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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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(SLOW PIANO MUSIC)

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So, I guess
we start with the obvious;

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this project, it's dead.

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That's it.
It's dead.

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It will go down as one of the worst
executed plans of all-time.

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A car crash really
for those 12 owners.

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You're so excited
about a sports story.

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The drama, the soap opera...
It's about the money...
..what's gonna happen next?

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..Not about the sport.
You've never seen anything like it.

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This is being seen as a power grab
motivated by greed.

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Fans burned jerseys,
Prince William tweeted in protest.

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The little guys, they're fighting
back and they're saying no...

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Why did it take just 48 hours

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for the biggest, most read story
to implode and crumble?

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(SLOW OMINOUS THEME)

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(INDISTINCT TALKING)

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(CONVERSATION IN SPANISH)

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No, no.

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(LAUGHING)

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At the start of the pandemic,

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the world was engulfed by uncertaint

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about the financial health
of the entire economy.

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The pandemic had a massive impact
on the finances of Football.

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Broadcast income became uncertain.

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No matchday revenues,

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and yet these huge wage bills
to continue paying.

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I was err called by a source of mine

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who was very well connected
in the football industry

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in the spring of 2020,

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and asked to meet him
in a restaurant in Central London.

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He said to me

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a number of Europe's top clubs
were in the process of establishing

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a new European Super League.

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They felt that they were
the biggest clubs,

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and they weren't receiving
their fair share.

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I was asked to keep
the information to myself.

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Unless these negotiations
had been conducted in secrecy,

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they would've been headed off
at the pass.

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UEFA, Europe's football governing
body had been, you know,

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well versed in um, thwarting
previous breakaway attempts.

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(CAR HONKS)

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The trail dates back to the 1990s
when Silvio Berlusconi

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floated the idea
of a Super League of some kind.

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In fact, ever since
the Premier League's creation

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in the early 1990s,

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there has been talk
about such a project being set up.

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My source told me serious financial
backers were being lined up,

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and that made it much more credible
than in the past.

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My instinct was to delay reporting i
until things were starting to develo

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into a much more concrete
and credible project.

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Good afternoon, and we start
with breaking news.

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Straight to our city editor
Mark Kleinman,

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who has the details.
Mark, what can you tell us?

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This is pretty seismic news
from the world of football.

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What I understand this afternoon

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is that Liverpool
and Manchester United

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are among a handful of English clubs

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who have been approached
to join something

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that is being unofficially called
at the moment

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the European Premier League.

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It was being led by Florentino
Perez, the president of Real Madrid,

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and a Madrid based investment firm
called Key Capital Partners.

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It was all about the money
that these clubs would secure

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in order to cement their status

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as the powerhouses of European club
football for decades to come.

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This could get announced
in the next couple of weeks,

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but key details
are still to be finalised,

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and given the fraught...

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It was literally weeks
away from being announced.

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Umm, then it went quiet.

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Someone somewhere is always talking
about starting a Super League.

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Someone somewhere always has a plan.

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It felt for a long time
that the Super League

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was the natural conclusion
of the era we were living through,

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that as you watched Bayern Munich
win every single Bundesliga title,

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as you watched Juventus
win nine in a row in Italy,

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as you watched Real Madrid
and Barcelona trade titles in Spain,

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that at some point
they were going to say,

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"We don't need the rest of you".

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And so the big clubs
for the last 30 years

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have believed that if they ran
their own competition,

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they could not only create
more revenue,

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they could keep more of it.

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Now that happens a lot

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with the negotiations
in the Champions League.

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The big clubs always use
the threat of,

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"We don't have to play
in your competition.

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We could go away on our own".

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That's always a threat,
and the answer is always

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the big clubs get a bit more money,

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UEFA give a little bit more ground,

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everyone keeps playing
in the Champions League.

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(SPEAKING SPANISH)

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I want to have it clear

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that I will not speak
about Super League.

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I don't want to hide anything,
I don't need to hide anything,

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but, concretely
about Super League I cannot.

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(CLAPPERBOARD CLAP)

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When I became the UEFA president,

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I realised that every evolution
makes somebody unhappy.

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We are the governing
body of European football

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and we have to take care
of all the stakeholders.

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We had a meeting
of the UEFA executive committee

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on the Monday morning
where we had on the agenda

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a decision on the reform
of the Champions League post-2024.

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We had an agreement:

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increase of the number of games,
and hopefully more exciting games

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with more...with more stakes
at every level.

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European competition
for the majority of the clubs

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brings the biggest revenues

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and since they pay their players
and coaches a lot,

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their sustainability was questioned
from time to time.

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So we discussed a lot

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but we came to a good solution,
I would say.

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The main goal was that we give
even more clubs

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a chance to play
an interesting competition.

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I got a text late on the Thursday

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saying last minute push
for a Super League from a colleague.

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At that stage,

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we both thought
it was the usual threat.

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It wasn't until the same colleague
contacted me on Sunday morning,

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disturbing my peace and said,
"UEFA are really concerned.

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It seems that they're going
to launch this weekend".

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It wasn't until the Sunday

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that umm, that the messages
started to be circulated.

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The first message that I received
was from Karen Brady at West Ham

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saying that she had heard something
was umm, something was afoot.

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I was out on a run actually

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which had turned to a walk
as these things sometimes do.

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The Chairman of the Premier League
called me.

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He said, "Look, we've been informed
that the Super League is real

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and the announcement's going out
tonight."

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It was known
that something was coming.

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The Premier League and the FA
had information,

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and things were starting
to leak out.

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What we didn't know was just quite
how grim it was going to be.

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00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:03,280
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

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I was with my son in Battersea Park

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and I received a call saying,
"That story you broke six months ago

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is about to happen".

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By the time I'd got home actually
The Times had run the story.

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(KEYBOARD CLICKS)

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A story about the Super League
wasn't a shock.

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The fact it was true
was the real shock

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because it was finally happening.

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Let's bring you
some breaking news now

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and it is very significant breaking
news in terms of the future of
football.

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(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

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(SPEAKING SPANISH)

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This was not a drill.

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This was a serious proposal

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with huge ramifications
for domestic football in this countr

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and across the rest of the game.

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This is elitism.

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It's pull the ladder up jack
and sod the rest.

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You greedy bastards.

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They've decided they're the greatest

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and they can't possibly be relegated
from that elite group.

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It's fundamentally wrong.

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There was a feeling
of personal betrayal.

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These are people that we
work alongside day in day out.

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You know, we are shareholders
ultimately of the Premier League.

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If it'd have been
in any other business,

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it would've been
an act of industrial espionage.

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You know, it was creating a cartel,

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it was having negotiations
in a clandestine fashion,

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and that was something that
the world of football just found
unpalatable.

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I felt sick.
This was the death of my club.

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This was destroying
the fabric of English football.

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(CROWD CHEERING)

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I think people viewed this
as an attack on the game,

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an attack on our supporters,

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an attack on their hopes and dreams.

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It struck at the very essence
of why our game's special

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and why our football pyramid
is special.

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That pyramid is the heart
of English football,

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it means that every city,
every community, every town

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has the ability to play
at the highest level.

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I could set up a team,
and if we got successive promotions,

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ultimately we could be playing
in the Premier League.

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00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:32,560
(WHISTLE)

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00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:36,800
(APPLAUSE)

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Football is the ultimate meritocracy
you know,

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at the beginning of each year
everybody starts with zero points

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and in theory you can go
from the bottom rung of football

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to the top rung of football.

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00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:51,480
(CROWD CHEER)

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A Premier League tale
without compare.

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00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:58,640
Leicester City
are the champions of England.

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00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:02,040
5,000 to 1 to win
the Barclays Premier League.

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00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:03,800
When Leicester can win
the Premier League

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00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:05,400
and qualify for the Champions League

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00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:07,880
there's always a possibility
that somebody will come along

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00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,600
and put the right investment
into your football club,

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and also the rest
of the football pyramid

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00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:15,760
wants to believe that they have
a chance of getting there

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00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:17,640
and this was taken away from them.

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00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,000
# We love you. We love you.
We love you

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00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:24,560
# And where you play we follow,
We follow, we follow

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00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,640
# 'Cause we support
The Palace, the Palace, the Palace

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00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:31,120
# And that's the way we like it,
We like it, we like it

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00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:36,840
# Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh #

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00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:45,760
I bought Crystal Palace
because it was my club,

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00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,520
I supported it since I was four
and it went out of business.

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00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,760
This is a football club,
not a business, it's a football club

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00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:56,680
it's...look, it's the heart
and soul of it,

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00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,600
the people want this club,
for us, not for money.

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00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:03,720
After six months
of trying to find a buyer

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00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:05,520
they couldn't find somebody.

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00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:09,200
I kind of ran out of excuses
and- and ended up-

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00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:10,760
ended up taking it on.

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00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,080
He says that the sales of players
have been delayed.

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00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:15,760
A deal is close.

216
00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,240
(CROWD CHEERS)

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00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:23,600
I should have stayed in advertising

218
00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,760
and I would be probably
a lot wealthier

219
00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,800
but maybe not quite as fulfilled
and happy. I don't know.

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00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,120
I don't think anybody
is quite prepared

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00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:37,320
for the nature of it as a business.

222
00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:38,920
You're gonna lose money,
it's just...

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00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,640
You just have to decide
how much you wanna lose.

224
00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:44,640
But I bought the club
out of administration.

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00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:46,040
We didn't own our own ground

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00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,520
and we had about six players
under contract.

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00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,200
That just might be the one

228
00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:57,920
to send Palace back
to the Premier League.

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00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,760
These are special, special moments

230
00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,960
for a club that was threatened
with extinction.

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00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:06,640
Two years later
we were in the biggest,

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00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:09,080
richest sporting competition
in the world.

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00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:12,920
Up steps Jedinak,
and goes for the corner!

234
00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:15,160
A brilliant free kick!

235
00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:20,240
And Palace score three goals
against Liverpool at Selhurst Park!

236
00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:23,720
For every club, something's at stake
for most of the season.

237
00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:28,520
The sheer mind-numbing fear
of relegation

238
00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:30,760
is what makes the thing
so competitive.

239
00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,800
To take that away
based on a period of history now

240
00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:37,320
and pull the drawbridge
up to the rest of the pyramid

241
00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:39,960
is an anathema to most
football fans.

242
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,960
You're saying to an Everton,
and to a Villa, and to a Leeds,

243
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,720
clubs that have had European glory,

244
00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:53,040
you were saying to these clubs,
"Sorry, the music's stopped, and...

245
00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:55,880
and you weren't in the right place".

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00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:00,280
It's a wonderfully warm weekend
in London.

247
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:02,960
Seats around the Emirates
sadly remain vacant

248
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:07,560
but, in any other regard
it is a picture-perfect Sunday.

249
00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:12,000
All Sunday we were trying
to get a response from Arsenal,

250
00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:14,520
and there was radio silence.

251
00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:16,120
And I think my position then,

252
00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,240
I told people that, no,
I will still go to games,

253
00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,200
but I'll wear funeral black
and present a wreath every game,

254
00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:24,640
'cause they've killed
English football.

255
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,120
Davis...It's a goal!
(CROWD CHEERS)

256
00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:32,400
I grew up in Highbury.
Arsenal's my club.

257
00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:35,120
It's what I do week in, week out.

258
00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,920
It's the highs of winning titles,

259
00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:40,600
it's the lows of not winning
very much

260
00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:42,760
as Arsenal have been doing
more recently.

261
00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:48,520
For generations Arsenal have been
owned by Arsenal supporters,

262
00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,120
fans who've become fortunate enough
or wealthy enough

263
00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:53,800
to own a stake in the club.

264
00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:58,800
The boardroom
was full of Arsenal supporters,

265
00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:03,720
so it was a huge change to have
an overseas investor come in,

266
00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:07,520
somebody who had been attracted
by the value of media rights.

267
00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:14,080
Stan Kroenke has been very hostile
towards Arsenal fans.

268
00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:17,080
He used something in English law
called the squeeze out procedure

269
00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:20,000
where you can compulsively buy
the shares,

270
00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,880
and all of a sudden Arsenal
is 100% owned

271
00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:27,160
by an American investor who's
re-registered the club in Delaware.

272
00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:31,200
Well, you need to remember
and what's core to this story

273
00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,040
is the benefit of a closed
or semi closed league

274
00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:36,280
is that it looks a lot more
like US sport

275
00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:38,400
where leagues are run
for the benefit of the owner

276
00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:43,120
as a founding principle,
and then everything flows from that.

277
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,640
Much of the rest of the press
is focused on player transfers

278
00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:48,000
and fan journalism.

279
00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:51,080
We try to deliver
the business journalism on it.

280
00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:53,160
Follow the money not the ball.

281
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,000
That's the motto of our coverage.

282
00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:00,280
The thing that has been delivering
the most value is the media rights

283
00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,200
and it's incredibly valuable.

284
00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:05,040
As media rights become
more and more important,

285
00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:09,400
they're pursuing customers
across every market in the world.

286
00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:11,960
(CHEER)

287
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,760
And they don't necessarily
wanna see Norwich play Burnley,

288
00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:17,000
no offence to either team.

289
00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:19,760
In the sort of minds of
the architects of the Super League,

290
00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,000
what they needed to do was put on
the biggest show on Earth.

291
00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:26,400
(CROWD CHEERS)

292
00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:28,920
And they need the biggest names
and the biggest clubs

293
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,400
playing frequently to establish that

294
00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:47,440
Goalless at Old Trafford

295
00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:49,720
but no doubt that first half
has been overshadowed

296
00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:52,120
by this breaking news this afternoon

297
00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:56,920
which could have a seismic effect
on European football.

298
00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:01,760
What lay behind this that made it so
gripping for so many people

299
00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:05,040
is you had really rich,
powerful people,

300
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:09,840
trying to steal a dream away
from the everyday person.

301
00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:16,200
The Glazer family
bought Manchester United in 2005,

302
00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:18,560
and it was
a highly contentious takeover.

303
00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:22,400
Would you be able to give a message
to the Manchester United fans

304
00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:24,720
who are desperate to hear from you?

305
00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:28,000
Well, we're here today to celebrate
the Super Bowl in Tampa in 2009,

306
00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:31,000
we're- Sure but there are obviously
thousands of Manchester United fans

307
00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:33,440
who are looking forward
to hearing from Mr Glazer

308
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,480
in what is a period of real anxiety
for them.

309
00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:38,560
Mr Glazer?

310
00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,800
All of a sudden money was coming
out of the club.

311
00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:43,680
It was being paid in dividends
to the Glazer family.

312
00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:45,880
The owners very rarely came
to the stadium.

313
00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:47,800
When they did come to the stadium,

314
00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,080
you know, supporters would sing
about killing them. It was brutal.

315
00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:55,400
# How we'll kill him, I don't know
Cut him up from head to toe

316
00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:58,400
# All I know is Glazer's gotta die!

317
00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:01,240
# He's gonna die!
He's gonna die! #

318
00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:03,360
These American owners,

319
00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:07,920
they look at the Premier League
and the jeopardy, it terrifies them.

320
00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:11,920
If you have an asset that's worth
two billion, three billion,

321
00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:14,240
you wanna protect that asset.

322
00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:18,440
In the NFL there's no relegation.

323
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:19,720
You're locked in.

324
00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,400
With the Premier League,
it's a lot more scary.

325
00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,240
It's also why it's so popular.

326
00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:28,320
(WHISTLES)

327
00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:31,000
The reports are suggesting
that England's traditional big six

328
00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,480
along with the three biggest clubs
in Italy and Spain

329
00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:38,360
have all signed letters of intent
to join a new European Super League,

330
00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,720
there is even suggestion there could
be a formal announcement later this
evening.

331
00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:44,640
Rashford.

332
00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,280
He's slipped away from Lowton
as though he weren't there.

333
00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:51,280
And Marcus Rashford's kept
on dancing, Fernandez let it roll,

334
00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:53,760
That's a smashing United goal!

335
00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,000
The clubs involved would need
Premier League permission

336
00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:01,360
to take part and without it,
you know what that means,

337
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:04,120
they would have to break away
entirely from the Premier League.

338
00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:06,480
So the Premier League itself
is at threat.

339
00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:09,000
This is the most popular product
in world football.

340
00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,000
And Manchester United are saying,

341
00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,080
"Well look, we are
the most popular force here.

342
00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:17,520
"We are the ones that are basically
carrying you guys on our backs

343
00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:19,360
and we deserve more money".

344
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:23,040
Westwood's corner. TARKOWSKI!

345
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,640
This was saying, no matter
what you guys do,

346
00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:30,120
you're always gonna be down there,

347
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,800
because we get richer
and you get poorer.

348
00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:35,400
And that's what,
I think that's what the public saw.

349
00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:37,960
"Today, I've walked away
from my football club.

350
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,400
I can't support this. I can't.
It's an absolute disgrace.

351
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,360
Who do they think they are?"

352
00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:45,560
It's found its way in!

353
00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:49,920
"It shows the contempt these yanks
have for United supporters.

354
00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,080
They can bleed the club dry,
that's one thing,

355
00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:54,840
but now they're bleeding heritage?
Nah."

356
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:59,960
Donny van der Beek, Edinson Cavani,
Manchester United's points.

357
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:03,760
It was left to Ed Woodward,

358
00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:05,960
the Manchester United
Executive Vice Chairman

359
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:09,880
to tell his manager
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about the plans

360
00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:13,040
after the news had broken
in a corridor at Old Trafford,

361
00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,600
and then Solskjaer had to go
and face a Sky Sports interviewer.

362
00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:18,160
Do you understand at all

363
00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:20,840
what the proposals might mean
for you and your players?

364
00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:24,840
I don't, I haven't looked into it.
I've been just focusing on this game

365
00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,920
So I just need to sit down
and see what it is

366
00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,240
and the club
will probably comment on it later.

367
00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:33,200
Sky had the rights
to the Premier League.

368
00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,840
It's their golden ticket.
It's what people subscribe for.

369
00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:39,040
It's just greed, that's the only wor
I would use to describe it.

370
00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:42,840
For them to want to pull away
now it's just...

371
00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:44,240
It's a disgrace to be honest.

372
00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:46,280
Let's bring in Gary Neville.

373
00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,400
I mean I'm a Manchester United fan
and have been for 40 years of my lif

374
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,400
but I'm disgusted,
absolutely disgusted.

375
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:55,800
They're breaking away
into a league without competition,

376
00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:57,480
that they can't be relegated from.

377
00:23:57,520 --> 00:23:59,800
Manchester United aren't even
in the Champions League.

378
00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,520
Arsenal aren't even in the Champions
League. You saw them earlier,

379
00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:04,680
they're an absolute shambles
of a club at the moment.

380
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:06,520
Tottenham aren't
in the Champions League.

381
00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:08,480
And they want a God-given right
to be in there?

382
00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,000
The owners of Manchester United,
the owners of Liverpool,

383
00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:13,480
the owners of Chelsea,
the owners of Manchester City,

384
00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,680
they're an absolute joke,
and honestly the time has come now;

385
00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,160
independent regulator:

386
00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:22,200
stop these clubs having the power
base, enough is enough.

387
00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:25,760
Sky have been really important
to the Premier League's growth

388
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,120
and the Premier League
has been important to Sky's growth.

389
00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:29,680
A Super League might've
changed that.

390
00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,800
They might have done a deal
with Netflix and all of a sudden
you have a problem.

391
00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:36,760
# When I was young and just a boy

392
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:40,320
# I asked my mother what will it be

393
00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:45,800
# Will it be Arsenal,
Will it be Spurs

394
00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:49,000
# Here's what she says to me #

395
00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:52,240
(FANS CHANT)

396
00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:54,920
Millwall fans twice invaded
the Luton pitch,

397
00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,920
fighting a running battle
with the police.

398
00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,040
English football
before the Premier League

399
00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:02,800
was in a pretty sad state.

400
00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:06,360
All we're going for is, right,
a good game of football,

401
00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,800
a good punch-up, and a good piss-up.

402
00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:12,280
You'd had a terrible bust up
between fans.

403
00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:14,680
It wasn't very well policed.

404
00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:17,360
You'd had Heysel,

405
00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:19,960
you'd had Hillsborough.

406
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,440
I mean, I remember
stopping taking my kids to it,

407
00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:26,200
'cause I thought it wasn't safe.

408
00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:33,960
I really got involved in football
when I became Chairman of ITV Sport.

409
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:38,800
I said, "You know, I'm sure we
can make football meaningful again

410
00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,640
to the British public
if we can get live rights."

411
00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,520
I negotiated really with the five
biggest clubs at the time.

412
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:48,200
Which were Manchester-
which were Manchester United,

413
00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:51,440
Spurs, Arsenal,
Liverpool and Everton.

414
00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:54,040
And then they said, "Well how much
d'you think we'll get each?"

415
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,320
And I said, "Million pounds?"
And their eyes bulged.

416
00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:04,600
And the luckiest thing was the first
season we had these live rights

417
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:07,600
was the season
where Liverpool played Arsenal

418
00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:09,920
in the last game of the season.

419
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:11,960
To Thomas charging
through the midfield!

420
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,840
Thomas, it's up for grabs now!

421
00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,840
Thomas! Right at the end!

422
00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:20,280
(CROWD CHEERS)

423
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:23,240
And of course Arsenal won 2-0

424
00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:26,080
and became the champions
of Division One.

425
00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:33,080
And that was a massive bonus,
I mean, we got an enormous audience.

426
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:35,480
When the ITV deal
was coming to an end,

427
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,600
I said, "Look I don't think
you're gonna get this deal again,

428
00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:41,000
are you gonna do anything about it?"

429
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,680
And that night they decided
to set up the Premier League.

430
00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:47,640
The Football Association
has been meeting this morning

431
00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:51,080
to discuss plans to set up
a new 18 team Super League.

432
00:26:51,120 --> 00:26:55,640
I was the person who tried to stop
live football going onto Sky.

433
00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:57,920
I thought ITV would get the rights.

434
00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:00,120
Having seen what has happened
in the last month,

435
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,520
you couldn't be confident of
anything going through, but one
hopes so.

436
00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,960
I turned out to be wrong.

437
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,080
They paid a lot of money
for the rights.

438
00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:12,920
Football's new Premier League
has struck a £300 million deal

439
00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:16,120
which means its matches will only be
seen live on satellite TV.

440
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:20,320
They wanted more people
to take dishes, have a Sky box,

441
00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:25,080
and pay a subscription
and they saw football as something

442
00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:27,520
that would drive
their subscriber base,

443
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:29,400
and it worked for them brilliantly.

444
00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:31,880
Delighted to be
part of the FA Premier League.

445
00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:33,960
It's a whole new ball game
for all of us.

446
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:36,920
And remember, this is the only place
you'll see live

447
00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:38,560
Premier League football.

448
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,520
You've gotta look
where power lies in the end,

449
00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:46,160
and power lies with the big clubs.

450
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,960
The idea of the Super League
has been around a long time,

451
00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:57,760
just like the idea
of the Premier League

452
00:27:57,800 --> 00:27:59,280
was around for quite a long time.

453
00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:01,800
The difference is when they set up
the Premier League,

454
00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,560
all the clubs
in the old First Division

455
00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:07,720
were invited to join
and the FA supported it.

456
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,360
The Super League
didn't have that at all.

457
00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,160
It was going to knock out
all the other clubs,

458
00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,040
it would have no promotion
and relegation.

459
00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:22,200
What makes football exciting
is that clubs like mine, Brentford,

460
00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:24,400
can get into the Premier League.

461
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:26,760
That's what makes it exciting.

462
00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:31,040
The moment you can't, what's it for?

463
00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,680
Here's Cantona! He's done it!

464
00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:36,400
(CROWD CHEERS)

465
00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:39,480
The Premier League was a recognition

466
00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:41,960
that if you looked at the NFL
in the United States...

467
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:45,880
Beckham! That's absolutely brilliant

468
00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:50,280
..a single competition could create
an economic powerhouse.

469
00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,960
Henry! Whoa! What a goal!

470
00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:59,880
And they created the most successful
sports league we've ever seen.

471
00:28:59,920 --> 00:29:01,600
Aguerro!

472
00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:05,960
Rooney!

473
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:10,960
The Premier League knows that
the big six clubs are central

474
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:12,120
to its appeal.

475
00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:14,400
Mo Salah! Beautifully done.

476
00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,600
If they're competing somewhere else
then you have a real problem.

477
00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:19,960
The Super League
was an existential threat.

478
00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:22,680
There is genuine money
to be lost here.

479
00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:31,600
"UEFA are furious that this seems
to be back on the table

480
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,280
on the eve of their big executive
announcement

481
00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:38,760
about the reformed Champions League.
It's clear this is not going away."

482
00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,120
They thought that if they
were making the announcement

483
00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:47,720
before the decision,
they would look less like betrayers.

484
00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:52,720
It was definitely a personal sense
of disappointment

485
00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:57,760
because we'd worked so hard
trying to find solutions together,

486
00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:02,120
and you see that these efforts
were met by this kind of behaviour.

487
00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:06,400
But you know, in the end
we had to- to take the high road

488
00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:09,120
and we continued to fight.

489
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:14,560
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

490
00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:33,120
The breakaway clubs have been warned
they could be thrown out

491
00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:34,600
of European competitions

492
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,400
and even the Premier League
if they don't back down.

493
00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:39,600
Look at the language
from UEFA, three words:

494
00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:42,520
"Enough is enough".
They are furious.

495
00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:47,120
Sports politics is sometimes worse
than normal politics.

496
00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:48,880
Football especially.

497
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:55,560
There's a lot of passion,
a lot of influence and a lot of mone

498
00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,680
which brings many interesting people

499
00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:02,080
many crooks, many dangerous people,

500
00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:05,200
and it's a challenge every day.

501
00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:10,360
Six Premier League clubs
have agreed to be part of a plan

502
00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,280
for a new European Super League.

503
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,560
There's already
enormous opposition to the plan

504
00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:19,440
with UEFA and the Premier League
threatening bans for clubs and
players.

505
00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,760
Throughout Sunday there was
a succession of different people

506
00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,160
and different bodies
coming out against it.

507
00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,520
I think by that stage the politician
were already involved in some way.

508
00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:36,360
Well, Oliver Dowden is the secretary
of state for digital culture media
and sport

509
00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:37,440
and he tweeted:

510
00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:40,200
"Football supporters are the
heartbeat of our national sport

511
00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:44,640
and any major decisions made
should have their backing."

512
00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:46,760
In the middle of a pandemic,

513
00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:49,760
the Prime Minister weighs in
on a football story.

514
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:53,840
That suggests the scale of it.

515
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:56,440
You felt probably
by about seven in the evening,

516
00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:59,440
this is now
a kind of generational story.

517
00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,280
There are reports that
an announcement could be made soon

518
00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:05,280
about plans for the formation
of a breakaway tournament.

519
00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:09,920
Does this new breakaway
European Super League reveal to us

520
00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:12,720
that the relentless march
of globalisation

521
00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:16,360
is reaching its pinnacle,
and nothing matters but money?

522
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:18,960
There's just a complete lack
of understanding of our game

523
00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:20,360
and what's in our hearts

524
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:22,680
when we go and watch football
and when we play the game.

525
00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:25,480
Those top six clubs
who have agreed to this

526
00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:29,280
want more money, I just think
it's absolutely disgusting.

527
00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:31,280
And that was before
the announcement,

528
00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:34,600
that this was still something
that had not yet happened.

529
00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:37,880
So there's still
that little kernel of scepticism,

530
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:41,520
firstly that UEFA will do a deal,
this is an act of brinkmanship,

531
00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:44,520
but also these clubs
will see this reaction,

532
00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:47,440
and they will realise
they cannot possibly do this,

533
00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:50,880
that this is going to be a disaster.

534
00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:03,560
One of the most dramatic
and pivotal relationships

535
00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,400
in this whole saga,
on a personal level,

536
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,000
is the one between Aleksander
Ceferin who is the president of UEFA

537
00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:13,840
and Agnelli, who is the Chairman
of the European Clubs Association.

538
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:20,960
Andrea Agnelli is the latest
in the Agnelli family to serve

539
00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,000
as the President of Juventus.

540
00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:28,480
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

541
00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:37,760
The Agnelli family created Fiat

542
00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:40,200
which of course is
the automobile company.

543
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:44,200
And in 1926 Edoardo Agnelli,
he wanted to buy a football club

544
00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:46,800
for all of the people
who'd come to work for Fiat.

545
00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:49,840
You could see Agnelli's world view

546
00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:55,400
as a reflection of the Juventus
world view which is quite
patriarchal.

547
00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:57,680
"We are the ones in control
of this club,

548
00:33:57,720 --> 00:34:00,520
in control of this company,
and here is what we're giving you".

549
00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:05,560
(ITALIAN COMMENTARY)

550
00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:12,400
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

551
00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:22,760
What we want to make sure that
we remain loyal to our principles

552
00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:25,920
in making sure the voice
of the clubs is heard

553
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:29,960
because we are the ones carrying
the entrepreneurial risks.

554
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:34,520
Ten days before the European
Super League story broke,

555
00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:38,560
Andrea Agnelli was very much
publicly presenting himself

556
00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:42,520
as someone who was focused solely on
the reform of the Champions League,

557
00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:44,840
something that he
had been negotiating

558
00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:49,160
as the Chairman of the European
Clubs Association with UEFA.

559
00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:53,760
I think we're very close
to my ideal Champions League.

560
00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:55,840
That's the hope

561
00:34:55,880 --> 00:35:00,880
that both President Ceferin
and I have

562
00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:04,320
for the competition post-2024.

563
00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:07,880
When you talk
about Agnelli's growing influence,

564
00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:11,840
some of it stems from the closeness
of his personal relationship

565
00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:14,560
with someone who is
at the head of UEFA,

566
00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:16,800
European football's governing body.

567
00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:21,040
They're so close that Ceferin
is godparent to Agnelli's daughter.

568
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:29,480
On Sunday afternoon

569
00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:31,960
at the time
when the European Super League,

570
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:35,480
a new project that's going
to revolutionise European football

571
00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:38,000
is appearing on our radars,

572
00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:41,560
Andrea Agnelli, the Chairman
of the European Clubs Association

573
00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:43,800
is suddenly nowhere to be found.

574
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:52,680
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

575
00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:20,080
Well, it appears this proposal
of the European Super League

576
00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:23,320
is going ahead. Bryan Swanson,
what can you tell us?

577
00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:26,760
We expected developments and we have
had it the last couple of minutes.

578
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:29,400
A statement's leading
European football clubs announce

579
00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:31,120
a new Super League competition,

580
00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:33,640
it says 12 of Europe's
leading football clubs

581
00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:35,720
have today come together to announce

582
00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:38,760
they have agreed to establish
a new midweek competition,

583
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,960
the Super League,
governed by its founding clubs.

584
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,040
They published a press release,

585
00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:49,600
and press go
on a fairly basic website.

586
00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:53,600
It doesn't seem
like the sort of thing

587
00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:55,960
that you put out quickly
on a Sunday night.

588
00:36:57,080 --> 00:37:00,080
And what was really curious
was that Florentino Perez

589
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,920
would be the central figure
in the Super League,

590
00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:05,640
with support from Andrea Agnelli
and Joel Glazer,

591
00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:07,880
one of the owners
of Manchester United.

592
00:37:09,240 --> 00:37:11,800
Joel Glazer's not going to persuade
a Manchester City fan

593
00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:14,280
this is a good idea,
that's not going to work.

594
00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:16,960
Florentino Perez isn't going
to persuade a Barcelona fan

595
00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:18,600
that they should sign up
for this thing.

596
00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:21,440
It gave the sense that it was
just being presented to fans

597
00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:25,080
as a fait accompli and there was
nothing anybody could do about it.

598
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:28,280
So much focus and attention

599
00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:31,440
must've gone into getting
these 12 clubs aligned,

600
00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:32,840
which was so hard to do

601
00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:34,480
but no one actually made the case

602
00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:36,320
for why they thought
this was a good idea.

603
00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:39,960
It ultimately had the net effect
of making this look like a heist.

604
00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:46,520
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

605
00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:53,920
It's the same
as in any other business.

606
00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:56,360
Some you can trust, some you can't.

607
00:37:58,720 --> 00:38:00,760
They also say here
that the founding clubs

608
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,600
will receive an amount of...

609
00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:07,520
..phoar,
three and a half billion euros,

610
00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:10,760
solely to support their
infrastructure and investment plans,

611
00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:13,840
and to offset the impact
of the Covid pandemic.

612
00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:16,720
Yeah, this is about money.

613
00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:32,720
# Summer - Vivaldi #

614
00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:34,760
"One of our main stories
this morning,

615
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:38,320
it's been called the biggest shake-u
in the sport's history."

616
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,520
"The announcement has prompted
a really strong reaction

617
00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:44,760
from fans and governing bodies
alike."

618
00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:50,200
(SPANISH COMMENTARY)

619
00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:57,160
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

620
00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:03,720
(ITALIAN COMMENTARY)

621
00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:08,000
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

622
00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:20,560
This is a huge thing, you have
Macron now screaming about it,

623
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:22,600
Boris Johnson out there.

624
00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:26,360
There are hundreds
of billions of dollars at stake here

625
00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:28,560
It takes a big story of any sort

626
00:39:28,600 --> 00:39:31,120
to get on to the front page
of the New York Times.

627
00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:34,840
Like all the best sports stories,
it wasn't about sport at all,

628
00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:36,680
it was about business and greed,

629
00:39:36,720 --> 00:39:41,560
and power struggles,
suspicion and distrust.

630
00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:43,960
Anything else at all
could have been happening that day,

631
00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:45,680
there was
no other story in the world.

632
00:39:45,720 --> 00:39:49,280
The biggest business story of
the day actually, globally is this -

633
00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,760
a massive shake-up
in the world of soccer.

634
00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:56,560
This decision is monumental,
and I'm heartbroken by it,

635
00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:59,440
genuinely heartbroken by it.
I'm heartbroken

636
00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:04,560
because the owners of these teams
have displayed the worst kind of
greed

637
00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:06,640
I've ever seen in sport.

638
00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:09,640
Twelve of the biggest clubs
on the planet have banded together

639
00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:13,080
to form a rebel competition
to rival the Champions League

640
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,680
and it's started a sporting war.

641
00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:20,880
I woke up on Monday
pretty convinced it was real.

642
00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:24,200
The Champions League,
as we know it, was dead.

643
00:40:24,240 --> 00:40:26,600
The Premier League and Serie A
and La Liga

644
00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:30,600
might be functionally dead as well,
because they, by that stage,

645
00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:32,680
they were threatening to throw
the teams out

646
00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:34,480
of their domestic competitions.

647
00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:37,240
This is a big, big deal.
Which teams, Ash?

648
00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:40,800
Real Madrid, AC Milan, Arsenal,
I had question marked that,

649
00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:44,600
Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona,
Inter Milan, Juventus,

650
00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:48,040
Liverpool, Man City, Man U,
and I question this, Tottenham,

651
00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:49,840
but that's beside the point.

652
00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:52,280
There are no big German teams
or French teams.

653
00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:56,680
No Bayern Munich, no PSG,
because they are not interested.

654
00:40:56,720 --> 00:41:00,760
It wasn't a surprise that it was
those twelve clubs.

655
00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:02,800
There was a couple
that you might've thrown in,

656
00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:04,680
you might've expected
to have been involved.

657
00:41:04,720 --> 00:41:07,320
And there's a couple
that it's easy to scoff at,

658
00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:08,960
and say,
"Why are Tottenham involved?

659
00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:10,960
What have they got to do
with the Super League?"

660
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:12,320
What was more interesting

661
00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:14,440
was the fact that they
were all working together,

662
00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:18,160
despite the fact that so many
of them are natural antagonists.

663
00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:25,800
The 12 clubs
were really uneasy bedfellows.

664
00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:30,240
You have these old
European aristocratic houses

665
00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:33,400
who are either desperate for money
and desperate for relevance,

666
00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:35,560
and they can't compete
with the Premier League,

667
00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:38,360
they are at a massive
financial disadvantage.

668
00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:40,520
You then have the teams
in the Premier League

669
00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:43,480
but they can't compete with PSG
and Manchester City,

670
00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:47,280
because they have bottomless money
to spend on players.

671
00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:51,400
"Welcome once again
your owner, Sheikh Mansour!"

672
00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:55,600
Manchester City
and Paris Saint-Germain

673
00:41:55,640 --> 00:41:58,080
are effectively state-owned clubs

674
00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:00,560
who are willing to allocate
unlimited money

675
00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:03,880
towards the pursuit of trophies
and players

676
00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:05,800
because these
are soft power exercises

677
00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:09,640
by the countries that own them.
They're part of a political project.

678
00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:14,360
This morning it has been confirmed

679
00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:18,720
that this Super League
is being financed by JP Morgan.

680
00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:21,520
The figures are staggering,

681
00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:24,560
But now we know
where the money is coming from.

682
00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:27,640
JP Morgan was providing the debt

683
00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:30,840
that would effectively fund
the launch of the Super League,

684
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:34,480
so it was between  3.25
and  3.5 billion.

685
00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:37,320
Every founding member would get
effectively a welcome bonus

686
00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:40,360
between  200-300 million.

687
00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:43,200
And then obviously the knowledge
that the media rights would provide

688
00:42:43,240 --> 00:42:47,640
250 million of guaranteed revenues
in perpetuity for 23 years

689
00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:49,120
to each of these clubs.

690
00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:51,240
It's a huge, huge financial benefit.

691
00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:55,880
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

692
00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:08,640
(CROWD CHANTS)

693
00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:12,520
Agnelli took this huge gamble
on Cristiano Ronaldo,

694
00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:17,080
signing him for  100 million,
and  30 million a year wages...

695
00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:20,680
(CROWD CHEERS)

696
00:43:20,720 --> 00:43:25,440
..timed with horrible misfortune,
right before a pandemic came

697
00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:28,240
and his club has lost
hundreds of millions.

698
00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:34,000
Real Madrid and their galactico era
is coming to an end.

699
00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:38,120
Barcelona had confessed
to a billion euros in debt,

700
00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:42,240
more than... these clubs needed
the Super League.

701
00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:56,800
We were reaching
the end of the pandemic,

702
00:43:56,840 --> 00:43:59,040
so it was the first time in months

703
00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:03,040
that we were meeting all together
in the same place.

704
00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:07,280
At some point
between Sunday and Monday,

705
00:44:07,320 --> 00:44:10,840
UEFA's main response went
from being fear

706
00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:13,640
to defiance and determination.

707
00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:18,640
We got information
about some secret talks for months,

708
00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:22,520
but we trusted people, we are-
we might be naive,

709
00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:27,280
but for me it's always better
to be naive than to be a liar.

710
00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:29,520
(CHUCKLES)

711
00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:31,680
"In a way I'm happy
that this happened,

712
00:44:31,720 --> 00:44:35,240
because before we were always
thinking, where are they hiding?

713
00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:39,040
We heard rumours about this and
that, and, you know, now we know.

714
00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:44,200
There are twelve people
who don't care about anybody else,

715
00:44:44,240 --> 00:44:46,240
who think they can get
even more money,

716
00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:49,080
and they're already
unbelievably rich.

717
00:44:50,360 --> 00:44:56,160
This narcissism is so typical
for this group, but it's OK.

718
00:44:56,200 --> 00:45:00,440
He really spoke with his heart,
which is...

719
00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:03,840
Which is what you have to do
in a situation like this.

720
00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:08,160
I spoke with Agnelli
I think 20 times in the last days.

721
00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:10,040
The last time on Saturday,

722
00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:12,760
when I said, "I hear rumours
about some Super League",

723
00:45:12,800 --> 00:45:16,720
and he says, "No, this is a lie,
don't believe it.

724
00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:20,800
I will call you back in one hour",
and he turned off the phone.

725
00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:26,560
So, it's hard to believe the level
of immorality of some people.

726
00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:27,960
I mean...

727
00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:32,520
He felt like he had been betrayed
by Agnelli, who was someone

728
00:45:32,560 --> 00:45:34,520
who he clearly considered
a very close friend,

729
00:45:34,560 --> 00:45:37,080
and also, beyond that,
he'd also been betrayed

730
00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:39,320
by other people
who he had relationships with.

731
00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:41,640
I spoke with the CEO,

732
00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:44,480
or whatever he is
at Manchester United,

733
00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:46,160
Ed Woodward, on Thursday.

734
00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:49,800
He called me, he says,
"Great reforms, I fully support it".

735
00:45:49,840 --> 00:45:53,120
And then next day we get this.

736
00:45:54,240 --> 00:45:56,720
Football became a big business,

737
00:45:56,760 --> 00:46:00,960
and that's why some people
that don't care much about football

738
00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:05,400
and care about the profit only,
came in.

739
00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:09,400
This is not an industry.

740
00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:12,880
We are not for profit only.

741
00:46:12,920 --> 00:46:17,320
They think it's a party
for a few rich people

742
00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:20,120
who sit in the room
and decide about everything.

743
00:46:20,160 --> 00:46:21,680
We have what we have

744
00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:25,400
and football will not be sold
to, I call them, dirty dozen.

745
00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:31,280
So?
Good selection, huh?

746
00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:34,600
By Monday, it seemed
like Aleksander Ceferin,

747
00:46:34,640 --> 00:46:37,440
the man who is literally the centre
of power in European football,

748
00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:39,520
was the leader of a revolution.

749
00:46:40,240 --> 00:46:44,200
The strange thing about that is that
UEFA are nobody's idea of a saviour,

750
00:46:44,240 --> 00:46:47,600
but in that situation
your enemy's enemy is your friend.

751
00:46:50,080 --> 00:46:52,120
The thing that bothered me most

752
00:46:52,160 --> 00:46:54,960
was the sense of entitlement
from them clubs,

753
00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:58,400
the dislocation from a league system

754
00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:02,040
which however imperfect,
kept other clubs afloat.

755
00:47:02,080 --> 00:47:04,520
You know, we're talking
about the football pyramid here,

756
00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:07,400
not just an elite number
of football clubs.

757
00:47:07,440 --> 00:47:10,240
(FANS CHANTING)

758
00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:23,000
Me dad was a Liverpool supporter
and he put me in Anfield Road end

759
00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:26,680
when I was five years of age
and I was- I was gone then.

760
00:47:26,720 --> 00:47:28,640
It falls for Kenny Dalglish...

761
00:47:28,680 --> 00:47:30,120
(FANS CHEER)

762
00:47:30,160 --> 00:47:33,440
...and the player manager celebrates
with a second goal.

763
00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:40,800
Football should always be
about the community.

764
00:47:42,240 --> 00:47:45,680
It should be a representation
of the community,

765
00:47:45,720 --> 00:47:48,640
and without community
and the supporters,

766
00:47:48,680 --> 00:47:50,240
football's nothing.

767
00:47:52,720 --> 00:47:55,120
And we've seen that during Covid.

768
00:47:55,160 --> 00:48:00,080
The football was on to empty stadium
and it was just on, it was noise.

769
00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:03,680
I think everybody in Liverpool knows

770
00:48:03,720 --> 00:48:06,400
that I'm a massive
Liverpool supporter.

771
00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:10,280
I've been involved in fan activism
for over a decade now.

772
00:48:10,320 --> 00:48:15,040
The Spirit of Shankly was born out
of the debacle of Hicks and Gillett.

773
00:48:15,080 --> 00:48:17,640
The word respect is, I think,

774
00:48:17,680 --> 00:48:21,240
the way we feel about the heritage
and legacy of this franchise.

775
00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:24,080
They came to Liverpool
with all these promises

776
00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:26,760
of new stadiums and everything else.

777
00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:29,600
It's all about the fans
and making sure that

778
00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,800
the quality of the experience for
the fans is as good as it can be.

779
00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:35,680
It was a disastrous period
in Liverpool's history...

780
00:48:35,720 --> 00:48:38,680
(FANS CHANT)

781
00:48:41,880 --> 00:48:45,400
..and many, many other good people
became part of that campaign,

782
00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:48,520
which eventually forced
Hicks and Gillett to sell up,

783
00:48:48,560 --> 00:48:52,040
and that's when we entered
into the FSG era.

784
00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:57,200
The cheers were of joy,
the message of relief.

785
00:48:58,600 --> 00:49:04,000
We have a lot of work to do,
and I can't tell you how happy I am

786
00:49:04,040 --> 00:49:07,920
that we finally,
finally got to this point.

787
00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:14,160
John Henry had done
quite a job of work, and FSG.

788
00:49:14,200 --> 00:49:19,000
I'd say they'd have
a positive score card, as owners.

789
00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:23,400
But then a decision had been made
to take Liverpool Football Club,

790
00:49:23,440 --> 00:49:26,640
to put it in this edifice

791
00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:31,440
which had been created
by billionaire owners,

792
00:49:31,480 --> 00:49:36,200
without any sort of regard to speak
to the people

793
00:49:36,240 --> 00:49:39,480
that I believe
are the lifeblood of the game.

794
00:49:39,520 --> 00:49:41,880
And I wanted to go into Parliament
on the Monday

795
00:49:41,920 --> 00:49:45,200
and let them know
exactly what I felt about that.

796
00:49:47,400 --> 00:49:49,440
Order, order.

797
00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:53,840
I call secretary of state
Oliver Dowden to make a statement.

798
00:49:56,400 --> 00:49:58,800
Thank you, Madame Deputy Speaker.

799
00:49:59,720 --> 00:50:01,320
I watched with real interest

800
00:50:01,360 --> 00:50:03,960
what the government's response
was gonna be,

801
00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:08,480
because, you know,
from a conservative perspective,

802
00:50:08,520 --> 00:50:11,440
was the European Super League
against their principles

803
00:50:11,480 --> 00:50:12,960
about making more money?

804
00:50:13,920 --> 00:50:16,680
A small handful of owners
want to create

805
00:50:16,720 --> 00:50:20,840
a closed shop of elite clubs
at the top of the game,

806
00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:24,240
a league based on wealth
and brand recognition,

807
00:50:24,280 --> 00:50:26,560
rather than upon merit.

808
00:50:26,600 --> 00:50:31,000
We will not stand by and watch
football be cravenly stripped

809
00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:34,760
of the things that make millions
across the country love it.

810
00:50:34,800 --> 00:50:36,240
It was about a year

811
00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:39,840
since he and his government
had been calling for footballers

812
00:50:39,880 --> 00:50:43,440
to take a pay cut,
to help pay for the NHS.

813
00:50:43,480 --> 00:50:49,160
It was even less time since
they'd been chastising players

814
00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:51,040
for taking the knee before games.

815
00:50:51,080 --> 00:50:55,360
To see the government in general

816
00:50:55,400 --> 00:50:58,280
cast itself as the great defender
of the national game

817
00:50:58,320 --> 00:50:59,920
felt a little bit hollow.

818
00:50:59,960 --> 00:51:04,320
We will put everything on the table
to prevent this from happening.

819
00:51:04,360 --> 00:51:08,720
Put simply, we will be reviewing
everything the government does

820
00:51:08,760 --> 00:51:11,280
to support these clubs to play.

821
00:51:11,320 --> 00:51:14,360
I have discussed these options
with the Prime Minister this morning

822
00:51:14,400 --> 00:51:19,160
We will do whatever it takes
to protect our national game.

823
00:51:19,200 --> 00:51:20,840
Ian Byrne.

824
00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:23,960
Speaker.

825
00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:25,440
I said to Oliver Dowden,

826
00:51:25,480 --> 00:51:28,880
"What's the government response
gonna be about capitalism,

827
00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:31,360
you know, ruining our game?"

828
00:51:31,400 --> 00:51:33,960
At a time when collectively
we should be working together

829
00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:38,040
to rebuild our football communities
from the ravages of Covid,

830
00:51:38,080 --> 00:51:40,240
the anger across the country
is palpable.

831
00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:42,360
Can you outline
how the government will act

832
00:51:42,400 --> 00:51:47,880
to stop corporate greed destroying
a game millions in this country love

833
00:51:47,920 --> 00:51:51,160
and economically
many communities rely on?

834
00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:55,600
Well, the honourable gentleman
is absolutely right.

835
00:51:55,640 --> 00:51:57,640
I thought,
"We're in different terrain here".

836
00:51:57,680 --> 00:52:00,840
You know, this is a strange place
we're inhabiting.

837
00:52:00,880 --> 00:52:03,280
From a purely populist perspective,

838
00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:06,000
you know, the government
of the day have looked at it

839
00:52:06,040 --> 00:52:08,920
and said, "Which way
is the wind blowing?"

840
00:52:08,960 --> 00:52:11,960
and the wind was certainly blowing
against the clubs.

841
00:52:14,240 --> 00:52:16,800
This isn't a story
that would normally be something

842
00:52:16,840 --> 00:52:20,320
that us, lobby journalists,
would necessarily care about,

843
00:52:20,360 --> 00:52:25,160
but actually when there's
a political intervention so soon,

844
00:52:25,200 --> 00:52:27,400
you do suddenly think
there's your smoke,

845
00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:29,440
and then you go looking
for the fire.

846
00:52:31,240 --> 00:52:34,080
The first phone call I got
was from somebody within government,

847
00:52:34,120 --> 00:52:37,520
saying, "Hmm, this isn't
as straightforward as it seems".

848
00:52:37,560 --> 00:52:41,440
And that there had been government
involvement in what had happened

849
00:52:41,480 --> 00:52:44,000
and that actually there had been
some confusion

850
00:52:44,040 --> 00:52:47,600
as to whether or not the government
was going to support this notion
to begin with.

851
00:52:48,720 --> 00:52:51,560
There's been a lot of mystery around
what happened with Ed Woodward,

852
00:52:51,600 --> 00:52:54,200
the Executive Vice President
of Man United.

853
00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:00,760
The week prior to the announcement,

854
00:53:00,800 --> 00:53:03,000
Ed Woodward meets
with Dan Rosenfield,

855
00:53:03,040 --> 00:53:06,280
the Prime Minister's chief of staff,
a former Bank of America banker,

856
00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:09,880
whose client
used to be Manchester United,

857
00:53:09,920 --> 00:53:11,560
and we are somehow led to believe

858
00:53:11,600 --> 00:53:13,760
that this did not come up
in conversation.

859
00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:16,040
The idea that he
wouldn't be discussing it

860
00:53:16,080 --> 00:53:18,040
when he's had this opportunity to,

861
00:53:18,080 --> 00:53:21,440
with somebody
as central to Downing Street

862
00:53:21,480 --> 00:53:25,160
and the government as Rosenfeld,
is sort of for the birds.

863
00:53:26,200 --> 00:53:28,760
We spoke to Woodward's
representatives

864
00:53:28,800 --> 00:53:31,320
who denied that this had come up.

865
00:53:33,960 --> 00:53:35,720
And yet, we were being contacted,

866
00:53:35,760 --> 00:53:38,920
well I was being contacted
more and more by people

867
00:53:38,960 --> 00:53:42,000
who claim that it had been
discussed.

868
00:53:42,040 --> 00:53:43,280
There were suggestions

869
00:53:43,320 --> 00:53:48,160
that Boris had been told
about this idea for this ESL

870
00:53:48,200 --> 00:53:51,040
and had thought it was a good idea.

871
00:53:51,080 --> 00:53:54,560
Ed Woodward had come away
with the impression

872
00:53:54,600 --> 00:53:57,320
that the government
would not stand in the way,

873
00:53:57,360 --> 00:54:00,400
and that that was significant
in their decision

874
00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:03,240
to push the button on it
on that Sunday.

875
00:54:10,480 --> 00:54:13,040
Our responsibility's bigger
than football.

876
00:54:13,920 --> 00:54:16,040
We have the hopes and dreams
of a whole city

877
00:54:16,080 --> 00:54:18,360
resting on our shoulders.

878
00:54:18,400 --> 00:54:20,760
It's about delivering something
for the people of Leeds

879
00:54:20,800 --> 00:54:23,120
that gives them
their sense of identity.

880
00:54:24,520 --> 00:54:25,960
The way I view the Super League,

881
00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:29,520
it would've been catastrophic
for Leeds United,

882
00:54:29,560 --> 00:54:31,360
particularly because
we'd worked so hard

883
00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:35,360
to get ourselves back to having a
seat at the top table of domestic
football.

884
00:54:35,400 --> 00:54:38,360
That's why the Liverpool match
was so relevant.

885
00:54:38,400 --> 00:54:40,280
In the Super League world,

886
00:54:40,320 --> 00:54:43,440
Liverpool would've not had to worry
about qualification for Europe,

887
00:54:43,480 --> 00:54:45,520
which is something
that drives all of us,

888
00:54:45,560 --> 00:54:47,720
and it would've been compounded
by the fact that

889
00:54:47,760 --> 00:54:49,280
the money they'd have made from that

890
00:54:49,320 --> 00:54:51,680
would've meant that they'd have
been able to outgun us

891
00:54:51,720 --> 00:54:53,160
to such a significant degree

892
00:54:53,200 --> 00:54:55,880
that there'd probably never be
another competitive match

893
00:54:55,920 --> 00:54:58,320
between Liverpool
and Leeds United again.

894
00:55:03,720 --> 00:55:05,600
I'll be brutally honest,

895
00:55:05,640 --> 00:55:07,680
were we playing Crystal Palace
that night,

896
00:55:07,720 --> 00:55:09,720
I doubt the protest
would've had any traction.

897
00:55:09,760 --> 00:55:11,840
It was, if you like,
that perfect storm.

898
00:55:12,800 --> 00:55:14,880
They were coming to Elland Road,

899
00:55:14,920 --> 00:55:17,960
they were one of the clubs that were
gonna be magically getting

900
00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:21,760
their position immaterial
of where they were currently.

901
00:55:21,800 --> 00:55:24,160
You realise something like this
is happening

902
00:55:24,200 --> 00:55:27,160
and we go into overdrive as a group.

903
00:55:27,200 --> 00:55:30,320
We were getting contacted by Leeds
supporter groups who were saying,

904
00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:32,400
"Can you come up,
put a protest on together?"

905
00:55:32,440 --> 00:55:36,800
We were still in Covid, but people
were all aghast, in horror,

906
00:55:36,840 --> 00:55:39,840
about the decision
that had been made.

907
00:55:39,880 --> 00:55:43,360
These owners are just absolutely
pricing it for themselves.

908
00:55:43,400 --> 00:55:45,640
Let's us make billions
and forget about everyone else.

909
00:55:45,680 --> 00:55:48,480
The game of football
was for the working class citizens

910
00:55:48,520 --> 00:55:50,120
and it's not any more.

911
00:55:51,080 --> 00:55:54,160
# They know what they are
They know what they are

912
00:55:54,200 --> 00:55:57,920
# Six greedy bastards
They know what they are #

913
00:55:59,160 --> 00:56:04,000
Liverpool as a football club
had made this decision,

914
00:56:04,040 --> 00:56:09,280
whether it's their owners or not,
to follow greed over sporting merit,

915
00:56:09,320 --> 00:56:12,120
and that
was not just Leeds fans singing.

916
00:56:12,160 --> 00:56:15,160
There were Liverpool fans
singing as well, next to us.

917
00:56:17,240 --> 00:56:20,360
You have this fury
that had been largely online

918
00:56:20,400 --> 00:56:22,600
starting to manifest
in the real world.

919
00:56:25,160 --> 00:56:27,480
(FANS BOO)

920
00:56:29,160 --> 00:56:32,040
(FANS CHANT)

921
00:56:33,400 --> 00:56:36,320
Everybody just ran in one go
towards the coach,

922
00:56:36,360 --> 00:56:37,600
followed it around.

923
00:56:37,640 --> 00:56:41,040
# You dirty greedy bastards!
You dirty greedy bastards! #

924
00:56:41,080 --> 00:56:43,080
I'm fairly certain they heard us.

925
00:56:44,880 --> 00:56:46,360
The players were angry anyway,

926
00:56:46,400 --> 00:56:48,760
because they definitely found out
with the rest of us.

927
00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:51,560
They certainly hadn't been consulted
at any of the clubs,

928
00:56:51,600 --> 00:56:56,200
and now they're all meant to take
the fury of the public

929
00:56:56,240 --> 00:56:57,520
for their owners.

930
00:56:59,240 --> 00:57:02,600
CHANTING: We're fans united,
we'll never be defeated.

931
00:57:02,640 --> 00:57:05,960
We're fans united,
we'll never be defeated.

932
00:57:06,000 --> 00:57:09,320
We're fans united,
we'll never be defeated.

933
00:57:09,360 --> 00:57:10,920
We're fans united...

934
00:57:10,960 --> 00:57:15,560
Good evening and welcome to a Monday
night football like no other.

935
00:57:15,600 --> 00:57:17,840
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher
are here tonight

936
00:57:17,880 --> 00:57:22,080
to give us their thoughts and there
is strong feeling in the room.

937
00:57:22,120 --> 00:57:27,360
Football fans get together, all of
us, get together, and stop this.

938
00:57:27,400 --> 00:57:31,200
We need marches on stadiums,
supporters getting together-

939
00:57:31,240 --> 00:57:33,640
This cannot be allowed to happen.

940
00:57:33,680 --> 00:57:36,280
When I woke up
and I saw the statement,

941
00:57:36,320 --> 00:57:38,560
and it had Joel Glazer's name on it,

942
00:57:38,600 --> 00:57:42,520
I thought, this is a problem,
big problem.

943
00:57:42,560 --> 00:57:44,480
He doesn't put his name
on anything, that man.

944
00:57:44,520 --> 00:57:47,560
We must come together now
and it must be stopped.

945
00:57:47,600 --> 00:57:50,240
We do have a live game tonight.

946
00:57:50,280 --> 00:57:52,920
Leeds United are playing Liverpool,
and we will bring it to you,

947
00:57:52,960 --> 00:57:57,640
but it has become very much
secondary to the bigger picture.

948
00:57:58,800 --> 00:58:01,960
Liverpool's players were really
angry when they got into the
dressing room

949
00:58:02,000 --> 00:58:03,840
and found T-shirts had been left
for them

950
00:58:03,880 --> 00:58:05,280
with the Champions League logo,

951
00:58:05,320 --> 00:58:09,200
saying you have to earn your right
to play in the Champions League.

952
00:58:09,240 --> 00:58:10,520
It was a simple gesture

953
00:58:10,560 --> 00:58:14,560
that we had no idea would get
the traction that it did.

954
00:58:14,600 --> 00:58:18,840
It comes down to the fact
that no one begrudges the fact

955
00:58:18,880 --> 00:58:23,000
that the top six play in Europe
so regularly, but they've earned it.

956
00:58:24,600 --> 00:58:27,440
I think we'd seen a backlash, didn't
we, against the football club,

957
00:58:27,480 --> 00:58:28,760
against Klopp,

958
00:58:28,800 --> 00:58:31,920
against individuals that had nothing
to do with that decision

959
00:58:31,960 --> 00:58:33,800
taken by John Henry.

960
00:58:34,760 --> 00:58:37,880
That was maybe an unfair reflection
on the players,

961
00:58:37,920 --> 00:58:41,760
but you can understand
from Leeds' perspective, can't you?

962
00:58:43,640 --> 00:58:44,960
They were basically saying,

963
00:58:45,000 --> 00:58:47,360
"We're gonna go out
and sweat for 90 minutes

964
00:58:47,400 --> 00:58:49,400
and we wanna achieve what we can,

965
00:58:49,440 --> 00:58:52,520
but we'll earn it
over the course of a season".

966
00:58:54,240 --> 00:58:56,960
So, here we are,
with a lot to talk about.

967
00:58:57,000 --> 00:59:00,000
Liverpool will climb from sixth
into the top four

968
00:59:00,040 --> 00:59:02,760
if they win this evening,
but tonight there are no guarantees,

969
00:59:02,800 --> 00:59:04,840
as they try within the present syste

970
00:59:04,880 --> 00:59:07,560
to qualify for next season's
Champions League

971
00:59:07,600 --> 00:59:10,000
by securing a place in the top four.

972
00:59:29,880 --> 00:59:32,400
This is very much
about players' dreams

973
00:59:32,440 --> 00:59:34,800
as much as it is about fans' dreams.

974
00:59:34,840 --> 00:59:37,160
Our captain, when he was playing
in the Championship,

975
00:59:37,200 --> 00:59:38,920
Liam Cooper, was known
as League One Liam,

976
00:59:38,960 --> 00:59:41,840
because nobody thought he was good
enough to play in the Championship.

977
00:59:41,880 --> 00:59:43,880
A year and a half later,
he's captained the team

978
00:59:43,920 --> 00:59:46,120
who've won the championship
by ten points

979
00:59:46,160 --> 00:59:48,880
and is now playing in the top half
of the Premier League.

980
00:59:48,920 --> 00:59:52,120
You know, their dreams
are tied to this issue

981
00:59:52,160 --> 00:59:53,880
as much as anybody else's.

982
00:59:53,920 --> 00:59:57,160
This actually struck at the heart
of why they play the game.

983
00:59:58,640 --> 01:00:01,320
That game is David/Goliath.

984
01:00:02,240 --> 01:00:05,680
Leeds are brand new back
to the Premier League,

985
01:00:05,720 --> 01:00:07,560
you're playing against Liverpool,

986
01:00:07,600 --> 01:00:10,760
who, you know, millions of pounds
sat on the bench.

987
01:00:10,800 --> 01:00:13,840
It's a tremendous run
that's been made by Alexander-Arnold

988
01:00:13,880 --> 01:00:18,360
and he's lined it up for Sadio Mane,
whose goal drought is over.

989
01:00:20,160 --> 01:00:21,760
Having gone one up,

990
01:00:21,800 --> 01:00:25,960
the game was probably destined
to only go one way,

991
01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:30,840
and yet Leeds through pluck,
energy, endeavour,

992
01:00:30,880 --> 01:00:32,360
through earning it,

993
01:00:32,400 --> 01:00:36,480
worked hard and got a goal
late in the game.

994
01:00:37,040 --> 01:00:39,080
Oh, and they've got it!

995
01:00:39,120 --> 01:00:44,040
Leeds showing yet again
they can mix it with the big boys.

996
01:00:45,840 --> 01:00:49,080
To come back in the 87th minute
with an equaliser,

997
01:00:49,120 --> 01:00:51,600
to stop Liverpool
going into the top four,

998
01:00:51,640 --> 01:00:54,360
just demonstrated
why we needed to protect

999
01:00:54,400 --> 01:00:56,320
what was special about that match.

1000
01:00:59,960 --> 01:01:03,360
After the game, Liverpool's
oldest player, James Milner,

1001
01:01:03,400 --> 01:01:05,600
is asked what he makes of it,

1002
01:01:05,640 --> 01:01:08,920
and his response
is the perfect response.

1003
01:01:08,960 --> 01:01:11,520
You know, I can only say my personal
opinion, I don't like it,

1004
01:01:11,560 --> 01:01:14,000
and, you know,
hopefully it doesn't happen.

1005
01:01:15,120 --> 01:01:17,160
Plain Yorkshire speaking.

1006
01:01:17,200 --> 01:01:20,280
I'd say the sense of betrayal
was felt by Liverpool Football Club:

1007
01:01:20,320 --> 01:01:22,480
players, manager.

1008
01:01:22,520 --> 01:01:24,800
I think you've seen that
within the faces, didn't you,

1009
01:01:24,840 --> 01:01:26,560
and the reactions after the game.

1010
01:01:26,600 --> 01:01:29,520
I mean, you know,
these are good people, aren't they?

1011
01:01:31,880 --> 01:01:34,600
The team has nothing to do with it

1012
01:01:34,640 --> 01:01:39,600
and the- I have not really anything
to do with it,

1013
01:01:39,640 --> 01:01:42,440
but people treat us like that.

1014
01:01:42,480 --> 01:01:47,960
The Leeds supporters came here today
before the game were shouting at us.

1015
01:01:48,000 --> 01:01:51,240
In the city, when we had a walk
this afternoon,

1016
01:01:51,280 --> 01:01:55,240
people were shouting at us.
We have nothing to do with it.

1017
01:01:56,160 --> 01:01:59,720
You could see, you could just see,
you know, in Klopp's face

1018
01:01:59,760 --> 01:02:02,760
the hurt, you know, the hurt.

1019
01:02:02,800 --> 01:02:05,120
And again, we go back to betrayal.

1020
01:02:05,160 --> 01:02:06,600
There will be a moment for sure,

1021
01:02:06,640 --> 01:02:08,960
when our owners...

1022
01:02:11,680 --> 01:02:14,600
..say what they have to say,
definitely, I'm sure.

1023
01:02:20,840 --> 01:02:22,480
(CLAPPING HANDS)

1024
01:02:22,520 --> 01:02:25,320
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1025
01:02:40,600 --> 01:02:43,200
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1026
01:03:49,840 --> 01:03:53,880
Perez has always understood that
spending was at the core of this.

1027
01:03:55,000 --> 01:03:58,720
The shift was saying that this level
of spending is unsustainable.

1028
01:03:59,720 --> 01:04:02,240
At the moment, players
are trading for £100 million.

1029
01:04:02,280 --> 01:04:05,160
What's gonna happen in five years?
Is it gonna be 250 million,

1030
01:04:05,200 --> 01:04:06,600
is it gonna be 500 million?

1031
01:04:06,640 --> 01:04:09,000
These are starting to be
some pretty ridiculous numbers.

1032
01:04:10,320 --> 01:04:13,800
To an extent, Perez's motivations
are understandable.

1033
01:04:13,840 --> 01:04:17,680
He sees Real Madrid falling away,
accelerated by the pandemic,

1034
01:04:17,720 --> 01:04:19,360
and for several years,

1035
01:04:19,400 --> 01:04:22,200
his favoured solution has been
a Super League

1036
01:04:22,240 --> 01:04:24,880
that exists to benefit Real Madrid.

1037
01:04:26,160 --> 01:04:29,800
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1038
01:04:53,080 --> 01:04:57,040
This is a $6 billion project,

1039
01:04:57,080 --> 01:05:02,920
and yet by Monday evening you still
don't have any public face,

1040
01:05:02,960 --> 01:05:06,880
until Florentino Perez goes on

1041
01:05:06,920 --> 01:05:10,480
a slightly chintzy
Spanish chat show.

1042
01:05:12,280 --> 01:05:15,320
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1043
01:05:31,520 --> 01:05:35,320
(CONVERSATION IN SPANISH)

1044
01:05:45,760 --> 01:05:48,040
(LAUGHING)

1045
01:06:06,240 --> 01:06:10,440
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1046
01:06:38,440 --> 01:06:40,680
If you were a billionaire
in today's society,

1047
01:06:40,720 --> 01:06:43,200
you're effectively able to live
in your own cocoon.

1048
01:06:43,240 --> 01:06:46,000
You don't need to talk to the press.
You don't need to do anything.

1049
01:06:46,040 --> 01:06:48,600
When was the last time anyone sat
down for an interview with

1050
01:06:48,640 --> 01:06:50,400
John Henry and asked him
a tough question?

1051
01:06:50,440 --> 01:06:52,200
And all of a sudden,
they're all exposed

1052
01:06:52,240 --> 01:06:54,880
and the only spokesperson
that emerges is Perez,

1053
01:06:54,920 --> 01:06:57,160
and he goes
on this crazy Spanish TV show.

1054
01:06:57,200 --> 01:06:59,080
They clearly did not have a plan

1055
01:06:59,120 --> 01:07:02,240
about how they were going
to win over people on this project.

1056
01:07:16,680 --> 01:07:18,960
Breaking news this morning,
the Prime Minister said

1057
01:07:19,000 --> 01:07:21,960
he was gonna do something,
and he is gonna do something today.

1058
01:07:22,000 --> 01:07:24,880
The Super League have chucked
a grenade at the Premier League

1059
01:07:24,920 --> 01:07:26,600
and chucked a grenade
to everyone else.

1060
01:07:26,640 --> 01:07:29,200
Well, chuck one back. Ban them.

1061
01:07:29,240 --> 01:07:33,120
There is nothing that prevents
Parliament stepping in

1062
01:07:33,160 --> 01:07:36,840
and Government stepping in
if that's what it chooses to do.

1063
01:07:38,160 --> 01:07:39,600
I got the call up saying

1064
01:07:39,640 --> 01:07:43,320
the Prime Minister wanted to have
a meeting with some fan reps

1065
01:07:43,360 --> 01:07:46,680
and was I able to put that together?

1066
01:07:46,720 --> 01:07:49,920
Football fans are always there
with the football club.

1067
01:07:49,960 --> 01:07:52,080
Players come and go,
managers come and go,

1068
01:07:52,120 --> 01:07:54,360
the one constant
that you can be sure of,

1069
01:07:54,400 --> 01:07:56,960
and it's the collective voice
is what gives us our strength,

1070
01:07:57,000 --> 01:08:00,120
so we needed to make sure
that that voice in numbers

1071
01:08:00,160 --> 01:08:03,080
was raised as loud as it can be.

1072
01:08:04,560 --> 01:08:06,520
The meeting with the Prime Minister
was on Zoom

1073
01:08:06,560 --> 01:08:08,320
because we couldn't go to
Downing Street,

1074
01:08:08,360 --> 01:08:10,160
because of the pandemic,

1075
01:08:10,200 --> 01:08:12,320
So I was in my office at home,

1076
01:08:12,360 --> 01:08:15,280
thinking, "This is really quite
extraordinary".

1077
01:08:15,320 --> 01:08:18,400
Here was I talking football
with the Prime Minister.

1078
01:08:19,480 --> 01:08:21,320
He actually opened the meeting

1079
01:08:21,360 --> 01:08:26,040
by saying to us "Why am I,
a free market conservative,

1080
01:08:26,080 --> 01:08:29,600
proposing to intervene on a matter
of privately-owned companies?

1081
01:08:29,640 --> 01:08:33,440
"I am aware of the irony, but I need
to do something to step in

1082
01:08:33,480 --> 01:08:35,560
and protect the national sport".

1083
01:08:36,440 --> 01:08:37,880
The Prime Minister's next question

1084
01:08:37,920 --> 01:08:40,400
was to the Chief Executive
of the FA, Mark Bullingham,

1085
01:08:40,440 --> 01:08:44,920
who effectively said, "Well, we
agree with what the fan reps have
said".

1086
01:08:44,960 --> 01:08:46,400
That was a first.

1087
01:08:46,440 --> 01:08:49,520
And then it went across to the chief
executive of the Premier League,

1088
01:08:49,560 --> 01:08:50,720
Richard Masters,

1089
01:08:50,760 --> 01:08:54,000
and the question there was,
"Do you have the authority

1090
01:08:54,040 --> 01:08:57,360
to exclude these people
from your competitions?"

1091
01:08:57,400 --> 01:08:59,240
Richard masters replied,

1092
01:08:59,280 --> 01:09:02,440
"We have a very good case,
but it's not a perfect one".

1093
01:09:03,440 --> 01:09:06,600
And that was the point
at which the Prime Minister said,

1094
01:09:06,640 --> 01:09:10,040
"We are prepared to throw
a legislative bomb

1095
01:09:10,080 --> 01:09:12,240
to solve this problem".

1096
01:09:12,280 --> 01:09:13,840
Government was saying,

1097
01:09:13,880 --> 01:09:16,160
"We know you can't deal with this
on your own.

1098
01:09:16,200 --> 01:09:17,680
We're coming to help you."

1099
01:09:19,000 --> 01:09:20,920
Good afternoon.

1100
01:09:20,960 --> 01:09:23,120
How can it be right
to have a situation

1101
01:09:23,160 --> 01:09:25,240
in which you create a kind of cartel

1102
01:09:25,280 --> 01:09:28,520
that stops clubs
competing against each other?

1103
01:09:28,560 --> 01:09:32,400
It's classic Johnson, isn't it?
What does it mean? What did it mean?

1104
01:09:32,440 --> 01:09:35,480
I think it was just the fact that
the Prime Minister was actually
saying

1105
01:09:35,520 --> 01:09:37,240
these sorts of things, the language,

1106
01:09:37,280 --> 01:09:40,600
it must've terrified
the executives of the clubs involved

1107
01:09:41,800 --> 01:09:46,480
By this point, it's very hard to see
much support publicly, at least,

1108
01:09:46,520 --> 01:09:48,400
for the league going ahead.

1109
01:09:48,440 --> 01:09:50,520
You've got politicians,
you've got royalty,

1110
01:09:50,560 --> 01:09:53,480
you've got football bodies,
you've got fans,

1111
01:09:53,520 --> 01:09:55,640
you've got
current and former players,

1112
01:09:55,680 --> 01:09:58,520
all lined up squarely
against the Super League.

1113
01:10:00,680 --> 01:10:03,480
(KEYBOARD CLICKING)

1114
01:10:34,600 --> 01:10:37,840
Fans are the most important thing
in football.

1115
01:10:37,880 --> 01:10:39,320
They have to be respected.

1116
01:10:40,320 --> 01:10:46,320
Did these big clubs ask to their fan
what they thought about this idea?

1117
01:10:47,800 --> 01:10:51,280
No, unfortunately,
and that's a shame.

1118
01:10:52,520 --> 01:10:54,760
"Intriguingly, we've still to hear
from FIFA,

1119
01:10:54,800 --> 01:10:57,720
world football's governing body,
on this."

1120
01:10:57,760 --> 01:11:01,120
FIFA was very quiet
for the first 48 hours,

1121
01:11:01,160 --> 01:11:05,080
but then FIFA was not likely
to be averse

1122
01:11:05,120 --> 01:11:07,760
to the idea of an organisation
coming along

1123
01:11:07,800 --> 01:11:09,880
to take the power away from UEFA.

1124
01:11:10,880 --> 01:11:15,000
UEFA and FIFA are the two most
powerful organisations in football,

1125
01:11:15,040 --> 01:11:18,240
and UEFA is too powerful
for FIFA's liking.

1126
01:11:19,480 --> 01:11:22,800
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1127
01:11:22,840 --> 01:11:24,800
(LAUGHS)

1128
01:11:26,360 --> 01:11:29,080
Gianni Infantino,
the President of FIFA,

1129
01:11:29,120 --> 01:11:33,080
is determined to reshape the game
in his image.

1130
01:11:34,440 --> 01:11:36,200
He wants to do something big.

1131
01:11:36,240 --> 01:11:39,320
He wants the world to know
that he was here,

1132
01:11:39,360 --> 01:11:42,640
because there's still a stain
on FIFA.

1133
01:11:45,440 --> 01:11:49,760
It is known as the beautiful game,
but today soccer is reeling.

1134
01:11:49,800 --> 01:11:54,440
Fourteen FIFA officials have been
indicted on corruption charges.

1135
01:11:54,480 --> 01:11:56,520
This is all stems
from a US investigation

1136
01:11:56,560 --> 01:12:00,880
that's uncovered millions of dollars
in alleged bribes and kickbacks.

1137
01:12:00,920 --> 01:12:03,040
Here we go Sepp, that's...

1138
01:12:03,080 --> 01:12:06,920
They were expected to uphold
the rules that keep soccer honest,

1139
01:12:06,960 --> 01:12:09,400
and to protect
the integrity of the game.

1140
01:12:09,440 --> 01:12:12,840
Instead, they corrupted
the business of worldwide soccer

1141
01:12:12,880 --> 01:12:15,600
to serve their interests
and to enrich themselves.

1142
01:12:15,640 --> 01:12:19,080
Mr Blatter, you've been kicked out
in disgrace. How does it feel?

1143
01:12:20,080 --> 01:12:23,240
It's well known the level of
corruption that exists at FIFA.

1144
01:12:23,280 --> 01:12:27,800
Infantino rose on sort of a mandate
to kind of clean out the Blatter
era.

1145
01:12:27,840 --> 01:12:30,960
But there are still tons of
questions around how FIFA is run

1146
01:12:31,000 --> 01:12:34,360
and, to this day,
sort of, who holds FIFA accountable.

1147
01:12:35,040 --> 01:12:36,880
I cannot speak about FIFA,

1148
01:12:36,920 --> 01:12:41,800
but UEFA was anyway a very clean
organisation before I came.

1149
01:12:41,840 --> 01:12:47,000
We have to be as honest as possible,
as absolutely clean,

1150
01:12:47,040 --> 01:12:50,120
and this is what gives you power.

1151
01:12:51,960 --> 01:12:54,880
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1152
01:13:18,240 --> 01:13:21,360
Infantino in some ways
is the chief political player.

1153
01:13:21,400 --> 01:13:23,040
He plays all sides
because he has to.

1154
01:13:23,080 --> 01:13:25,200
He technically represents all sides.

1155
01:13:25,240 --> 01:13:28,560
So, it's undoubtedly the case
that he was in the loop on this.

1156
01:13:35,920 --> 01:13:39,000
I pass the floor to FIFA President,
Gianni Infantino.

1157
01:13:39,040 --> 01:13:41,160
Gianni, the floor is yours.

1158
01:13:41,200 --> 01:13:43,880
(APPLAUSE)

1159
01:13:46,840 --> 01:13:49,320
Infantino was under a lot of
pressure from Ceferin.

1160
01:13:49,360 --> 01:13:51,600
Ceferin made it abundantly clear
to Infantino

1161
01:13:51,640 --> 01:13:55,000
that he had to say something
and he had to say something now.

1162
01:13:56,080 --> 01:14:00,600
The Super League clubs thought
they had the approval of FIFA.

1163
01:14:00,640 --> 01:14:02,920
For both of them it was a chance
to damage UEFA,

1164
01:14:02,960 --> 01:14:05,920
which was what both of those
parties - the clubs and FIFA -

1165
01:14:05,960 --> 01:14:07,240
needed to do.

1166
01:14:07,280 --> 01:14:13,160
The last 48 hours
obviously changed everything.

1167
01:14:14,200 --> 01:14:19,440
And it seems that there is
only one topic which is of interest.

1168
01:14:20,640 --> 01:14:26,600
Of course, I'm speaking
about this Super League project.

1169
01:14:27,840 --> 01:14:29,720
If FIFA had come out and say,

1170
01:14:29,760 --> 01:14:31,560
"We're OK with this, you can do it",

1171
01:14:31,600 --> 01:14:35,400
then suddenly everything changes,
it is signed, sealed, and delivered.

1172
01:14:35,440 --> 01:14:41,440
So, let me be extremely clear
from the very beginning...

1173
01:14:42,480 --> 01:14:45,280
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1174
01:14:54,200 --> 01:14:56,160
The Super League founders understood

1175
01:14:56,200 --> 01:14:59,760
that Infantino was a key player
they needed to attract.

1176
01:14:59,800 --> 01:15:01,920
They believed they had him on side,

1177
01:15:01,960 --> 01:15:05,200
but no one really fully understands
where he actually sat.

1178
01:15:06,080 --> 01:15:12,000
..at FIFA, we can only
and strongly disapprove

1179
01:15:12,040 --> 01:15:15,280
the creation of the Super League.

1180
01:15:15,320 --> 01:15:19,040
There is no doubt whatsoever...

1181
01:15:20,520 --> 01:15:24,160
..of FIFA's disapproval for this.

1182
01:15:26,400 --> 01:15:30,520
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1183
01:15:42,880 --> 01:15:46,840
FIFA is here, and I'm here today
as the FIFA President,

1184
01:15:46,880 --> 01:15:51,240
to bring full support
to European football.

1185
01:15:51,280 --> 01:15:54,320
There is a lot to throw away...

1186
01:15:55,840 --> 01:16:01,560
..for maybe a short-term financial
gain of some.

1187
01:16:02,960 --> 01:16:05,960
(APPLAUSE)

1188
01:16:08,120 --> 01:16:10,800
Thank you very much, Gianni,
for your speech.

1189
01:16:10,840 --> 01:16:15,080
Thank you very much
that you personally and FIFA,

1190
01:16:15,120 --> 01:16:17,600
together with other
football stakeholders,

1191
01:16:17,640 --> 01:16:20,600
defend the real sporting values.

1192
01:16:27,360 --> 01:16:30,800
It was the first Premier League
meeting where six clubs

1193
01:16:30,840 --> 01:16:32,520
haven't been invited.

1194
01:16:33,760 --> 01:16:38,040
In terms of British football
history, we were at a point

1195
01:16:38,080 --> 01:16:39,960
which was probably
the most significant

1196
01:16:40,000 --> 01:16:42,560
since the founding
of the Premier League.

1197
01:16:42,600 --> 01:16:46,800
The atmosphere
was very strong and belligerent.

1198
01:16:46,840 --> 01:16:49,080
There was quite a bit
of personal anger, you know,

1199
01:16:49,120 --> 01:16:52,920
directed towards individuals
that they felt, you know,

1200
01:16:52,960 --> 01:16:56,720
that knew this was happening
at the very- you didn't tell us.

1201
01:16:58,040 --> 01:17:01,360
Despite the fact that we are
ultimately faceless administrators

1202
01:17:01,400 --> 01:17:04,440
that should play no real meaningful
part in the game,

1203
01:17:04,480 --> 01:17:06,920
we're actually pretty much,
to a man, all football fans.

1204
01:17:06,960 --> 01:17:09,800
It was almost like we were-
you know, if we didn't act,

1205
01:17:09,840 --> 01:17:12,840
then the game might die
on our watch.

1206
01:17:15,440 --> 01:17:19,080
There were quite strong views
on punishment,

1207
01:17:19,120 --> 01:17:22,000
but none of it
was particularly well formed.

1208
01:17:22,040 --> 01:17:24,200
Expulsion wasn't really an option.

1209
01:17:24,240 --> 01:17:26,840
You know, it was a, kind of,
shoot yourself in the foot option.

1210
01:17:26,880 --> 01:17:29,000
But I think
the main thing at the time

1211
01:17:29,040 --> 01:17:31,960
was to prevent it happening.
That was the main focus.

1212
01:17:32,920 --> 01:17:36,080
There are a couple of clubs
that we knew

1213
01:17:36,120 --> 01:17:39,800
that, you know,
would really not be enjoying

1214
01:17:39,840 --> 01:17:42,080
the place that they'd been put into.

1215
01:17:42,120 --> 01:17:47,880
The strategy was to get one of
the clubs to back out of it.

1216
01:17:49,080 --> 01:17:54,680
# It's coming home, it's coming
Football's coming home

1217
01:17:54,720 --> 01:17:56,720
# It's coming home... #

1218
01:17:57,680 --> 01:18:01,280
We knew there was a lot of anger
by Chelsea supporters.

1219
01:18:01,320 --> 01:18:05,680
We needed to be that kind
of focal point, that voice box

1220
01:18:05,720 --> 01:18:08,480
because if you're shouting
and screaming into the abyss,

1221
01:18:08,520 --> 01:18:10,560
nobody is really listening.

1222
01:18:10,600 --> 01:18:13,280
These pictures just into us
from Stamford Bridge.

1223
01:18:13,320 --> 01:18:15,800
Chelsea up against Brighton tonight.

1224
01:18:15,840 --> 01:18:21,000
These are some of the Chelsea fans
who are gathering to voice their
protest.

1225
01:18:21,040 --> 01:18:23,360
If you look at it
from an outside perspective,

1226
01:18:23,400 --> 01:18:25,320
Chelsea are going to get
much more money

1227
01:18:25,360 --> 01:18:26,840
in this European super League

1228
01:18:26,880 --> 01:18:29,080
than in the Champions League
and the Premier League,

1229
01:18:29,120 --> 01:18:30,560
surely this is a good idea.

1230
01:18:30,600 --> 01:18:33,960
But you would effectively have
that top six every single season,

1231
01:18:34,000 --> 01:18:36,240
and it'd be pretty boring.

1232
01:18:37,120 --> 01:18:41,640
There were suggestions starting to
filter through Chelsea and
Manchester City,

1233
01:18:41,680 --> 01:18:44,000
the two teams who need
the Super League the least,

1234
01:18:44,040 --> 01:18:46,720
because the way that football's
economics currently work

1235
01:18:46,760 --> 01:18:48,960
is absolutely fine for them,

1236
01:18:49,000 --> 01:18:51,280
were starting to have
second thoughts.

1237
01:18:51,320 --> 01:18:55,120
It's not a sport when the relation
between the effort and the success,

1238
01:18:55,160 --> 01:18:58,440
the effort and the reward,
doesn't exist, don't exist.

1239
01:18:58,480 --> 01:19:00,120
So, it's not a sport.

1240
01:19:00,160 --> 01:19:03,520
So, it's not a sport
if the success is already guaranteed

1241
01:19:03,560 --> 01:19:06,840
It's not a sport
and it doesn't matter if you lose.

1242
01:19:06,880 --> 01:19:11,920
I think they were presented
on Friday with an ultimatum,

1243
01:19:11,960 --> 01:19:15,520
"This is going ahead this weekend,
you're either in or out".

1244
01:19:15,560 --> 01:19:17,640
Either you're on board
and you get the money,

1245
01:19:17,680 --> 01:19:20,760
or you're out forever,
so what are you gonna do?

1246
01:19:20,800 --> 01:19:23,360
(APPLAUSE)

1247
01:19:26,480 --> 01:19:30,800
You had this strong response
from England at every level.

1248
01:19:30,840 --> 01:19:33,320
It was important
for the English clubs

1249
01:19:33,360 --> 01:19:38,920
to realise that the plan of the like
of Real and Juve were pure fantasy.

1250
01:19:41,200 --> 01:19:45,240
Gentlemen, you made a huge mistake.

1251
01:19:49,120 --> 01:19:51,800
Some will say it is greed...

1252
01:19:52,960 --> 01:19:56,400
..others disdain, arrogance,
flippancy,

1253
01:19:56,440 --> 01:20:00,080
or complete ignorance
of England's football culture.

1254
01:20:01,480 --> 01:20:05,440
Come to your senses,
not out of love for football,

1255
01:20:05,480 --> 01:20:09,400
because I imagine some of you
don't have much of that,

1256
01:20:09,440 --> 01:20:14,880
but out of respect
for those who bleed themselves dry,

1257
01:20:14,920 --> 01:20:17,960
so that they can go to the stadium
to support a team

1258
01:20:18,000 --> 01:20:20,960
and want the dream to be kept alive.

1259
01:20:21,000 --> 01:20:23,880
For those, you change your mind.

1260
01:20:26,680 --> 01:20:29,120
More and more are gathering.

1261
01:20:29,160 --> 01:20:31,040
That's where the coaches
should arrive,

1262
01:20:31,080 --> 01:20:34,040
but that's where the fans
have positioned themselves.

1263
01:20:34,080 --> 01:20:36,760
CHANTING: Chelsea!
Chelsea! Chelsea!

1264
01:20:36,800 --> 01:20:40,440
Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea!

1265
01:20:40,480 --> 01:20:42,600
There were thousands of people there

1266
01:20:42,640 --> 01:20:48,000
# Chelsea, wherever you may be
We are the famous CFC #

1267
01:20:48,600 --> 01:20:51,640
It was just the average
Chelsea supporter

1268
01:20:51,680 --> 01:20:53,840
saying, "You made a decision.

1269
01:20:53,880 --> 01:20:57,160
I don't like it
and I'm gonna tell you about it".

1270
01:20:57,200 --> 01:20:59,200
Do you want Chelsea to win today?

1271
01:20:59,240 --> 01:21:01,360
I mean, if you gave me the choice,
I'd say yeah,

1272
01:21:01,400 --> 01:21:05,520
but realistically you can hear,
we're not Chelsea any more.

1273
01:21:05,560 --> 01:21:08,000
While it's like this
it doesn't matter to us.

1274
01:21:11,160 --> 01:21:13,760
I grew up, it was just my mum,
brother and me,

1275
01:21:13,800 --> 01:21:16,040
I didn't really have
that male influence,

1276
01:21:16,080 --> 01:21:20,560
and my mum's best friend bought
my brother and I Chelsea shirts.

1277
01:21:20,600 --> 01:21:23,640
Since that day, it's always been
Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea.

1278
01:21:24,600 --> 01:21:28,840
Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea!
Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea!

1279
01:21:30,000 --> 01:21:33,960
There was a lot of frustration
and raw anger.

1280
01:21:35,960 --> 01:21:39,040
Supporters are, you know, fed up
of being treated like customers

1281
01:21:39,080 --> 01:21:40,640
rather than football fans.

1282
01:21:40,680 --> 01:21:42,080
They have to listen.

1283
01:21:42,120 --> 01:21:45,080
If the fans aren't behind it,

1284
01:21:45,120 --> 01:21:47,680
then I will honestly boycott
the matches.

1285
01:21:47,720 --> 01:21:50,440
No one's gonna watch them.
It's over for them.

1286
01:21:50,480 --> 01:21:51,640
Fuck the Super League!

1287
01:21:51,680 --> 01:21:54,080
Fuck the Super League!
Yeah, fuck the Super League!

1288
01:21:54,120 --> 01:21:56,840
What we saw at Chelsea
was a particularly memorable sign

1289
01:21:56,880 --> 01:22:01,280
being held up by one fan,
"We want our cold nights in Stoke".

1290
01:22:02,160 --> 01:22:05,440
That banner epitomises
the beauty of the English game,

1291
01:22:05,480 --> 01:22:08,200
especially in the Premier League.

1292
01:22:08,240 --> 01:22:13,680
On paper, Chelsea should be beating
the likes of Burnley and Brentford

1293
01:22:13,720 --> 01:22:15,360
every single day of the week.

1294
01:22:15,400 --> 01:22:17,760
However, will we? No.

1295
01:22:17,800 --> 01:22:21,600
And that's one thing which the
Super League would just take away,

1296
01:22:21,640 --> 01:22:24,960
because there would be
no competition at all.

1297
01:22:25,000 --> 01:22:28,000
He's coming, here comes Petr Cech,
he's having a word with the fans.

1298
01:22:29,960 --> 01:22:31,360
Here he comes.

1299
01:22:32,600 --> 01:22:35,200
The man in amongst all of that
is Petr Cech,

1300
01:22:35,240 --> 01:22:37,240
of course former Chelsea goalkeeper.

1301
01:22:37,280 --> 01:22:38,720
Come on, you've got this.

1302
01:22:40,640 --> 01:22:42,640
I couldn't quite believe
what was going on.

1303
01:22:42,680 --> 01:22:44,640
I thought it was a lookalike.

1304
01:22:44,680 --> 01:22:48,720
That huge image of Petr Cech
speaking to the crowd,

1305
01:22:48,760 --> 01:22:50,680
it was, you know, biblical.

1306
01:22:59,880 --> 01:23:02,560
(FANS BOO)

1307
01:23:07,760 --> 01:23:10,920
The fact that Petr Cech
couldn't get people to listen,

1308
01:23:10,960 --> 01:23:14,560
I think they realised
how angry the supporters were.

1309
01:23:14,600 --> 01:23:18,560
(FANS CHANTING)

1310
01:23:22,800 --> 01:23:24,520
They would've understood

1311
01:23:24,560 --> 01:23:27,080
the reaction from the fans
of the teams

1312
01:23:27,120 --> 01:23:29,240
that weren't in it being negative.

1313
01:23:30,440 --> 01:23:32,520
The thing they didn't understand
at all

1314
01:23:32,560 --> 01:23:35,000
was that their own fans
turned on them.

1315
01:23:35,040 --> 01:23:38,600
And at that point,
early evening on Tuesday,

1316
01:23:38,640 --> 01:23:40,840
the clubs genuinely lose
their nerve.

1317
01:23:40,880 --> 01:23:43,240
Wait, what's happened,
what's happened?

1318
01:23:43,280 --> 01:23:45,200
What's happened? Show us, show us.

1319
01:23:45,240 --> 01:23:48,640
No way. No way. Oh my God.

1320
01:23:48,680 --> 01:23:51,640
(FANS CHEER)

1321
01:23:51,680 --> 01:23:54,640
Chelsea have left it.
Chelsea have left it.

1322
01:23:55,640 --> 01:23:58,160
# We're out of the Super League!

1323
01:23:58,200 --> 01:24:00,400
# We're out of the Super League!

1324
01:24:00,440 --> 01:24:03,520
# We're out of the Super League!
We're out of the Super League!

1325
01:24:03,560 --> 01:24:05,840
# We're out of the Super League! #

1326
01:24:09,000 --> 01:24:12,560
It was like we had just won
the Champions League again.

1327
01:24:14,200 --> 01:24:17,680
The fact that we were the ones
who broke the factory owner's back

1328
01:24:17,720 --> 01:24:19,640
and made them heel to our demands

1329
01:24:19,680 --> 01:24:22,440
was something that I will take
with me forever.

1330
01:24:23,680 --> 01:24:26,960
# We've got our Chelsea back
We've got our Chelsea back!

1331
01:24:27,000 --> 01:24:30,120
# We've got our Chelsea back
We've got our Chelsea back!

1332
01:24:31,680 --> 01:24:34,080
Maybe they just thought,
"D'you know what,

1333
01:24:34,120 --> 01:24:36,480
this would be a bit crap".

1334
01:24:36,520 --> 01:24:38,320
That's what I like to think,
you know,

1335
01:24:38,360 --> 01:24:41,400
"And it would be a bit naff really,
you know,

1336
01:24:41,440 --> 01:24:44,320
and dare I say a bit American."

1337
01:24:44,360 --> 01:24:46,360
"And everybody seems to not like it

1338
01:24:46,400 --> 01:24:49,680
and we're not making ourselves
very popular, so let's not do it".

1339
01:24:52,520 --> 01:24:55,080
In football a weaker team can win.

1340
01:24:55,120 --> 01:24:57,960
I don't see any other group sport

1341
01:24:58,000 --> 01:25:01,320
that, that the weaker team can win,
a much weaker team.

1342
01:25:01,360 --> 01:25:05,800
And this is something that,
that is unexplainable.

1343
01:25:05,840 --> 01:25:09,960
I think that, I know that football
is something special.

1344
01:25:10,000 --> 01:25:14,920
It's part of our culture
that will stay forever.

1345
01:25:21,280 --> 01:25:24,040
Plans for a controversial
European Football Super League

1346
01:25:24,080 --> 01:25:25,560
are unravelling tonight...

1347
01:25:25,600 --> 01:25:27,680
Chelsea and Manchester City are out,

1348
01:25:27,720 --> 01:25:30,080
while Manchester United
have been rocked by the news

1349
01:25:30,120 --> 01:25:33,600
that Ed Woodward has resigned
as Executive Vice Chairman.

1350
01:25:33,640 --> 01:25:36,400
We're being told it has nothing to d
with the Super League,

1351
01:25:36,440 --> 01:25:39,520
and yet timing's
a very important thing in football.

1352
01:25:39,560 --> 01:25:42,880
Sources close to Woodward always
insist that Ed Woodward was

1353
01:25:42,920 --> 01:25:45,040
personally opposed to
the Super League

1354
01:25:45,080 --> 01:25:49,200
and that is the reason
that he ultimately resigned.

1355
01:25:49,240 --> 01:25:51,120
Other people within the game
are saying, yeah,

1356
01:25:51,160 --> 01:25:53,840
but at the same time
you're meeting the chief of staff

1357
01:25:53,880 --> 01:25:55,880
at number 10 on the Wednesday.

1358
01:25:55,920 --> 01:26:00,440
There's plenty of people who suspect
that it was the complete disaster

1359
01:26:00,480 --> 01:26:03,280
that maybe left him with little
choice but to resign

1360
01:26:03,320 --> 01:26:07,120
from his position in terms of his
credibility within the club.

1361
01:26:07,160 --> 01:26:10,920
There is an imminent announcement
due from the other four English
clubs.

1362
01:26:10,960 --> 01:26:14,880
It was clear clubs were starting
to withdraw from the Super League.

1363
01:26:14,920 --> 01:26:17,400
Chelsea and Manchester City
went first.

1364
01:26:17,440 --> 01:26:20,640
Not surprisingly, the Americans
hung on together for a bit longer.

1365
01:26:20,680 --> 01:26:22,680
We were just watching
like everybody else,

1366
01:26:22,720 --> 01:26:24,080
watching it unfold

1367
01:26:24,120 --> 01:26:27,640
and, you know, everyone
was watching the Sky ticker line.

1368
01:26:27,680 --> 01:26:31,160
Liverpool Football Club can confirm
that our involvement

1369
01:26:31,200 --> 01:26:34,040
in proposed plans to form
a European Super League

1370
01:26:34,080 --> 01:26:36,000
has been discontinued.

1371
01:26:36,040 --> 01:26:41,440
As soon as one club broke away
from the cartel, as such,

1372
01:26:41,480 --> 01:26:44,080
it had to be all or nothing,
didn't it?

1373
01:26:44,120 --> 01:26:47,600
Manchester United
will not be participating.

1374
01:26:47,640 --> 01:26:50,560
Spurs, "We can confirm

1375
01:26:50,600 --> 01:26:53,240
that we have formally commenced
procedures

1376
01:26:53,280 --> 01:26:56,600
to withdraw from the group
developing proposals

1377
01:26:56,640 --> 01:26:59,200
for a European Super League."

1378
01:26:59,240 --> 01:27:00,920
You could just feel the momentum

1379
01:27:00,960 --> 01:27:04,200
building towards the next statement
from another club,

1380
01:27:04,240 --> 01:27:06,200
because their fan base
was going ballistic.

1381
01:27:06,240 --> 01:27:09,400
Arsenal, "As a result
of listening to you

1382
01:27:09,440 --> 01:27:12,640
and the wider football community
over recent days,

1383
01:27:12,680 --> 01:27:15,960
we are withdrawing
from the proposed Super League.

1384
01:27:16,000 --> 01:27:20,640
We made a mistake
and we apologise for it."

1385
01:27:22,120 --> 01:27:25,400
Managers, players, spectators,
people who work for the clubs,

1386
01:27:25,440 --> 01:27:27,880
people that run football
were against it,

1387
01:27:27,920 --> 01:27:30,400
but most importantly
the supporters were against it.

1388
01:27:30,440 --> 01:27:34,320
We've got a happy ending.
The good guys have won.

1389
01:27:34,360 --> 01:27:37,840
I've seen plenty of businesses
collapse very dramatically,

1390
01:27:37,880 --> 01:27:41,600
but I've never seen
something implode

1391
01:27:41,640 --> 01:27:44,760
as swiftly as the Super League did.

1392
01:27:44,800 --> 01:27:49,000
So I guess we start with the obvious
this project, it's dead.

1393
01:27:49,040 --> 01:27:50,680
That's it?
It's dead.

1394
01:27:50,720 --> 01:27:53,560
It fell apart officially
within 48 hours.

1395
01:27:53,600 --> 01:27:57,720
It will go down as one of the worst
executed plans of all time.

1396
01:27:57,760 --> 01:28:00,160
A car crash really,
for those 12 owners.

1397
01:28:00,200 --> 01:28:04,320
European football had existed
for 30 years under this threat

1398
01:28:04,360 --> 01:28:06,760
of the big clubs
doing their own thing.

1399
01:28:06,800 --> 01:28:10,720
That was the threat that governed
every change in European football.

1400
01:28:10,760 --> 01:28:12,960
And then when it came to pass,

1401
01:28:13,000 --> 01:28:16,240
when the biggest and the brightest
and the best minds came together

1402
01:28:16,280 --> 01:28:20,080
and got their plan together and
said, "This is what we're doing",

1403
01:28:20,120 --> 01:28:22,160
it lasted for 48 hours.

1404
01:28:28,640 --> 01:28:31,480
The mystery around
where Andrea Agnelli was,

1405
01:28:31,520 --> 01:28:34,120
was quite a gripping one in Italy.

1406
01:28:35,280 --> 01:28:38,040
We don't really hear his thoughts
until the Wednesday,

1407
01:28:38,080 --> 01:28:40,360
and what's most astonishing
about that

1408
01:28:40,400 --> 01:28:42,360
is that by the Tuesday night,

1409
01:28:42,400 --> 01:28:45,040
the English part of it
is already starting to fall apart.

1410
01:28:45,080 --> 01:28:46,760
Can you really progress

1411
01:28:46,800 --> 01:28:50,200
with a project for a Super League
with five or six teams?

1412
01:28:51,160 --> 01:28:56,200
Look, I think,
to be frank and honest, no.

1413
01:28:56,240 --> 01:29:00,120
I remain convinced
of the beauty of that project,

1414
01:29:00,160 --> 01:29:02,720
of the value it would've developed
to the pyramid,

1415
01:29:02,760 --> 01:29:06,120
of the creation of the best
competition in the world,

1416
01:29:06,160 --> 01:29:07,720
but admittedly, no.

1417
01:29:07,760 --> 01:29:13,720
I mean, I don't think that project
is now still up and running.

1418
01:29:15,120 --> 01:29:19,080
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)

1419
01:29:33,960 --> 01:29:37,680
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1420
01:29:52,080 --> 01:29:55,280
CHANTING: Arsenal, Arsenal,
Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal!

1421
01:29:57,640 --> 01:30:02,040
When we come together
to express our frustration,

1422
01:30:02,080 --> 01:30:05,800
things can change very quickly,
as the Super League demonstrated.

1423
01:30:09,560 --> 01:30:13,200
What made the Super League story
so fantastically dramatic

1424
01:30:13,240 --> 01:30:16,440
was that one week
where JP Morgan Chase,

1425
01:30:16,480 --> 01:30:19,960
billionaires from the US
and Europe and China,

1426
01:30:20,000 --> 01:30:22,640
all were held accountable
by football fans.

1427
01:30:22,680 --> 01:30:25,920
Do you have anything to say
to Manchester United fans, Mr Glazer

1428
01:30:25,960 --> 01:30:28,840
An apology perhaps, Mr Glazer?

1429
01:30:28,880 --> 01:30:31,720
In the world of business,
this just doesn't happen.

1430
01:30:34,120 --> 01:30:36,000
This is what it means to us.

1431
01:30:36,040 --> 01:30:38,120
This is what football means
to the fans.

1432
01:30:38,160 --> 01:30:41,560
And we won't stop this
until we get our football club back.

1433
01:30:42,760 --> 01:30:45,880
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1434
01:30:59,440 --> 01:31:00,920
This is the irony,

1435
01:31:00,960 --> 01:31:03,640
the thing that's attracted
all of these owners to football,

1436
01:31:03,680 --> 01:31:07,160
whether it's a Russian oligarch
or a Gulf state,

1437
01:31:07,200 --> 01:31:09,280
or an American hedge fund,

1438
01:31:09,320 --> 01:31:11,560
the reason they've all ploughed
money into it,

1439
01:31:11,600 --> 01:31:15,000
is that it does generate
this incredible passion.

1440
01:31:15,040 --> 01:31:18,000
What happened with the Super League
was that that was the thing

1441
01:31:18,040 --> 01:31:19,160
that undid them too.

1442
01:31:25,600 --> 01:31:28,840
(SPEAKING SPANISH)

1443
01:31:40,440 --> 01:31:43,880
If you look at who the single
biggest winner of this project has
been,

1444
01:31:43,920 --> 01:31:46,120
it is Nasser Al-Khelaifi of PSG,

1445
01:31:46,160 --> 01:31:49,120
because he's now the head
of the European Clubs Association,

1446
01:31:49,160 --> 01:31:51,960
they've just signed Messi,
and they can spend what they want

1447
01:31:52,000 --> 01:31:53,440
and there's no consequences.

1448
01:31:53,480 --> 01:31:55,440
That is closely followed by Man City

1449
01:31:55,480 --> 01:31:57,400
who have just spent 100 million
on Grealish...

1450
01:31:57,440 --> 01:32:01,440
"Make some noise for Jack Grealish!"

1451
01:32:03,520 --> 01:32:07,880
And again, the astronomical player
wages are now just unleashed.

1452
01:32:10,680 --> 01:32:14,800
You can make a case that football
always reflects the world as it is,

1453
01:32:14,840 --> 01:32:20,400
and what we see now
is a rampant drive by the 1%

1454
01:32:20,440 --> 01:32:23,320
to acquire as much of the wealth
as possible,

1455
01:32:23,360 --> 01:32:25,760
and everybody else
struggling to survive.

1456
01:32:30,280 --> 01:32:34,280
What we lost in that week
was an opportunity

1457
01:32:34,320 --> 01:32:36,880
to have a real discussion
about the state of the game.

1458
01:32:37,960 --> 01:32:41,360
It was just raw anger

1459
01:32:41,400 --> 01:32:45,360
and a story that projected
some of the inequality in society.

1460
01:32:47,480 --> 01:32:49,640
Football come together, didn't it?

1461
01:32:49,680 --> 01:32:51,800
In a way that I've never seen
before.

1462
01:32:52,760 --> 01:32:56,040
All the planets were aligned
against greed.

1463
01:32:57,240 --> 01:33:00,160
Will we ever recapture that again?
I don't know.

1464
01:33:21,600 --> 01:33:24,600
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