Established 1961 15 Sports Thursday, April 22, 2021 English fan power forces Super League billionaires into retreat

LONDRES: In just 48 hours, English football fans game,” said Chelsea fan Will Todd, at a fan protest forced four billionaires, a Russian oligarch and an ahead of Tuesday’s Premier League game against Emirati sheikh into a hasty retreat as the European Brighton. Super League collapsed with the withdrawal of six The furious backlash could prove the tipping Premier League clubs. point over the issue of the open nature of club own- The owners of Manchester United, Liverpool, ership in England. “The whole ESL move shows how Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham out of touch these owners are,” said British culture had signed up with six other Spanish and Italian secretary Oliver Dowden in promising to still press clubs to a money-spinning ESL project, but with ahead with a fan-led review of football governance. far-reaching consequences for the rest of the foot- ball pyramid. ‘I’ve let you down’ On the back of a fans’ revolt, governments and The disconnect with English football culture is a governing bodies mobilized to threaten the “dirty physical as well as emotional one. Not one of the dozen” with expulsion from domestic and continen- owners from the breakaway six live in Britain. tal competitions. British Prime Minister Boris United, Liverpool and Arsenal are owned by US- Johnson even proposed based billionaires, used to dropping a “legislative working in the American bomb” on the Premier sports franchise model League “big six” threat- without the perils of having ening to breakaway. This is our to earn a place in the top After more than a leagues every year by per- year in soulless stadiums, club, not forming on the pitch. with supporters shut out Chelsea and Manchester due to coronavirus yours City have become global restrictions, perhaps brands on the back of those running the clubs investment from Roman forgot the importance of Abramovich and Abu LONDRES: Football supporters demonstrate against the proposed European Super League outside of Stamford Bridge football stadium in London on Tuesday, ahead of the English Premier League the match-going fan. The Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour. match between Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion. —AFP show has gone on behind closed doors to protect Tottenham are the only British-owned club of the lucrative television contracts of the sort the break- six, but even their billionaire owner, Joe Lewis, away clubs thought they were buying into. A $3.5 resides in the Bahamas. “This must be a turning point for football, and it must rent leadership at board level”. billion pot was to be shared among the founder “In this endeavor I’ve let you down,” said be a turning point for United too.” There remains a long road ahead for supporters members of the ESL, borrowed against future TV Liverpool owner John Henry in a humiliating climb- The Glazer family’s controversial leveraged buy- if they want to oust unpopular owners. The valua- rights revenues. down. “Again, I’m sorry, and I alone am responsible out of the Red Devils in 2005 has left the club pick- tions of the six Premier League clubs are in the bil- However, after years of being pushed around to for the unnecessary negativity brought forward ing up the bill for hundreds of millions of pounds in lions. But for once the collective power of the hum- accommodate prime kick-off times in San Francisco over the past couple of days. It’s something I won’t interest payments, while the Glazers regularly take ble fan has brought down the plans of billionaires to and Shanghai, inflated ticket prices and with less forget. It shows the power the fans have today and out dividends. further line their pockets. say in how their club is run, supporters in England will rightly continue to have.” “This is a real opportunity for the Glazers to now “This is our club, not yours,” said Liverpool fan have emerged triumphant. Buoyed by their victory, fans’ groups are now ral- change the current path of their legacy and open group Spion Kop 1906. “Never take us for granted “It doesn’t matter what club you are, it doesn’t lying to build on their momentum for further change, the door to supporter shareholding with full voting because once again you have seen that it’s the matter allegiance, it’s not tribal, it’s about the rich, starting with the boardrooms of their own clubs. The rights,” added the MUST. The Chelsea Supporters fans who have the power, not the men with the the few, the minority trying to take what is our Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) said: Trust said it had “little or no confidence in our cur- briefcase.” —AFP

Hansi Flick” and wants to focus on this Bayern on verge week’s games. News in brief The Bavarian giants were also of ninth straight adamant on Tuesday that they will not Alaba to join Real Madrid join the breakaway Super League. On Bundesliga title the pitch, it was business as usual as BERLIN: Austria defender David Alaba will Bayern quickly dominated Leverkusen join Real Madrid at the end of the season on a BERLIN: Bayern Munich can be and scored from their first attack. free transfer when his Bayern Munich contract crowned Bundesliga champions this When Thomas Mueller’s shot was expires, according to reports on Tuesday. Sky weekend after taking a 10 point lead saved, Choupo-Moting was on hand claim the 28-year-old, who has won the at the top of the table with a 2-0 win to tap home the rebound on seven Champions League twice with Bayern, will at home to Bayer Leverkusen on minutes. Kimmich added Bayern’s sec- sign a five-year deal with Real after spending Tuesday. Bayern seized control at the ond goal on 14 minutes when David 13 years in Munich. Alaba played in Tuesday’s Allianz Arena with early goals by Eric Alaba’s cross only went as far as the 2-0 home win against Leverkusen which Maxim Choupo-Moting and Joshua Germany midfielder who fired home leaves Bayern 10 points clear at the top of the Kimmich after second-placed RB from the edge of the area. Bundesliga. Bayern can be crowned Leipzig had earlier suffered a shock Leverkusen raised their game after Bundesliga champions for the ninth consecu- the break with Leon Bailey firing past tive season at Mainz on Saturday. Having defeat at relegation-threatened MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s Cameroonian forward Eric Maxim Choupo- Cologne. Manuel Neuer, but his goal was ruled made 428 appearances for Bayern, Alaba is on offside. Choupo-Moting had the ball Moting (left) celebrates with Bayern Munich’s German midfielder Joshua the verge of his 10th Bundesliga title with the With just four games to go, club Kimmich after scoring the opening goal during the German first division world champions Bayern will be guar- in the Leverkusen net for the second club world champions. —AFP time with 25 minutes left but his effort Bundesliga football match FC Bayern Munich vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen in anteed a ninth German league title in Munich, southern Germany, on Tuesday. —AFP a row with a won at Mainz on was ruled offside. Saturday. “I told the team before the Bailey’s cross across the six-yard game, that we could take a huge step box was then fired off the crossbar by gation confirmed by a 1-0 defeat at fielder Emil Forsberg. “We had a few Brazil face Germany towards the title, which we have done. Karim Bellarabi on 69 minutes. Arminia Bielefeld after 30 consecutive chances, but unfortunately we aren’t We want to now also win in Mainz,” Eintracht Frankfurt moved up to third years in Germany’s top flight. Earlier, taking advantage of them at the ZURICH: Reigning champions Brazil were yes- said Bayern coach Hansi Flick. with a 2-0 home win over Augsburg RB Leipzig crashed to a 2-1 defeat at moment and, of course, we are disap- terday drawn with 2016 runners-up Germany, Off the field, Bayern are in disarray thanks to goals by midfielder Martin second-from-bottom Cologne, whose pointed about that.” the Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia in the Tokyo since Flick dropped a bombshell on Hinteregger and striker Andre Silva, captain Jonas Hector scored the first After a goalless first-half in Cologne, Olympics men’s football group stages. Hosts Saturday by saying he wants to be who claimed his 24th league goal this Bundesliga brace of his career to end the match burst into life after the break. Japan, who last won a medal in the men’s event released from his contract at the end season. a miserable run of nine league games Germany international Hector headed with a bronze in 1968, will play France, South of the season. Bayern’s senior bosses without a win. his side into the lead just 56 seconds Africa and Mexico in Group A. Group C responded by saying it “disapproves Schalke relegated “Cologne fought and showed pas- into the second half with the visitors’ includes Egypt, Spain, Argentina and Australia of the one-sided communication by Bottom side Schalke had their rele- sion,” admitted Leipzig attacking mid- defence napping.—AFP while Group B has South Korea, New Zealand, Romania and Honduras. The tournament starts on July 22, a day before the opening ceremony low in Alex Ferguson, so Woodward, who is step- of the Games that were postponed last year Time ticking for ping down at the end of 2021, had a tall task to due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the emulate his boardroom predecessor, David Gill. women’s draw record four-time champions the Woodward has been executive vice-chairman at USA will feature against Sweden, Australia Woodward after Old Trafford since 2012. He took over the responsi- and New Zealand. Home side Japan will play bilities of departing chief executive Gill the follow- Great Britain, Canada and Chile. —AFP Super League failure ing year. However, while Gill managed to move from a successful career outside football to being a per- LONDRES: Manchester United executive vice- fect partner for Ferguson, Woodward never quite chairman Ed Woodward failed in his high-stakes managed the leap. Chinese season underway gamble to join a European Super League and the Part of that was due to a lack of success since clock is now ticking on his tenure at Old Trafford. Ferguson stepped down — United have not won the SHANGHAI: A crowd of about 30,000 saw Fabio When he was a banker with JP Morgan — the Premier League since 2013. Woodward, 49, had Cannavaro’s Guangzhou FC held 2-2 by US investment giant that was set to finance the appeared to retain the backing of United’s US own- Guangzhou City on the first day of the Chinese ESL — Woodward once complained about col- ers, the Glazer family, despite having no league title MANCHESTER; In this file photo taken on January 29, Super League season on Tuesday. As part of a leagues moaning they were losing their jobs and or Champions League trophy to show for invest- 2020 Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman Ed lively opening ceremony at Tianhe Stadium in reminded them that “part of the high rewards ment of nearly £1 billion ($1.4 billion). Woodward reacts ahead of the English League Cup Guangzhou, the CSL trophy was flown into the were the high risk”. In a defiant statement to accompany the semi-final second leg football match between arena — delivered by the passenger of a large red Although he was already due to step down, the announcement of his departure, Woodward insisted Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad and white drone. In the other opening-day match, timing of the announcement on Tuesday appeared he believed the money was well invested. “We have Stadium in Manchester, north west England. —AFP Marouane Fellaini’s Shandong Taishan defeated no coincidence on a breathless evening when invested more than £1 billion in the squad during Chongqing 2-0. All games in the first stage of the United and their Premier League rivals withdrew my time here,” he said. “I am particularly delighted Woodward termed him — lasted two years but CSL are being played in either Guangzhou or from the Super League after fierce opposition from with the progress the players have made under the much of the wastage on transfers including Daley Suzhou, near Shanghai, as part of efforts to thwart supporters. Clubs in Spain and Italy followed suit astute leadership of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his Blind and Matteo Darmian. the coronavirus. The 16 teams will be housed in yesterday as the project fell apart. coaching team in the last two years.” “I blame Ed Woodward, my CEO at Manchester hotels and kept away from the public. However, Many United fans would say it was not a moment Instead of Woodward leaving it was the man- United, much more than (Jose) Mourinho (his suc- unlike sport in some countries, supporters will be too soon for a man they never warmed to and who agers who came and went through the revolving cessor),” Van Gaal told the Een-tweetje met Yves allowed into some matches, with the virus largely people that know him term charming but ruthless. door — Moyes only lasted 10 months. Dutch coach podcast, referring to his brutal sacking in 2016. “In under control in China. —AFP Just as manager David Moyes had a hard act to fol- Louis van Gaal — “the perfect choice” as my view, Woodward is the evil genius.” —AFP

The abortive plan involving the “big six” Premier clubs a “good idea” in principle, but stressed he did not at the 2019 general election. UK govt scores League sides brought about a rare display of biparti- want to pre-empt the review’s findings and still wel- In the buildup to UK-wide local polls on May 6, that san opposition from political parties in Britain, mirror- comed foreign investment. translated this week into some rather un-Conservative ing the united hostility of fans who are normally sworn “It would be a popular move — and really symbolize rhetoric about preserving community values against the political goal in enemies. a break with the recent, neoliberal past,” Queen Mary interests of big business and the owners of the top six. After threatening to drop a “legislative bomb” on the University of London politics professor Tim Bale said. There is a preponderance of smaller clubs in billionaire and mostly foreign tycoons who run the “And they could still convincingly argue that this is a “Red Wall” seats, and Bale said the government attacking ‘big six’ English clubs, Prime Minister Boris Johnson commended special case that wouldn’t spell socialism for other sec- could not ignore the mass outcry from millions of them for abandoning the plan late Tuesday. But culture tors,” he told AFP. fans. “They include those who live in marginal seats LONDRES: Britain’s government, exploiting a populist and sports secretary Oliver Dowden yesterday said the For Johnson’s Conservatives, there is a particular whose football teams play in lower divisions but cause ahead of elections next month, is vowing no let- government would press on with a long-delayed review imperative to safeguard the working-class “Red Wall” dream one day of making it into the Premier League up in its pressure on England’s biggest football clubs to examine the future of Britain’s national game. He vote in northern English seats that were held for and maybe even Europe. No government could go despite the implosion of a renegade European league. called the German model of majority-fan ownership at decades by the center-left Labour party before flipping against that,” he said.—AFP