the first time “Le Monde” wrote it

IIt only took 48 hours for the Super League to turn into a super fiasco. The anger of football fans and threats from UEFA got the better of this closed competition project desired by twelve of the biggest European clubs to compete in the Champions League. The prestigious European Cup has therefore ensured its survival for a few more years, while the current edition continues normally (Paris-Saint-Germain, defeated 1-2 in the first leg, finds Manchester City on Tuesday for the half -final return).

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also Champions League: PSG did not go the distance against Manchester City

It was in 1992 that UEFA transformed its Champion Clubs’ Cup, which had existed since 1955, into the Champions League. For the occasion, it is adorned with a new logo and an official anthem. “With this new packaging, UEFA wants to avoid the threat of a European competition managed by the biggest clubs on the continent, which could have escaped it. With the League, it now holds a small European club championship, which it wishes to be more spectacular – and more profitable – than the old formula ”, wrote Jérôme Fenoglio, on November 27, 1992, following a report on the match of Olympique de Marseille (future winner of the edition) against Glasgow Rangers.

If it still opposes the clubs titled in their respective championship, the Champions League establishes a group stage, rather than a series of qualifying matches. Enough to reduce sporting uncertainty. “The principle of equality which wanted the champion of the Faroe Islands to start roughly on the same line as that of Italy has been eliminated. For four years, each modification of the Champions League has been calculated to strengthen its elitism and increase the number of high-level posters ”, then laments Jérôme Fenoglio, the 1er November 1995.

A first attempt at Superleague

Especially since that year, the Champions League audiences are not at the rendezvous. Blame it on the absence of powerful AC Milan, FC Barcelona, ​​Manchester United and Bayern Munich, who did not win their championship. “The French will attend an Aalborg-Nantes very far from the emotion of the big European Cup evenings. (…) The elitist logic of the League was taken in default by sport ”, the journalist laughs. This is why a new reform invites, in 1997, the vice-champions of the eight biggest championships to participate in the competition, to the detriment of the Slovenian or Finnish title-holder for example.

You have 65.26% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here