Football Daily: €$£ 2.0 – slightly different circus, same old clowns

Despite being forced to shelve their plans for what would have ultimately become a 20-team €uropean $uper £eague by the combined forces of good, old-fashioned English fan fury and the threat of Uefa sanctions two years ago, it turns out A22 Sports Management has been busy in the meantime. Yes, very, very busy indeed.

A company that, according to its own website, “was formed to sponsor and assist in the creation of the €uropean $uper £eague”, A22 has released a 10-point plan for what it would have us believe is a new-look, more inclusive, continent-wide, merit-based competition that on the face of it might seem slightly less of a closed shop than their previous wheeze, but still walks like a €uropean $uper £eague, looks like a €uropean $uper £eague and quacks like a €uropean $uper £eague.

Unlike the previous incarnation that was so unceremoniously torpedoed, A22 says the latest ESL would be split into divisions, comprised of up to 80 teams and based solely on sporting performance, apparently oblivious to the fact that such a tiered system already exists in Europe in the form of Big Cup, Big Vase and Tin Pot, three competitions they are hoping to abolish.

“The foundations of European football are in danger of collapsing,” said A22 suit Bernd Reichart in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt. “It’s time for a change. It is the clubs that bear the entrepreneurial risk in football. But when important decisions are at stake, they are too often forced to sit idly by on the sidelines as the sporting and financial foundations crumble around them.” In an interview liberally sprinkled with self-serving nonsense, this craven plea on behalf of major European powerhouses who have not been forced, but have instead chosen to gallop towards the financial brink was arguably the most amusing.

While A22 has declined to reveal what clubs have backed their plan, it has not gone unnoticed that Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus are still pushing for an €$£, while nobody in their right minds should trust the club hierarchies at the Premier League’s traditional “big six” any further than they can throw them. A long-time critic of the ESL, La Liga president Javier Tebas was predictably quick out of the blocks to rubbish the latest proposal. “The Super League is the wolf, who today disguises himself as a granny to try to fool European football,” he wrote. “But his nose and his teeth are very big. Four divisions in Europe? Of course the first for them, as in the 2019 reform. Governed by the clubs? Of course, only the big ones.”

Closer to home, the response of the Football Supporters’ Association was similarly withering. “The walking corpse that is the European Super League twitches again with all the self-awareness one associates with a zombie,” said their head honcho, Kevin Miles. “They say ‘dialogue with fans and independent fan groups is essential’, yet the European Zombie League marches on, wilfully ignorant to the contempt supporters across the continent have for it.”

While your horror-loving Football Daily takes grave exception to Miles’ suggestion that zombies are coordinated enough to bust any moves more regimented than a shuffle, we wholeheartedly agree with his broader sentiment. €$£ 2.0 might be a slightly different circus, but it’s still being promoted by the same old clowns.

“I think it’s bizarre that Fifa has looked to have a ‘Visit Saudi’ sponsorship for the Women’s World Cup when I, myself, Alex Morgan, would not even be supported and accepted in the country” – double World Cup winner and USA! USA!! USA!!! legend Alex Morgan gives her view on Fifa’s reported sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabia.

“Has anybody done a comparative study of the success new managers have when they do or don’t bring their long-serving assistants with them? I always groan when I read that X has brought with them the assistants/yes men who have been with them at their previous seven clubs. Where are the new ideas coming from, and what have these people been doing while waiting for the ‘gaffer’ to get a new club? The only other occupation I can think of where you bring your cronies with you is prime minister and that doesn’t seem to go too well either” – Richard Hirst.

“Nice to see Darrell Clarke in Wednesday’s quote of the day. When he was manager of Bristol Rovers, Clarke gave his opinion of players’ agents by recalling a phone call he had with one. Agent: I’ve got a great centre-back who’d fit perfectly in your team. DC: Great, is he left- or right-footed? Agent: Er … I’ll get back to you” – Bernard Clark.

“Given there are only 6.6 degrees of separation between any given person and the rest of the population of the planet, it’s hardly surprising that that quite a few Football Daily readers have kicked a ball with someone vaguely famous. I’m with Antonio Vives (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), it’s time to move on” – John Lawton.

“Antonio complaining that Football Daily is boring? He’s not been reading long, then?” – Richard O’Hagan.

Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Richard Hirst.

The number of black, Asian and minority ethnic players selected for England’s women’s youth teams has increased from 7% to 17% in the past five seasons, according to encouraging new figures from the FA.

Patrice Evra has been fined €1,000 for homophobic insults he made in a 2019 Snapchat video, according to a report in L’Équipe. Evra’s outburst came after Manchester United eliminated PSG from the Champions League last 16.

Antonio Conte is back at work at Spurs, a week after having gall bladder surgery. “He has to take it easy for a bit but we were so happy to meet him again in the training ground,” cheered his assistant, Cristian Stellini.

England’s Sarina Wiegman has been nominated for the Fifa Best women’s manager award. Wiegman, who won in 2017 and 2020, is up against Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor and Brazil manager Pia Sundhage. Lionel Scaloni, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola are up for the men’s award.

Erik ten Hag was in a bit of a funk about Manchester United’s “unacceptable” start to both halves of their 2-2 draw with Leeds before he unclenched his teeth to wax lyrical about his returning point-snatcher, Jadon Sancho.

The Dutchman’s jaw tensed up again today upon hearing news that United and Palace have been charged with allegedly failing to “ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion” in their Old Trafford dust-up. United face a further charge relating to Casemiro’s red card; both clubs have until 13 February to respond.

Leeds may have picked up a useful point on Wednesday night, but their search for a new manager hit another dead end when Rayo Vallecano boss Andoni Iriola said no, graciasto the gig.

In Women’s Rumbelows Cup, Stina Blackstenius came off the bench to give Arsenal an extra-time win over Manchester City. They will play Chelsea or West Ham in the final.

And over in Argentina, fifth-tier side Centro Español dumped first-division Tigre out of the cup on penalties – perhaps inspired by this rousing pre-match speech from their captain, Pablo Ocampo.

Nathan Jones appears locked in a doom-spiral of prickly press conferences, angry fans and bad results at Southampton, notes Ben Fisher.

Russia are plotting a path to the men’s World Cup via the Asian qualifiers, having been frozen out by Uefa following the invasion of Ukraine. John Duerden has more.

Marseille are back, baby – and just sent Paris Saint-Germain crashing out of the Coupe de France. Raphaël Jucobin weighs up their title chances in Ligue Urrrn.

Financial bother and rancour afoot in the Spanish lower leagues with the third tier on the brink of collapse amid an ongoing impasse. Sid Lowe explains.

Rain-soaked fans make the best of it at Gillingham’s Championship game at home to Leicester on a wet Tuesday night in September 2004. The visitors prevailed 2-0 and, ultimately, the Gills were relegated by a single goal. It turns out the picture was to run with this piece on England’s worst league grounds.