KARREN BRADY – EXCLUSIVE
Just in case you think the threat of the European Super League has scotched the privilege of football’s self-chosen few, it hasn’t — not yet.
Uefa, aware of the media-entitled Dirty Dozen’s greed for more, more, more, had taken this into account when they re-drew plans for the Champions League.
Announced the day after the short-lived Super League coup, their plan accepted the right of the dozen to special treatment giving ‘clubs with the highest club coefficient over the last five years’ two places among the 36 in the first round.
This means simply that should, say, Leicester finish sixth in the Premier League and Spurs tenth, then Spurs having the ‘coefficient’ — a coverall word for a decent record and a big reputation — could go through.
Leicester, by the way, have as many Premier League titles as Liverpool, and one more than Spurs. Anyone can see this is not fair. It is a further connivance at gross favouritism and, indeed, a suggestion from Uefa that there were grounds for the breakaway.
There aren’t. The way to win a place must be on the field not in a cabal of men in suits. I watched four of the six give apologies to their fans and players for being part of the money cartel and wondered where the apology was to their colleagues in the Premier League, as well as all our managers, players and fans.
