linfield1690 4,249 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Celtic and Rangers could finally quit Scottish football as Copenhagen chief reveals Atlantic League is ON 11:04, 13 OCT 2016 UPDATED 11:19, 13 OCT 2016 BY PAUL BLACK DANE Anders Hørsholt reveals talks are on-going in the face of Champions League fears. THE Atlantic League is seemingly marching towards inevitability – with a key figure confirming talks have taken place in the face of Champions League fears. FC Copenhagen director Anders Hørsholt revealed discussions have been on-going to set up a European league involving teams from Scotland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Sweden. Clubs have acted over concerns of being frozen out of the Champions League by a Continental cartel. Record Sport in February exclusively revealed Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell had reached out to Ajax among other outfits in an attempt to fight the proposals of Europe’s elite clubs, who are attempting to drive through an invitation-only version of the competition. FC Copenhagen director Anders Hørsholt Hørsholt insisted the Atlantic League will see the likes of Celtic and Rangers quit theSPFL for this new venture. It’s not yet clear if other Scottish clubs such as Aberdeen and Hearts are involved, although Danish sources believe there will be 12 to 16 teams in a league drawn from six countries. In an interview with Danish newspaper BT, Hørsholt said: "Yes it's true. If we do not act now, we will see the biggest clubs grow larger and stronger while it will be increasingly difficult for clubs like us. "We must therefore look at which alternative international opportunities for FC Copenhagen in the future. Atlantic League is BACK on the table as Dutch mastermind behind idea 16 years ago reveals secret talks with English consortium "Here it is still too early to talk about specific models, but the discussion of leagues across European borders is a theme that we look at and actively participates in." With Europe's biggest clubs looking to squeeze out the smaller nations and the current Champions League deal set to expire in 2021, Hørsholt insists the clubs in countries that are classed as only medium-sized in European scale have to seek an alternative. How a new Atlantic League could work: All you need to know as plans for a breakaway league resurface He said: "We understand that the biggest clubs act as they do. "But it also means that we must look at the market, it leaves and seek alliances with teams from other countries in the same situation. "This is not a situation that we have created, but we have to deal with it, because we can not live with the alternative accounting. We must continue to develop as a club and be attractive to sponsors, the most skilled players and staff. Therefore, it is essential that we are at the European level." Hørsholt also insisted the only way a new European league can work is if member clubs leave their domestic set-ups. He added: "FC Copenhagen and other European clubs that will be part of a new European league will step out of their domestic leagues. It is still well in the future, but it may well be the result." Talk of an Atlantic-style league including Celtic and Rangers and clubs from Scandinavia, Belgium and the Netherlands have been doing the rounds since 1999, when PSV's sporting director Frank Arnesen first mentioned it. Earlier this month SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster again voiced fears the Champions League could become a closed shop and Hørsholt believes changes are inevitable. He said: "The latest development is a clear step away from the idea of 'The Football Family', which would otherwise have been the foundation of both UEFA, ECA (European Club Association) and entire cooperation of Football Europe. "In short, we have no alternative. We are a club that should help ensure that Denmark has a place in international club football. We will fight for the track in the next Champions League, but we will also fight outside while a new European football map is drawn." Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanjo 26,389 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Would be nice, of course... but a massive risk if it ever collapsed. As much as i hate Scottish Football, we are part of it and it likely won't collapse into nothing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CF2 WINNIE 1,006 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Who you got this weekend? Aye Copenhagen away. Fuck that Scottish fitbaw is pish but I would be against Atlantic league Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigo 32,674 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Fuck yes. Worth any risk to get away from being locked in this league. Could be a smashing league. Could give a platform for some sleeping giants to wake and grow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bears 794 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 More of a North Sea league unless the Portuguese are invited... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B1872 21,079 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Would rather we had a clear out of the corrupt cunts at UEFA and went back to CHAMPIONS ONLY playing in the CHAMPIONS League. Zero interest in Arsenal v Barca, Man City v Bayern, Real v Dortmund or Chelsea v PSG every year. It's boring as fuck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigo 32,674 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Just now, B1872 said: Would rather we had a clear out of the corrupt cunts at UEFA and went back to CHAMPIONS ONLY playing in the CHAMPIONS League. Zero interest in Arsenal v Barca, Man City v Bayern, Real v Dortmund or Chelsea v PSG every year. It's boring as fuck! Yeah, that would be great. Even less likely to happen though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negri's lovechild 14,408 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Getting away from playing in this country and under the scottish authorities can only be a good thing. Shite if you want to attend all the away games though! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigo 32,674 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Fuck it. I like the AL idea so much I'm posting this shit in here as well. Let's do it!!... Scottish football is fucked due to television. To have a chance to compete at any decent level we need to come up with a way of becoming attractive to TV or finding another form of revenue to make up for not having that. I always liked the Atlantic League, and I wish it had happened a 10 years ago. That would effectively have created a new country of 60 odd million people across 8 existing countries and the following sort of league would have been attractive for foreign TV too, I think Let's say something like this... Atlantic Super League League 1: Rangers, Celtic, Ajax, Feyenoord, Anderlecht, Copenhagen, Porto, Benfica, Club Brugge, Brondby, IFK Goteborg, Malmo, Rosenborg, Sporting, PSV, Standard Liege League 2: Braga, AIK Stockholm, Genk, HJK Helsinki, Aberdeen, Hearts, Twente Enschede, AZ Alkmaar, Zulte Waregem, Aalborg, Utrecht, Helsingborgs, FC Haka, Viking Stavanger, Brann Bergen, Antwerp. The bottom two teams in League 2 are relegated to their national leagues and replaced by the winners of the national leagues. The lowest ranked team from each country (unless they are one of the two bottom teams in League 2) then go into playoffs with the winners of their respective national leagues to see if they are replaced. This allows each national league to have yearly opportunities for access to the super league. If both bottom teams are from the same country, then the runner up from that national league is also promoted. Bit complicated and requires an open mind, but something like that could be workable? Each and every club there has potential to be bigger than they are given a better platform. that League 1 especially could be great after a few years. So above you would have Antwerp, Brann Bergen relegated and replaced from the winner of their national leagues. FC Haka, Helsingborgs, Utrecht, Aalborg, Hearts and Braga would play off against the winners of their national leagues to see if they are replaced. PSV and Standard Liege are relegated to League 2, whilst Braga are promoted if they beat their national league winner (or you could have them exempt because they won their league and have Sporting consigned to playing the playoff match instead) and AIK are promoted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz52 11,837 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I'm open to something else but the thought of not being able to takeover everywhere we go is unsettling to me. I don't want my wee boy growing up thinking he needs a passport to watch Rangers playing away from home. We'd just become 'another team' in a league like that, there wouldn't be anything special about us compared to the other clubs. It's all about TV appeal and money, it rips the heart out of what a football club truly stands for and especially a football club like Rangers Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
there'sonlyoneamoruso 1,724 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Probably just talk IMO to try to keep the UCL from being a closed shop. I like the idea in theory, but logistically it would be a nightmare. There would also have to be serious money thrown at it to make it viable. But, I'm a fan of us playing in the Scottish Leagues (even though the rest of rhetoric clubs hate us and it is a small pond in terms of competition and money). We need to somehow improve the standard of Scottish football and drag the rest of the club's with us. How we do that it the $64,000 question! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negri's lovechild 14,408 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 1 minute ago, there'sonlyoneamoruso said: Probably just talk IMO to try to keep the UCL from being a closed shop. I like the idea in theory, but logistically it would be a nightmare. There would also have to be serious money thrown at it to make it viable. But, I'm a fan of us playing in the Scottish Leagues (even though the rest of rhetoric clubs hate us and it is a small pond in terms of competition and money). We need to somehow improve the standard of Scottish football and drag the rest of the club's with us. How we do that it the $64,000 question! You have to deal with the mindset first i think,and in recent years it looks like its worse than its ever been. Tv revenue,or universaly adopting a dutch type system relying on youth would be the only ways out of it. I think,sadly,that scottish football is headed backwards and it will take generations to change this small minded morons up here. Shame,as scottish football used to be pretty decent Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escobar 13,676 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 I'm pishing ma pants at the thought of Inverness on a Friday night. Imagine the state I would be in for Feyenoord away. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlCapone 7,678 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 wont be allowed, if it was allowed it would start a domino affect of the top 16 clubs forming their own Euro super league making any atlantic league an irrelevance Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyscott1963 18,581 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 If there was a poll tomorrow asking if Rangers and the tramps should join an Atlantic league I would volunteer the mhanky bastards as I would be glad to see them get tae fuck and take that offended plassy paddy irish shite with them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courtyard Bear 41,357 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Scottish football is dead, there is no way back for it, another decade and it will be as low as the Irish and Welsh leagues. We have to find a way to take our massive club and support forward that can't be done inside a Scottish league set up, any proposal for a European League would get my vote, the audience figures have the potential to be huge and with those audience figures comes advertising and large TV deals. Only thing I worry about is do the powers that be at Rangers have the where with all and drive to get in at the start and help set this up or will be left on the outside purely invited to join. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
there'sonlyoneamoruso 1,724 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 1 hour ago, Negri's lovechild said: You have to deal with the mindset first i think,and in recent years it looks like its worse than its ever been. Tv revenue,or universaly adopting a dutch type system relying on youth would be the only ways out of it. I think,sadly,that scottish football is headed backwards and it will take generations to change this small minded morons up here. Shame,as scottish football used to be pretty decent The SFA way of dealing with things always seems to be to make them worse. (See how they handled our situation for example) They need a visionary in charge to revolutionise the system. Instead they have Stewart Regan and Neil Doncaster. The game is fucked with those two numpties leading the way... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
writingranger 1,427 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 alternative markets and a more equitable approach to champions league & Europa league football are definitely needed. The emotional, bureaucratic and practical barriers are immense. There's be very few away supporters and the primacy of national associations for UEFA being two problems. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam English Loyal 945 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 This sort of thing is inevitable. Champions league will become a closed shop, leaving big and medium sized clubs in unfashionable leagues no other alternative but to join set ups like the Atlantic League. There will be something like this Atlantic league for clubs in northwest Europe, a 'Mitropa' league for the Polish, Czech, Hungarian and Slovak clubs etc. and some other set up for the Ukrainian, Russian, Serbian and Greek clubs. There could potentially be four or five such leagues across Europe. It'll happen sooner or later and is the logical end result of turning football into a business. Is it a good thing? I don't know but I'd say it probably is. At least we'd receive fair and unbiased treatment from the league authorities, and Penn State FC would be only ta/gs in the league (unless the Portuguese join) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluchoo 846 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Is the proposal not for an alternative to the champions league? so we would still play in Scotland but this would be our european competition? Surely all the big clubs from the countries cant be moving and leaving everyone else Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jela 20,648 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Shitey idea Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaudrupsPatrickBoots 13,540 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Never going to happen IMO but in all honesty if it did I think it would be utter shite. I know the leagues put up by Inigo are only an example but half the teams in the league with us don't excite me any more than the current Scottish Premiership teams do. The other half that do actually excite me would probably beat us quite comfortably. Our current squad anyway. We'd just become an "also ran" if it happened. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaudrupsPatrickBoots 13,540 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Another thing to consider in this Atlantic league would be work permit issues for signing players. We'd have clubs all having to operate under different rules and the Scottish clubs would probably suffer the most. If the Portuguese teams did join as well, they would have a South American market available to them that we couldn't touch as well as being able to exploit 3rd party ownership* which we aren't allowed. We'd struggle to compete. *unless they've stopped it now as well, last time I checked it was still rife in Portuguese football. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Williamson. 83,729 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Stupid Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR1979 1,982 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 4 hours ago, Inigo said: Fuck yes. Worth any risk to get away from being locked in this league. Could be a smashing league. Could give a platform for some sleeping giants to wake and grow. Would be a great league with some exciting games, I would be all for it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpeg.a322702824af812fc5dda416706c52ad.jpeg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.