Everybody wants to punish the Super League clubs

OK, everybody abandoned the Super League, but what next? Will the „rebellious“ clubs be punished? If other clubs and club executives around the Europe are to decide, the answer would be a big „yes“. And the fans, off course, want some sort of punishment. The Twitter hashtag #punishthe6 has appeared and it's trending.

Clubs from English, Italian and Spanish league were furious when the news of the new competition broke out. Everybody were blindsided by the 12 biggest clubs, and now, when the attempt failed miserably, nobody want’s the so called „The Dirty Dozen“ to escape without punishment. Other clubs are calling for punishment but UEFA are welcoming them back.

„They are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game. The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together“ said president Aleksander Ceferin.

'I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I am happy because I think this would have been the biggest disaster for European football. But I am confused. Did they really think there would be less protest. In my opinion, that was to be expected. It will be tricky to reintegrate them. We cannot ban those clubs, but we have to talk to them about how they repay the football community for what they have done“ admitted Wanja Greuel, European Club Association board member and chief executive of BSC Young Boys ins Switzerland.

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And what about England and six clubs who decided to join the Super League?

“The Premier League is considering all actions available to prevent it from progressing, as well as holding those clubs involved to account under its rules” said the league in a statement, and section L9 of the league’s handbook states member clubs shall not enter or play in extra competitions without the prior written approval of the league’s board.

'If I breach any rules, I get sanctioned. In this case they've broken the rules. I don't know what the form of punishment should be, but certainly if you've broken the rules then you need to pay for that. There are lessons to be learned for the governing bodies who run our game, unless we learn those lessons quickly and protect better the structure of our game, we're likely to see this again and again“ said WBA and former England manager Sam Allardyce.

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In Italy, the thee clubs who were bound for the Super League even showed up at the Serie A meeting and caused more unrest. And Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero believes the clubs must be punished.

“Football would not exist without the fans. We must take football back. If we go after people on a power trip, we do not go anywhere. How dare they? I’ve always voted against Agnelli, I’ve never followed him. What did he do in such a delicate moment? I have no words for him. If I say what I think, they will censor the radio. I hope they will face sanctions, I don’t think they can get away with it. All the Italians have been damaged. I am shocked because Andrea remains a good person for me. I don’t know what crossed his mind or which ideas he was attracted by” Ferrero told Radio Marte.

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Will the „Dirty Dozen“ be punished both domestically and internationally? There have been concerns raised among pundits that any punishment handed to the 'Big Six' must take into account that the breakaway was imposed on their fans, staff and payers who have since campaigned heavily to stop it. But furious calls for sanctions are coming from the likes of West Ham, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Leeds fans, who say their clubs were punished for offences that also had nothing to do with the fan base.