The Workers’ Party has criticised the plans for a European Super League as stealing football from working class communities.

David Gardiner, Workers’ Party representative for Palmerstown-Fonthill in Dublin, said:
“The plan for a European Super League is an attempt by greedy billionaires to rob working class communities of our own game.”

Gardiner, a St Patrick’s Athletic supporter, continued:
“As far as the owners are concerned, football clubs are just brands. They don’t care one bit about the impact this will have on football so long as they can profit from it.”

“Irish clubs like Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers, based in their respective local communities, have benefited from European qualification in recent years, but this plan would see a significant chunk of the money in football already ring fenced for the biggest clubs rather than being earned fairly.”

Chris Bailie, Workers’ Party representative for Oldpark in Belfast, said:
“It’s football supporters who make a football club what it is and, despite our almost universal opposition to the plan, the billionaires owners will go ahead with it anyway.

Bailie, a Cliftonville supporter, also said:
“The supporters of the clubs involved hardly benefit either. It already costs enough to support football, but this plan would mean that to follow your team you could be paying for weekly trips around Europe as well as an increased Sky Sports subscription, who can afford that? We’re being priced out of our game.”

“Once again, billionaires in suits are trying to make money off of the back of ordinary working people.”