It might be financially worth it for them to enter ESL for one year, get paid handsomely, maybe even win proze money, and then re-enter the domestic leagues, with more buying power etc?
but how do they get back into the leagues? If they have been banned, the normal practice would be to make them start at the very lowest tier. If that's a regional league, say the top tier of that, you're still looking at having to win promotion 4 times, in 4 seasons would be the quickest, to get back to the PL. Any silly money they get from the ESL won't cover that, surely? And if they're allowed to return in, say, the Championship, that's a slap in the face to those trying to win promotion from League 1. How would they handle that fairly? promote the top two, drop 6th place from the playoffs and put them in there? Not fair to anyone (except the club trying to get back in)
I've been laughing at the faux outrage since the story broke.
Whose outrage? I agree that FIFA and UEFA and no doubt at least some of the national associations, are corrupt as all get out. And I am ever hopeful, as a passionate football fan, that it will be tackled properly (it won't).
But fans can and should be outraged. But now I'm seeing a LOT of discussion about who the "real" fans are. Is it the 20+ year season ticket holders who go to all home and away games without execption? Is it the fans who follow in the news, on TV and can't get to a match? occasional visitors to the stadium who buy a shirt now and again and have a bumper sticker? Glory hunters?
I have no doubt that even in Europe there is a vast TV market for this. I've had several discussions with Arsenal fans in particular (probably don't like the reality of the European cup) who sneeringly say that they have no interest in playing the likes of Young Boys Bern or Slavia Prague - they just want the big boys, the Real Madrids and the Barcelonas. That's fine if that's what you want, but the YBB and SP fans love those big occasions and the occasional upset in the past has been cheered on by everyone but the big team the minnows have defeated.
I hated it when it started and i hate it now, but the Premier League has chucked up some very exciting matches. But it also sucked the life out of the lower leagues, and the bigger Championship clubs that greedy backers bought, and have practically run into the ground trying and failing to get up there into the big money. And certainly in England the Sky deal has led to fixtures being changed at short notice, to the detriment of and cost to away fans in particular if the fixture suddenly turns out to be a Top Match and worthy of Sunday evening broadcast.
Basically Football in general needs a good kick up the backside. This isn't going to be the trigger, however, but I'll be interested to see how it pans out.