Is soccer the new NBA?

What’s the vibe on a league featuring just the top 20 powerhouse clubs in North America (maybe even 16)
No relegation, no new teams jumping in—kind of like how the NBA works. They'd basically be totally independent from FIFA and CONCACAF too.

The money factor is just impossible to ignore at this point...👎

It’s kind of a joke, honestly... if they let the richest teams just run wild, none of the other clubs would ever get a chance to actually prove themselves. They'd just be playing against the deep pockets every single time.

Let’s be real, the Champions League is basically just a closed loop for the top 7 or 8 clubs anyway. If every country just bought up the TV rights, we could actually have high-stakes football to watch every single weekend.

The prestige in the game totally died out a long time ago. It vanished the exact moment that Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro snagged the Ballon d'Or.

I honestly don't see that happening, though I will admit the NBA has a few structural gems that could actually work if our national soccer federations ever decided to get smart. For instance, I think there’s some real merit in the idea that a player shouldn't be signing their first pro deal with a specific club, but rather directly with the league itself—just like how things are handled in the NBA.

Honestly, they should probably just set up a separate league for those other clubs too... I mean, even the NBA has a secondary league for the less competitive teams.

Richard Wilson4 said:
What are your thoughts on a league consisting of the top 20 clubs in Europe—maybe even just 16?
No more relegation, no more newcomers joining the ranks, much like how the NBA operates, and they would finally be independent of FIFA and UEFA.

Money is an unstoppable force, unfortunately...👎

it's only a matter of time before it actually happens

Terry Allen3 said:
For instance, I think it makes total sense for a player to sign their first pro deal with a league office, like the NBA, rather than jumping straight into a club contract.

That logic just doesn't fly in the soccer world over here in the States or anywhere else in international play.

You can't just walk up to some kid in the FC Barcelona academy when he turns 18 and tell him, "Alright kid, you're drafted, pack your bags, you're headed to Udinese Calcio now." It’s a completely different universe!

Richard Wilson4 said:

Let’s be real, the Champions League is basically just a revolving door for the same seven or eight elite clubs anyway, so why not just let every single country buy up the TV rights? It would actually be great—we could sit down every single weekend and watch high-stakes, top-tier football instead of this filler stuff.

Look, we’ve seen 12 different winners over the last 15 years, which proves my point!

Richard Wilson4 said:
Honor in the game died a long time ago—honestly, the exact moment that Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro walked away with the Ballon d'Or, the soul of the sport just evaporated.

You won't even want to watch the games anymore because you'll know the journalists at FF just voted for him because they felt like it, rather than based on actual merit.

That is such a typical, cynical take.

If you ask me, if I were sitting in the offices at UEFA or FIFA, I’d be laying down the law. Any player participating in this "football NBA" wouldn't be allowed to step foot on the pitch during the World Cup or the Euros. Period. And those clubs? They shouldn't even be permitted to compete in their own domestic leagues; they should just go play their breakaway games over there instead. Imagine telling fans, "Hey, sorry, Liverpool FC won't be playing the Merseyside derby against Everton FC anymore." Can you imagine the chaos?

I’m honestly done with this football NBA nonsense!

Pure stupidity. This whole idea is complete garbage...

Richard Wilson4 said:
Honor died in football the exact moment that Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro snagged the Ballon d'Or. Everything just went downhill from there.

What a load of pathetic nonsense. 🙂

Well, I suppose I’m on board with that...

quietbadger34 said:
That’s basically a textbook definition of being stuck in a rut.

🤣

quietbadger34 said:
Doesn't work for soccer in America.

You can't just tell some high school kid, "Hey, you're turning 18 now, so pack your bags for Udinese Calcio because they picked you in the draft." That's not how it works here.

And who’s to say Udinese Calcio wouldn't absolutely crush it in a league like that?

We're talking heavy hitters: FC Barcelona, Juventus FC, Bayern Munich, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester United, Liverpool FC, and Real Madrid.
Maybe even throw in AS Roma, Ajax Amsterdam, Olympique Lyonnais, or PSV Eindhoven.

I honestly don't get why people keep calling soccer the "NBA"... couldn't you have come up with a better comparison than that?

Pure nonsense...

So, the European Super League is basically a done deal at this point. You want to know why the G14 holds so much leverage over UEFA? It’s simple: UEFA is terrified. They think they can just ban these players from playing in the World Cup or the Euros to shut them down? Please. Who’s actually going to tune in to those tournaments if these massive clubs decide to flip the script and build their own leagues? These teams are too big to be controlled.

Personally, I hope it doesn't happen because it would be total chaos. First off, the spending would go off the rails. Clubs would realize they could burn through cash and just recoup it all via massive TV deals and sponsors—just look at what Uli Hoeneß was talking about. And beyond the money, the soul of the game would die. If you have five "mega-derbies" every single weekend, the magic disappears. When everything is special, nothing is.

Those G14 folks might think they're smart, but they're probably walking straight into a massive trap if they actually pull this off. I mean, think about it. What is it that actually makes those 14 clubs big in the first place?

robybaggio said:
Those G14 owners might be aware, but I suppose they may not realize the primary pitfall they could encounter if they actually establish this. Specifically, what is it that makes those 14 clubs feel so significant in the first place?

fans 😕 🤣

Zorislav said:
fans 😕 🤣

ultras are idiots
😬