Phil Hay not been told anything about European Super League from inside Leeds United
The Athletic’s Phil Hay has not heard anything “on the record” from inside Leeds United on the European Super League this week.
Andrea Radrizzani has been fairly vocal about his displeasure on Twitter while Marcelo Bielsa and Patrick Bamford also showed they’re against the idea of the ESL on Monday night when Leeds drew 1-1 with Liverpool.
Since then, the ESL has crumbled, much to the delight of football fans across England and the rest of Europe.
When asked if he’s had word from inside Leeds or any specific comment on the ESL, Hay told The Phil Hay Show podcast: “They’ve not said anything on the record apart from what was said by Bielsa and Patrick Bamford on Monday night after the game.
“But they’re very, very unhappy – very unhappy – in the same way they were with Project Big Picture because they see themselves as one of the clubs in the Premier League who can grow and who can get stronger and can get more competitive.
“They’re one of the clubs that really do need an open field. Open field, open game, open door. They aren’t going to be in a closed shop tomorrow, they aren’t on that threshold just now but they do have plans to expand the stadium, they do have plans for a new training ground and they’ve got the 49ers on board and they do have significant financial support.”
Next stop, punishment
The ESL is no more but the fallout of the controversial project is bound to dominate headlines over the coming weeks and months because the next step is to punish those clubs who were involved.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham were willing to destroy English football as we know it. And for what? The financial gain of their greedy, gluttonous owners.
You keep seeing pundits and fans on social media crying out that these clubs should not be punished by the way of a points deduction or transfer ban because ‘it punishes the fans’.
But where was that outcry when Leeds were deducted 15 points in 2007 for entering administration? Where were those fans when Bolton, Portsmouth, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Wigan, Cambridge and Chester were dealt severe points deductions?
Was it the fans’ fault? Of course it wasn’t. Financial issues are down to owners but the Premier League, FA and EFL still punish clubs as a whole for them.
But the thing is, the ESL clubs were willing to cause irreparable damage to the Premier League, the EFL and English football as a whole. They weren’t just damaging themselves like owners of crisis clubs in the past. They were willing to tear apart the very fabric of this sport we love for their own gain.
Punish them beyond imagination. They deserve points deductions, fines, transfer bans and even relegation for their selfless acts.
We feel sorry for the fans of those clubs but they are no different to us.
In other Leeds United news, a pundit claims Leeds fans would be “devastated” if this speculation turns out to be true.