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The European Super League is a controversial topic right now after US sports tycoon Charlie Stillitano admitted that he wants to create a closed competition just for the world's elite clubs. Such a move would almost certainly spell the end of the Champions League and domestic European championships as we know them.
Seven out of 10 Goal readers believe that the creation of a European Super League is bad for the sport, and reaction from coaches across the globe has been consistently negative.
So we asked Goal's European editors and club correspondents to present the pros and cons for such an elite league...
Federico Casotti, Italy Chief Editor
"I think that a European Super League is unavoidable. Local leagues are becoming increasingly boring; there's too big a gap between the biggest clubs and others. It makes no sense to continue like this. It would be hard to imagine Serie A without Juventus or local rivalries, so a possible solution would be to create two teams: one for the Super League and one for the domestic league."
Loïc Tanzi, PSG correspondent
"For PSG, the European Super League looks like a perfect gift. However, it would be a big problem for Ligue 1, which couldn't exist in its current state if PSG didn't play there any more. PSG could be interested in a ESL but president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said that he arrived to help French football, and if the club left Ligue 1 it would hinder the domestic game."
Yanick Vos, Netherlands Chief Editor
"A European Super League could be a blessing for Dutch football. The gap between the Dutch top flight and the European top divisions is becoming bigger and bigger. PSV surviving the group stage of the Champions League is the biggest success in years, while all the other Dutch clubs were eliminated from the Europa League in the group stage. In the long term, more money will be available for top Dutch clubs and the Eredivisie could take advantage of that."
Melissa Reddy, Liverpool Correspondent
"Liverpool should be more concerned with how and why they're below Leicester, West Ham and Tottenham in the Premier League table rather than thinking about plans for a European Super League. The club have made one Champions League appearance since 2009-10 and need to stop chasing shortcuts and focus on "building the right way" as per Fenway Sports Group's promise. With automatic qualification, the ESL may as well be another friendly tournament - and who really cares about winning that?"
Ander Bilbao, Spain Chief Editor
"The idea of creating a European Super League is not a new idea. In 1998 a similar proposal ended with the birth of the Champions League as we know it today. But if we are talking about a closed league, or a similar system to the NBA or NFL, the system would't allow tier-two teams to compete with the biggest ones and the sporting merits would not have any value. I do not think that it would be good for the sport itself."
Peter Staunton, Chief Correspondent
"Clubs whose bread and butter is and always will be the domestic league will see the worthiness of their achievements diminished. What kind of league title is won without competing against Bayern or PSG or Barcelona? Think also of the implications for England's Premier League teams whose broadcast contracts will be worth in the region of £8bn from next season. Would that sum be achievable without Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in there? It would totally sink that league too. Competition between eight or 10 clubs into perpetuity is a dangerous road to go down."
Sam Lyon, UK and International Chief Editor
"The Premier League's success might encourage others' envy - and is, I'm sure, a reason why some might pursue a European Super League solution - but is also the reason why I can't see it ever happening. Any need unfulfilled by the Premier League currently appears to be sated by the Champions League and a rejuvenated Europa League anyway... and, as such, a European Super League strikes me as little more than foolhardy."
Greg Stobart, Arsenal Correspondent
"The ESL is unworkable without Premier League clubs and on that front I'm pleased that Arsenal have declared that they are strongly opposed to this dreadful idea. It is slightly worrying, though, that the Gunners have not been vocally backed up by their 'big five' partners, who might opportunistically look to protect their own interests at a time when they find themselves outside the top four in England."
Christian Nier, Germany Chief Editor
"Without the best players of Bayern and Dortmund, the Bundesliga would lose popularity dramatically. For example, away fans are massive in Germany. There's a big atmosphere because fans travel to away games. It would be nearly impossible to watch all away games in Europe. Football lives off the hope that David can beat Goliath, that's the secret and passion of football."
Kris Voakes, Manchester United Correspondent
"Leicester fans would cherish 2015-16 in a way more successful clubs simply cannot. This is due to the heady cocktail of the prestige involved in usurping the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal combined with the relative lack of expectation and resources. Stories like Leicester's are what football is all about. The Champions League has become boring and predictable as it is. How many times do we already hear of complacency relating to yet another clash between Arsenal and Barcelona, or Real Madrid and Bayern Munich? You can clearly have too much of a good thing."
Ante Buskulic, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Slovenia Chief Editor
"The Uefa fee for reaching the group stage of the Champions League, which this season was €12.5 million, can represent 70 per cent of the annual budget for clubs such as Dinamo, Partizan, Maribor and Ludogorets. With the Champions League making more and more money every year, what is the problem with the current system? Have there been any signs of a financial crisis in Uefa, in the Champions League, or among top European clubs? While most of Europe struggled with an economic crisis, the Champions League brought in a massive amount of cash!"
Johann Crochet, France Chief Editor
"The European Super League would destroy European football as we know it because the best teams would leave and there will be no reason for sponsors and broadcasters to throw any big money in the local leagues without the best teams and the best players. And the same goes for the fans, the merchandising, etc. It's easy for OGC Nice to have a full stadium for Nice-PSG; it's not as easy for Nice-Guingamp."
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