Jamie Carragher has warned supporters that Todd Boehly's latest comments prove the idea of a European Super League is not dead but merely in hibernation. This week, the Chelsea owner suggested that the Premier League should host an 'all-star' event similar to major United States sports.
Speaking at the SALT conference in New York on Tuesday, Boehly proposed a 'North vs South' match which would help raise money for the English football pyramid. He also suggested that the current automatic three-team relegation system should be scrapped in exchange for a four-team mini-tournament instead.
Raising eyebrows, the American billionaire asked: "Ultimately, I hope that the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports and really starts to figure out, ‘Why wouldn’t we do a tournament with the bottom four teams?'
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"Why isn’t there an all-star game?’ People are talking about more money for the pyramid. With the all-star game in LA this year, we made $200 million from a Monday and a Tuesday. You could have a North versus South all-star game for the Premier League and fund whatever the pyramid needed very easily."
Then, when asked whether his proposal was being actively discussed, Boehly said: "Listen, I think everyone likes the idea of more revenue for the league."
The Chelsea co-owner faced considerable backlash. And, Carragher believes that, while Boehly's ideas are in good faith, the proposal proves that the idea of a European Super League is still simmering.
In a column for The Telegraph, the former Liverpool defender wrote: "What disturbed me most about Boehly’s comments in midweek is that they proved such cynicism to be correct.
"The sentiments which led to the Super League fiasco are not dead, merely in hibernation, with businessmen like Boehly waiting to seize the next opportunity to mould our game into an ill-fitting vision, his comments suggesting English football is not generating as much cash as it should be," Carragher added.
"That is why my Sky Sports colleague, Gary Neville, is so adamant an independent regulator is needed, ensuring what begins as an ‘opinion’ does not turn into a plan formulated by the most powerful clubs."
Carragher continued by stressing exactly why Boehly's comments should come as a warning. The Sky Sports pundit wrote: "What really annoyed me was the superior tone in which they were delivered.
"What must worry Chelsea fans is that Boehly is prepared to speak now, think later. Either he has not sought advice about how such comments would be received, or even worse, he has not listened to it."
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