The Hammers have now formally and emphatically come out publicly in it’s opposition to the hideous breakaway from the Premier League planned by the so called super six.
As reported here earlier they have given the biggest possible thumbs down to a development which they believe takes away the social responsibility of clubs to the fans and their local areas.
This move by a group of Americans in a word will ‘destroy’ the incredible importance of football clubs to those in the area they serve.
West Ham United have now made it clear – and could not be more on the record – than they now are over this shocking plan by those who have apparently tempted away the rebels – Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and the shameless Spuds – a top six club in name only anyway.
The Hammers recall in their statement that our founders set up the football club to serve the fans and that will never change.
The statement says:
‘West Ham United shared its views and those of its supporters expressing vehement opposition to the proposal for a Super League at a Premier League meeting held on Tuesday morning.
Following a meeting between senior Club officials and the Independent Supporters’ Committee within 24 hours of the news breaking, Vice-Chairman Karren Brady met with representatives from 13 other Premier League clubs to share the Hammers’ unequivocally strong disapproval of a proposal by six clubs to create a breakaway league that undermines our values and those of the game we all hold so dear.
As a Club that was founded by working-class shipbuilders over 125 years ago, is deeply rooted in its own community and is acutely aware of the traditions of English football, we passionately believe that there should be no barrier to supporting West Ham United and these proposals go entirely against the integrity of our Beautiful Game.
Thames Ironworks FC was formed in June 1895 by Arnold Hills, a man who believed his local community should have its own football team. Well over a century later West Ham United, owned by two supporters, remains at the heart of our community, true to its working-class values.
From humble origins, the Club grew, attracting more support and better players, working its way up through the football pyramid to earn its place at the highest level of the game, where we are proud to be today and giving our all in line with those values, to achieve a place in Europe.
The foundations of our Club and our sport are based on the integrity of competition and the loyal support of our fans who have grown up as members of the Claret and Blue Army and followed us over land and sea.
These proposals are an attack on sporting integrity, undermine competition, and ignore those supporters, and those of the thousands of clubs and millions of players, from the Premier League to Sunday League, who can aspire to reach the top of the game just like our 150-plus homegrown Academy of Football graduates who came from grassroots and were developed into first-team players.
Our supporters have been there throughout our 125-year journey, for our FA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup wins, our promotions and many other memorable moments.
These proposals go totally against the ethos and values – the West Ham Way – that have inspired us to those unforgettable successes and will shape the next generation of Hammers, on and off the pitch.
West Ham United will continue to do everything possible standing together with its supporters, government, governing bodies and the wider football community to resist this attack on football in the best interests of our Club and of the game we all love.
We believe we have a social responsibility to do so and will continue to keep supporters fully updated.’
This is ultimately what happens when you allow Americans, primarily, to become involved in running Premier League and European football clubs. They do not understand the context of competition and merit, there are dictionary definition capitalist’s who believe their money gives them ultimate power.
I hope I’m not alone in saying this but I wouldn’t want to see any of the clubs involved as being punished because it is not the club staff as in players, managers or support staff who are in any way responsible for this and the supporters of those sides should not be punished. Any punishment should be directed towards the owners and top level management, all of who should be legislated out of their respective positions and banned from having any further involvement in any European club.
This is not just an attack on European football, it’s an attack on society and democracy as a whole. It is the rich and powerful trying to elect themselves as the top of the tree. It is the elitist nature of society in America, which is demonstrated in all of their cultural issues, where those individuals believe that they deserve better and are better than anyone else below them. It’s time we took football back from these mercenaries for good. Send them packing back to the states to mess around with their own dog **** sports, European football belongs to us and they have no right to it.
It is time for the authorities to legislate on fit and proper owners. These individuals have demonstrated a complete lack of any morals or inclusiveness and as such should face severe consequences, both by existing rules and laws and by any appropriate new ones.
Abramovich isn’t from the US. Nor is Sheikh Mansour. And Joe Lewis is a UK national domiciled elsewhere, I believe. Greed and the desire to financialise sport (i.e. to invest speculatively in sporting institutions with a view to profit-making), which is really at the heart of the ESL issue, isn’t confined to US owners. It isn’t even confined to those owners signed up to the ESL The financialisation of football is what FIFA and UEFA ought to be tackling, not just the ESL. ESL is a symptom of the much wider problem. So too is financial doping, which two of the so-called Big Six have been dabbling in for years.
This whole episode has made me realise how lucky we are not to have foreign owners and that we do indeed as the statement says have two fans of the club as owners. Such a shame the likes of hammers united can’t see it for themselves but there you go.
It does make you laugh a bit from our lot.
Responsibility to the local area?
These are the people who walked away from Upton Park and let businesses go bust and turned their back in local traders for what?
They called it progress , some might say greed.
Not much difference in my book.
What rubbish. The majority of the so called locals deserted the area years ago anyway and moved out to places like Essex.
But how many West Ham fans couldn’t get to see their team on a regular basis at the the old stadium
Has everyone forgotten about what happened back in October 2020
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54505270
Has everyone forgotten about project “big picture” back in October last year the so called big six plotted radical plans to change the premier league and reduce it to 18 teams?
Project big picture last year, the big six were plotting to take over control of the premier league. The other 14 clubs were unaware what was being planned. Again the secret six were plotting to keep themselves at the top of the pyramid.
Greedy 6 only doing what clubs did starting premier league , very difficult now to break into top positions as they are so wealthy.
Fans who want clubs to buy big foreign players
, Spending millions on transfers.
Fans happy to see second eleven teams in cup games
Useless European and fifa organisations who allow unfair practices. And let top corrupt officials stay in office
High price club associated kit etc.
High price tickets