Football fan fury over European Super League

Football fan fury over European Super League   

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hqrzUlxLn4

The plan created by Europe's top football clubs to create a breakaway super league seems to be falling apart less than 48 hours after it was launched. A group of 12 of the richest football teams in Europe announced they would take part in the European Super League (ESL) starting in August. This created fury among fans, players, managers, Premier League teams and even the British Prime Minister and Britain's Prince William. They all said the new league would destroy football. They said it was created by greedy club owners. There has been so much anger that top clubs Chelsea and Manchester City are already preparing to withdraw from the ESL due to a backlash from fans.

Six of England's richest teams agreed to participate in the breakaway ESL, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Top teams from Spain (including Barcelona) and Italy also signed up. No teams from Germany and France are involved, making the ESL less European. In Germany, teams are 51-per-cent owned by fans, so fan power is bigger in Germany than in England. The UK government said it will take "whatever action is necessary," including legal options, to stop the ESL. Fourteen Premier League clubs said they would take legal action to expel the six English clubs from the Premier League. Football's governing bodies FIFA and UEFA said players who played in the ESL could be banned from the World Cup.

Warm-ups

1. FOOTBALL / SOCCER: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about football / soccer. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       plan / football / clubs / league / fury / fans / greedy / owners / withdraw / backlash /
       teams / participate / European / fan power / legal action / necessary / bodies / players
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. THE BEST GAME: Students A strongly believe fotball is the best game in the world; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. COMPETITIONS: What do you know about these competitions? What are the good and bad things about them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What I Know

Good Things

Bad Things

Premier League

 

 

 

Tour de France

 

 

 

Formula 1

 

 

 

Olympics

 

 

 

Wimbledon tennis

 

 

 

Sumo basho

 

 

 

5. TEAM: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "team". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. SPORTS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best sports at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Football
  • Cricket
  • Tennis
  • Skiing
  • Sailing
  • Marathon
  • Rugby
  • Basketball

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1.

falling apart

a.

Leave a place or situation.

      2.

launched

b.

Started.

      3.

fury

c.

Completely break; put an end to.

      4.

destroy

d.

Breaking up.

      5.

greedy

e.

A strong, angry and negative reaction to something by a large number of people.

      6.

withdraw

f.

Big, big anger.

      7.

backlash

g.

Having a huge and selfish desire for money, cakes, power, etc.

    Paragraph 2

      8.

participate

h.

About the law.

      9.

involved

i.

A person who has a strong interest in or love of a person or thing.

      10.

fan

j.

Force someone to leave a place, especially a school or a country.

      11.

legal

k.

Join in; take part.

      12.

option

l.

Of a situation or event - include something as a necessary part or result.

      13.

expel

m.

Officially or legally stopped.

      14.

banned

n.

A thing that is or may be chosen or selected.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. It took European clubs 48 hours to think of the European Super League.  T / F
  2. The European Super League once had 12 if Europe's richest clubs in it.    T / F
  3. The UK's Prime Minister strong supported the European Super League.    T / F
  4. People said greedy club owners created the European Super League.     T / F
  5. Six teams from England initially joined the European Super League.     T / F
  6. No teams from France and Germany joined the European Super League.  T / F
  7. The UK government said it would not take legal action against the ESL.   T / F
  8. Players from the ESL would have played in the FIFA World Cup.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. plan
  2. falling apart
  3. fury
  4. destroy
  5. due to
  6. participate
  7. involved
  8. fans
  9. expel
  10. bodies
  1. included
  2. ruin
  3. breaking up
  4. because of
  5. organizations
  6. supporters
  7. scheme
  8. throw out
  9. anger
  10. join

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. create a breakaway
  2. falling apart less than
  3. This created fury
  4. created by greedy
  5. withdraw from the ESL due to
  6. Six of England's richest teams agreed
  7. teams are 51-per-cent owned
  8. it will take whatever action
  9. they would take legal
  10. players who played in the ESL
  1. could be banned
  2. a backlash from fans
  3. is necessary
  4. 48 hours after
  5. by fans
  6. among fans
  7. super league
  8. action
  9. club owners
  10. to participate

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

richest
withdraw
players
backlash
part
greedy
falling
destroy

The plan created by Europe's top football clubs to create a breakaway super league seems to be (1) _____________________ apart less than 48 hours after it was launched. A group of 12 of the (2) _____________________ football teams in Europe announced they would take (3) _____________________ in the European Super League (ESL) starting in August. This created fury among fans, (4) _____________________, managers, Premier League teams and even the British Prime Minister and Britain's Prince William. They all said the new league would (5) _____________________ football. They said it was created by (6) _____________________ club owners. There has been so much anger that top clubs Chelsea and Manchester City are already preparing to (7) _____________________ from the ESL due a (8) _____________________ from fans.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

signed
whatever
banned
less
fan
bodies
participate
action

Six of England's richest teams agreed to (9) _____________________ in the breakaway ESL, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Top teams from Spain (including Barcelona) and Italy also (10) _____________________ up. No teams from Germany and France are involved, making the ESL (11) _____________________ European. In Germany, teams are 51-per-cent owned by fans, so (12) _____________________ power is bigger in Germany than in England. The UK government said it will take "(13) _____________________ action is necessary," including legal options, to stop the ESL. Fourteen Premier League clubs said they would take legal (14) _____________________ to expel the six English clubs from the Premier League. Football's governing (15) _____________________ FIFA and UEFA said players who played in the ESL could be (16) _____________________ from the World Cup.

Comprehension questions

  1. How long did it take the European Super League to fall apart?
  2. How many teams launched the European Super League (ESL)?
  3. When was the European Super League due to start?
  4. What did the UK Prime Minister say the ESL would do to football?
  5. Who did people say created the ESL?
  6. How many teams from England joined the ESL?
  7. How many teams from Germany and France joined the ESL?
  8. What does the article say is bigger in Germany than in England?
  9. What does the article say Premier League clubs wanted to take?
  10. What did FIFA say ESL players could be banned from?

Role play

Role  A – Football
You think football is the best sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): tennis, skiing or sailing.

Role  B – Tennis
You think tennis is the best sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): football, skiing or sailing.

Role  C – Skiing
You think skiing is the best sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): tennis, football or sailing.

Role  D – Sailing
You think sailing is the best sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their sports. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): tennis, skiing or football.

Discussion - Football / Soccer

  1. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'football'?
  2. What do you think of football?
  3. What is the better word - 'football' or 'soccer'?
  4. Why is football so popular?
  5. What do you think of a European Super League?
  6. What do you think of the ESL falling apart within 48 hours?
  7. What do you think of fan power?
  8. What do you think of billionaire club owners?
  9. How important is football in your country?
  1. What do you think of when you hear the word 'fan'?
  2. What do you think about what you read?
  3. What do you think of England's Premier League?
  4. What is the world's greatest football club?
  5. Should football fans own their clubs?
  6. Are greedy club owners harming football?
  7. What can clubs do to make football better?
  8. What three adjectives best describe this story?
  9. What questions would you like to ask the club owners?

Spelling

Paragraph 1

  1. create a raaeabwky super league
  2. 48 hours after it was uedhanlc
  3. ucndnanoe they would take part
  4. the new league would rosdety football
  5. it was created by edyreg club owners
  6. due to a asclkhba from fans

Paragraph 2

  1. teams agreed to aetapprtcii
  2. the UK ntogreevmn
  3. take whatever action is reanessyc
  4. take elagl action
  5. plexe the six English clubs
  6. Football's gerngnvoi bodies

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