25 Nov 2015 21:19:00
Good Evening Eds,

ED002, if you are about. over the last 12 months or so, you have wrote some really interesting articles in regards to the pan European breakaway in which I have read with great interest

You have mentioned the meetings that take place (every 6 months in Monaco? . I might be wrong)

Has there been any meetings in the last 3 to 6 months that have happened, and if so, could you share any info that may of come out of them?

Or is it still work in progress?

Is it still attended by the G14? If I remember rightly this all the clubs who have won the Champions league since Porto in 2004

When it comes to the breakaway, how will it be decided what clubs go into it?

And who will be the governing body?

Apologies in advance if you may of answered these questions before . I thought I would try and bring a conversation to the table away from Klipperty etc as I have really enjoyed reading your lengthy and informative replies on this topic before

All the best

kemlynroad65.

{Ed002's Note - The meetings were annually but now they happen two and sometimes three times a year. There is a meeting in December - and there will be a discussion about the state of FIFA, the situation with UEFA and a so far unpublished claim from a retired referee that the result of a Champions League game was influenced by a third party. The last meeting was at the end of August and included discussions about media rights and a proposal from two clubs that Timing wise, two very prominent clubs, club vs country issues and a proposal to change the forma of the UEFA League. Much of the time was taken up with a proposal from two sides who wish to see a breakaway league much sooner than has other wise been discussed. It went to a vote where they had support from one other side with two abstaining.

In terms of attendees it includes some but not all of the G14 sides. The sides that eventually have the opportunity to go in to a breakaway in the first instance will be the sides partaking in the meetings.

They have been unable to agree on a Governing body, but it will need to be new and independent.}

1.) 26 Nov 2015
26 Nov 2015 10:52:44
Many thanks for the info, both appreciated and interesting.

As Liverpool had representatives in the original G14 (I have noticed this was disbanded in 2008 and replaced by a European FA with around a 100 clubs in it now) . do we still have a presence at these Monaco meetings?

Also Eds, have any more discussions taken place in regards to travelling / away fans, and if the clubs that do breakaway are actually going to have an away section in the ground?

Best regards.

{Ed002's Note - The European Club Association has no involvement in any of this, nor in anything else of note. Liverpool are not involved in any of the discussions. All fans will be welcome to the games.}

2.) 26 Nov 2015
26 Nov 2015 12:08:54
I know you say it is going to happen, I just think it will be bad for football. I know it needs to be restructured a bit, but who will be able to afford to go to away games more than once or twice a season if it was across Europe. I'm not sure how many teams you said would be in the league, but I recall you saying there would eventually be two leagues, but without champions league games, and say for English teams, no fa cup or league cup games, that's a lot less games. I know there will be more good games on, if there is another league, but I would still support Liverpool, presumably still in the epl, watch their games and only watch other games when I have time.
If the champions league was still around it would be Europa league teams mostly with a few extras.
Again, I know you said it is happening, but I pray it doesn't.

{Ed002's Note - There is little doubt that eventually this will happen. I hold a reasonably strong view in terms of the need to restructure football in Europe in any case. For me an eventual a breakaway pan-European league would force the restructuring of many of the national leagues, possibly resulting in a British league with perhaps only a couple of professional tiers and then regionalised amateur leagues below that. Financially I do not see that so many English pro sides can be sustained within the sport which, like it or not, will see more and more money going in to the highest levels of the game. Governments will ensure that grassroots sport get funding but everything in the middle (Southern, Northern, Conference, Division 2, Scottish Divisions 1-3, League of Wales will not get the funding needed to continue on any sort of professional basis.}

3.) 30 Nov 2015
30 Nov 2015 14:44:05
Is it possible that clubs could field two teams, one in the "EPL" and one in their national league with players being interchanged. Would they be allowed to?

{Ed002's Note - No - that won't happen. Once the clubs go they will go for good.}