Renowned Israeli soccer coach Avram Grant, who has coached in the Champions League in the past and even led Chelsea Football Club to the prestigious finals, said Tuesday that he was not surprised by the creation of the Super League, the formation of which has stunned soccer fans.
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In a shocking move Sunday, 12 of Europe's leading football clubs announced they were establishing the Super League, to rival the Union of European Football Associations' Champions League format, which has dominated European football for years.
Founding Super League members include six English Premier League clubs and three teams apiece from Italy's Serie A and Spain's La Liga, namely AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.
No clubs from France or Germany have joined the new league so far and it is unclear whether German giant Bayern Munich and French champions PSG will make the move.
It is also unclear when Super League games will begin.
"The timing was surprising, not the move itself," Grant told Israel Hayom. "The formation of a private league is an idea that's been floating around for a long time now. The big clubs have discussed it numerous times in the past. The wealthy clubs always felt they could make much more money in the new era. What did surprise me was the assertiveness of the move. I thought it would only be for negotiating purposes, but based on my understanding now – what these 12 teams want is real and I think a clear and stable body is standing behind them. They are doing this to benefit themselves."
Q: In your opinion, are the big clubs doing the right thing?
"I think it's the wrong move, but I can certainly understand the big clubs that initiated this. I coached Chelsea, a team that spent a lot of money and felt it deserved to make more. Nevertheless, I think it's a mistake. It runs counter to the spirit of sportsmanship, counter to the human spirit and mainly counter to the character of sports."
Q: Can you explain?
"It's a move that creates classes, and this isn't the way of soccer. In soccer, things are determined on the field, not according to a predetermined plan. The wealthy clubs will always have an advantage. Without money, you can't succeed, but money does not guarantee success. Leicester City, which won the British Premier League, or Ironi Kiryat Shmona, which won the Israeli Premier League, are exceptions.
"Most of the successful clubs are wealthy, but these things need to be determined on the field, through competition. Westham and Leicester, which are having wonderful seasons in the [British] Premier League, are ahead of Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal in the standings [which have all reserved spots in the Super League], so what do you tell their players now?"
Although he believes the big clubs are justified in wanting to make more money, Grant says no team should be assured anything in advance just because it is wealthy. "In sports, there is no such thing as a second-class citizen, and there are no second-class clubs. Real Madrid, wealthy as it may be, still needs to prove itself on the field in every game and tournament."
Q: What harm is this move essentially going to cause?
"This move will create classes that aren't based on the teams' abilities on the field, and this harms the principle of equal opportunity. Every player has an equal opportunity – whoever plays better gets more minutes on the field, as should be the case with the teams. All of them begin the season with zero points and an equal opportunity to win the title. Take Liverpool, for example, last year it won an historic Premier League title, two years ago it won the Champions League, and this year it is struggling to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
"Soccer is the only profession in the world you enter because of love and don't view as a profession from the beginning. And love shouldn't be taken out of the profession either," Grant said. "Money is not the most important thing in soccer. It's important, but the passion, the competition, and the desire to win are the most important aspects of the game, and this is exactly what I miss the most."
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