After the Super League debacle, we need football revolution

The growing dominance of capital in football has long been ignored. Now, it is time for radical change.

On April 18, 12 of the most powerful football clubs from the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy announced that they were launching a European Super League (ESL), a new closed-shop competition. The founding members were all to be guaranteed a permanent spot in the league, regardless of performance. The announcement caused an uproar among football fans, who largely saw it as a betrayal by the 12 clubs, who in the pursuit of more revenue seemed to be abandoning sporting values. Government officials and football authorities vowed to do what they could to stop the new league. Two days later, the ESL unravelled. Two of the 12 clubs, Chelsea and Manchester City, announced they were pulling out of the competition, and were quickly followed by the other four clubs from the English Premier League.