(Soccer) Aston Villa says new league ditches sporting merit

Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow believes the Super League is "a grotesque concept" that "does away with sporting merit,'' Sky News reports.

In an interview with the BBC, Purslow said the ESL "goes against everything that the sport stands for,'' and he expects Manchester United and Liverpool fans to revolt against it.

He said: "Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have won the European Cup three times - Spurs and Arsenal and Manchester City have not won it at all.

"These proposals do away with sporting merit. It would enable a small number of clubs to be in this competition come what may, and for millions of people in football that goes against everything that the sport stands for.

"The idea is that the uncertainty that comes with sport that makes it so compelling and makes it the sport that we love is actually damaging to the business models of these huge clubs.

"And so this format is designed to take away that uncertainty, to give predictability to their businesses so that if they have a poor year, if they're badly managed, they're still in the Premier tournament. Does that sound like sport or football to you? It sounds to me like a grotesque concept.

"There is a pyramid, it's based on merit. And the pinnacle of that pyramid is the elite European competition. Most importantly, the fans view that competition with great prestige, as the elite, a competition with history.

"Do you think the fans of those clubs would want to win a made-up new tournament that has no legacy? I don't for one minute think the fans of Liverpool and Manchester United would."-Photo: Sky News