Bayern Munich are too big for the Bundesliga, says Karl-Heinz Rummenigge their CEO.
The German club are keen on membership of a European Super League of 20 top clubs to achieve their full potential.
Backing him up is the CEO of the Bundesliga, Christian Seiffert, who claims the advent of a super league would be good for the German ‘Brand’.
In a nutshell there you have it.
At the very top level, football is now only about the money.
It is corporate business driven by sheer greed and the desire to exclude those who might challenge the ability of the self-appointed elite to grab all the wealth for themselves.
The English Premier League is now far ahead of other top European leagues in purely revenue generating terms, so Bayern, Barcelona, Real Madrid and other top European sides will increasingly find it difficult to compete with sides in England who can pay higher wages to attract top talent.
The move to a super league is a naked attempt to exclude those supposed smaller sides with the ambition and temerity to challenge the top dogs. It stinks to high heaven.
Hard questions will be asked
Dundee United fans have smelt the coffee for some time now and the aroma has been very bitter.
Despite a terrific performance and win last week against Kilmarnock, relegation looks likely. If it happens there will be severe cuts to playing staff and to the youth set-up, which will seriously damage the future expectations of the club.
United have around 5,000 season ticket holders, much less than either Aberdeen or Hearts. The infrastructure is similar to those bigger clubs though, and that cannot be maintained in the Championship where income will be slashed.
There is no guarantee that the Tannadice side, if relegated, will immediately bounce back to the top league unless a bigger top flight is introduced, and that won’t be in time for next season.
United have been a top-six club in Scotland for so many years that it will come as a shock to their system to be dumped down a league.
Hard questions will be asked at the forthcoming AGM about where the substantial transfer income has gone and where the club goes from here.
In the meantime the players need to scrap with every ounce of their being to try to rescue the club from the potential disaster of the drop.
Time to remedy the famine
Dundee FC’s fortunes, unlike their neighbours, are on the upswing. Paul Hartley has a top-six finish in sight.
The American owners have gone about their business quietly and are reaping the rewards.
Dens Park has not been a watchword for stability in recent times, but the Dark Blues are progressing nicely. Next week’s Scottish Cup tie at Dumbarton presents a great chance to reach the quarter finals of a competition they have won only once, back in 1910. It’s time to remedy that famine.
There have been too many false dawns at Dens, but there has never been a better chance for the club to grasp a bright new future.