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Dingilizwe Ntuli

IN its 48 hours of existence at the beginning of this week, the European Super League (ESL) torched a storm whose repercussions will be felt long after the idea has been parked.

The ESL is a closed breakaway super league formed by Europe’s 12 most popular teams to rival the Uefa Champions League for broadcast revenue.

The 12 comprised six English clubs, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, three Spanish sides Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, and three Italian teams Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

The architects of the league sought to persuade three more top European clubs to join the rebels in forming a group of 15 indispensable teams that will be joined annually by five sides, which would battle relegation among themselves.

They felt revenue was shrinking and effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that has forced all leagues to be played in empty stadia threatened their survival and football in general.

The “rebels” are the cash cows of Uefa and attract the biggest television audiences when playing against each other, which translates into billions of dollars in revenue.

They want the lion’s share of this revenue instead of sharing almost equally with other teams that have significantly less followers hence the formation of the ESL.

The 12 would have continued participating in their domestic leagues but there were fears these clubs would field weakened sides and reserve their best for the weekday ESL matches.

With them insulated from relegation from the ESL and therefore making losing irrelevant, it still remains unknown how this would have impacted on players’ transfer.

Would they continue competing to sign the best available talent, and besides money, what other incentives would lure the best players to join ESL sides?

Most players’ dreams are to play in the Uefa Champions League and the Fifa World Cup, and once that becomes unavailable, then money becomes the single biggest incentive.

Fifa threatened that players that took part in the ESL would be barred from the World Cup and such a ban would mostly affect African countries, whose top players turning out for the “dirty dozen” lead their qualification and campaign in the global football extravaganza.

For example, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah would have been banned from representing Senegal and Egypt in the Afcon and World Cup by virtue of Liverpool’s involvement in the ESL.

What then would have become of African players, most of whom are highly patriotic to their national game?

Reforms are definitely needed in global football, but they must be done in a manner that benefits the players and fans instead of just valuing profits.

A collapse of broadcast deals in favour of the more lucrative ESL would have killed most domestic leagues in Europe, which would have forced most teams to fold, thereby destroying players’ careers.

Again the most affected would have been African players that play for smaller clubs and in smaller European leagues.

Although the proposed formation of the ESL has been postponed for now due to pressure from players, fans and governments in Europe, the need for football reforms can’t continue to be ignored.

Yes, Uefa has prevailed for now, but it will not be business as usual going forward.

Already a new Uefa Champions League format has been announced whereby all teams involved will play against each other in a league format compared to the current group format.

It might not be ideal, but it’s a step forward that can be perfected along the way to keep football more about the players and the fans entertained.

Fans and players showed their power in forcing the ESL to abort its plans.

Maybe such fans and players’ activism is what is needed in African football to jerk Caf into instituting reforms that improve the game on the continent for the benefit of players and fans.

Presently, African football is centred on administrators, with players and fans having no say at all.

Caf and its respective affiliate football associations (FAs), including Zifa, are run by people that are in it only for their own personal aggrandisement.

Their aim is to personally benefit from Fifa funds that they solely control and whose usage remains a mystery. Most domestic leagues on the continent are in shambles despite the millions of dollars that Fifa disburses to Caf and individual FAs.

The men that run these FAs are a greedy lot, which use the associations as personal piggy banks to enrich themselves.

Most of these FAs have nothing to show for the Fifa millions.

Development structures are non-existence, junior football is a mess and the women’s game has yet to really take-off.

Most African FAs believe they exist only to manage their respective senior men’s national teams because most players have been exposed to European leagues and won’t tolerate unprofessional treatment.

Besides “looking” after the senior men’s national teams during Afcon and World Cup qualifiers and finals, the FAs have done nothing for football.

It’s as if their obligations are only to senior men’s sides and when they’re inactive these FAs have no other role except to pay themselves huge allowances for simply being members of the executive.

If players and fans exercise their power as happened across Europe, maybe real reforms that will improve and benefit the game on the continent will be implemented.

Whatever reforms that have been implemented to date simply benefited the administrators and maybe a rebellion similar to the ESL is probably needed to shake up the game on the continent.

African FAs have been in the comfort zone for far too long while the game sinks deeper into abyss.

The majority of them have been an insult to the beautiful game.

Real reforms are needed in African football and hopefully lessons can be picked from the parked ESL project.