Crystal Palace owner hopes for formation of World Super League
American businessman John Textor has called for the formation of a new super league. The previously proposed European Super League (ESL), however, will not exactly cut it for the billionaire. Instead, Textor is essentially hoping to create a World Super League consisting from clubs from all over the globe.
The Florida native currently owns a series of soccer teams across multiple continents. Textor first entered the business by purchasing stake in Premier League side Crystal Palace in 2021. While the investment was initially for just 40% of the club, he eventually gained control of an extra 5% in recent years. Textor has hinted that he would like to continue purchasing more stake in the team, but extra shares are now limited.
Along with Palace, the American also owns perennial French powerhouse Lyon, Brazilian side Botafogo, and Belgian club Molenbeek. Textor currently has a vast majority control of all three of these teams.
Textor claims that new super league would be part of soccer’s evolution
The billionaire made the comments regarding a possible World Super League during a recent appearance at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit. “I don’t want to support a particular brand of super league,” claimed Textor.
“I believe the world wants to play football. Botafogo want to come to Europe and play the best. Evolution is going to happen. If you don’t evolve you’ll be extinct.”
“I want the world to play, I want the New England Revolution to have a chance to beat Chelsea. I want Palmeiras to come over. Someone said a rising tide floats all boats – let’s see that. I’m in favor of a world league, something super.”
Along with hopes for a World Super League, Textor also touched on a series of interesting topics in his discussion. The American lambasted current Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules currently in place in England. In fact, the billionaire went as far as to label the law a “fraud of a term” in the speech. He also claimed that Palace fans do not need to trust him and Ligue 1 is boring due to Paris Saint-Germain‘s current dominance.
Organizing potential global league would be problematic
Textor’s sprawling speech at the summit in London will certainly grab plenty of headlines. After all, the billionaire touched on several seemingly touchy topics on the day. However, the prospect of the sport’s governing bodies creating a World Super League seems unlikely.
Fans across Europe intensely protested the attempted formation of the European Super League back in 2021. League organizers did previously win a notable court case in their venture to create the breakaway division. Spanish duo Barcelona and Real Madrid also maintain hope that the league can eventually move forward. However, many top teams from across the continent quickly distanced themselves away from the ESL.
Along with overwhelming fan disapproval, a potential World Super League would likely have issues from the start. Logistically, trying to plan out a significant series of soccer matches across three or four continents could prove to be extremely problematic. As a result, Textor’s hopes of the global competition may have to remain a dream for now.
Photo credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC : IMAGO / Sebastian Frej