European Super League called football's IPL, fans come up with glaring similarities

Twelve top European clubs from the Premier League, LaLiga and Serie A shared a joint statement on Sunday to announce the creation of a breakaway league called the European Super League. As per the released details, the European Super League will comprise of the twelve 'Founding Clubs' - six clubs from the Premier League, three from LaLiga and three from Serie A. While several fans around the world have protested against this draconian proposal, there are some other fans who have found similarities between the European Super League and the IPL.

European Super League format

According to the joint statement issued by the twelve 'Founding Clubs' of the European Super League, the Super League teams included are Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan. As per reports, two German clubs and a French club are also expected to join the Super League as founding members. The press release issued by the founding clubs states that the inaugural European Super League season will feature 20 teams participating from across Europe, which will consist of 15 founding members and five rotating clubs.

The five rotating clubs will qualify for the exclusive league based on their achievements in the prior season. The clubs will be divided into two groups of 10 participants each with the top three teams from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. The fourth and fifth teams will compete in a two-legged playoff to decide the remaining spot in the quarter-finals. The European Super League final will be held at a neutral venue in May, where the top two Super League teams will compete to win the trophy.

Indian fans draw similarities between the European Super League format and the IPL

Several Indian cricket and football fans have drawn comparisons between the European Super League and the IPL as both formats follow no relegation with the best teams competing for the prestigious prize. One fan tweeted, "IPL is European super league, none of those teams get relegated." Another fan wrote, "I get that, I'm talking about the franchise model which is exactly what this super League is, no promotion or relegation etc .... Very similar to the set up of the IPL ... Best players etc .... Big salaries ... The list goes on."

Few other fans compared how even the IPL was a result of a rebel league, ICL. "Cricket fans would know #SuperLeague has the flavor of Indian Cricket League (ICL) aka rebel league. Only a matter of time before UEFA gives in and comes up with a format of their own, like BCCI did it with Indian Premier League (IPL)." Spursy wrote, "The European Super League to me sounds more and more like the Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2008 which eventually paved the way for Indian Premier League (IPL). All the players participating in ICL were banned indefinitely, was meant as a “super league” back then too. #ESL."

Despite the many similarities, it is important to acknowledge the significant differences between the European Super League and the IPL as well. The European Super League is likely to feature the best players from the top European clubs with little to no opportunities for rising local talents. Meanwhile, the IPL has been a success story when it comes to young Indian players getting the opportunity to play for the country. Hence, while it is difficult to compare the European Super League and the IPL because of the kind of players that will feature in both competitions, there are yet interesting comparisons that can be drawn between the two as highlighted by some of the fans.