of powerful nations increasingly fed up of the Europa League, and of watching their countries’ top sides get ever more invincible feasting on inexhaustible supplies of Champions League moolah, they too will chuck it. The impetus for change will come not from a Barcelona or a Bayern but the cumulative muscle of the infrequent Champions League visitors who habitually finish 25 points behind them each May; Uefa likes to think it has the power to control these clubs but truly it doesn’t, and on pain of their refusing to put teams into Uefa’s competitions the association will pragmatically realise that their own bread will be better buttered by keeping them inside a vastly expanded Champions League tent. As many places as the Bundesliga, EPL and La Liga can fill: roll up, roll up. Sorry did somebody say ‘what about the Scots’? No, no, didn’t think so – carry on chaps, as you were.
European club football: it was good while it lasted.
European club football: it was good while it lasted.
European club football: it was good while it lasted.
