Football royalty, father and son, Harry and Jamie Redknapp have given their thoughts on the Super League.
Speaking to Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard on today’s Good Morning Britain on ITV the pair pondered the recent attempt at a break-away money-spinning league where there would be no relegation for football clubs, just lucrative income.
“It was incredible the audacity, it was just pure greed. The owners thinking that they could just manufacture a situation that’s going to work for them and not for one second think about the most important people in football, which are the fans.
“For it to happen so quickly and then for it to collapse so quickly at the other side of it, was just frightening and I’m so pleased that the fans stood up against it. Sometimes these things can get pushed through and happen, but thankfully it didn’t.” – Jamie Redknapp
Jamie who played from 1989 until 2005, started his career at Tottenham Hotspur as a youth player going on to AFC Bournemouth, Liverpool FC and Southampton FC during his career as a midfielder, added that he doesn’t believe we’ve heard the end of it, noting:
“I would like to say it’s over, but I don’t think it is. I do believe it will come back in some form because owners, they’re in this for business, they’re not in it for the love of the club… these guys buy the club purely to make money out of it… This won’t be the last time it happens, I’m sure.”
Father Harry also began his career with Tottenham Hotspur, playing for the youth team going onto clubs as a midfielder including West Ham United, AFC Bournemouth and a spell stateside with Seattle Sounders. Harry as a manager has overseen clubs such as Portsmouth FC, Queens Park Rangers, Southampton FC and Birmingham City.
“The sad part about it, I honestly believe that if you’d have asked the other 14 clubs that didn’t get invited in, they would have jumped at the opportunity. They would’ve all put their hands up to go in. Because it’s money and that’s what they’re interested in.
“£300 million a year or whatever, and they’d have wanted a bigger slice of that cake. It was completely out of order what happened… It’s purely, purely about money and that was all it was.” – Harry Redknapp
Speculation that at some point there would be the formation of a European Super League has been around since the 1980, however, it wasn’t until the start of this month a major announcement was made and it saw six UK teams signed up; Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham.
Following a fan backlash, they all withdrew their support. The ESL was backed by the financial services corporation, JP Morgan. Harry, like Jamie, thinks there may be more to come and it isn’t the end of the ESL idea just yet.
“I don’t know what they can do? They can’t deduct points, what can they do? They’ll all probably sit there and will move on from it. Hopefully, that is the end of it, hopefully, it doesn’t raise it’s head again but I wouldn’t bet on it.” – Harry Redknapp
Football Whispers notes that ‘The UEFA Champions League, in its current incarnation, is the closest thing to a European Super League at the moment. When it was rebranded in 1992 from the original European Cup.’
A YouGov poll of 1,730 football fans in the UK found 79% opposed the idea of a Super League.
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