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Premiership Football News: Premier League Dominance

Andy Greeves

Barcelona's recent Champions League semi-final defeat of Chelsea has done little to dent the dominance enjoyed by English clubs in Europe's elite club competition of late.

In the last five season, the Premier League has provided 12 of the 20 semi-finalists, six of the finalists and two, possible three of the winners of the competition. In contrast, Spain has had just four semi-finalists and a finalist and Italy, two semi-finalists and two finalists in the same period.

The reasons for the Premier League's current strangle hold over the rest of the continent are plentiful. The most obvious reason is the money currently in the English game - a recent Deloitte report showing the Premier League's average revenue to be in the region of $700m. Significantly less cash is in the other of Europe's 'top three' leagues at the present time, with $490m and $275m the average revenue per annum in Italy and Spain in the same report.

It is no surprise that the wealth of a domestic league has correlated directly with the success of its clubs in Europe. In a spell, from 1984 to 2000, Italy's clubs broke the world transfer fee paid record nine times. Serie A clubs won the Champions League 9 times during these years - more than any other league in Europe. Spain came second during this spell and between 1999-2004, they enjoyed particular success with Real Madrid twice winning the competition in this time. It was in 2000 that the Spanish giants broke the transfer record to sign Luis Figo and the following season, did the same with Zinedine Zidane. The investment paid off.

England's 'big four' have flown the flag for the Premier League in the Champions League, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal having qualified for the competition ever season for the last six seasons. In the same period, Spain has had nine different clubs in the tournament and Italy eight. The continuity of the 'big four' from England qualifying year-on-year for the Champions League means they grown in European experience and finance, where other clubs may have to go through a rebuilding period to compete successfully.

The continuity and wealth of the English 'big four' will grow again this summer, with those same teams a banker to play in the Champions League again next season. Their presence will send a shudder down the spines of every club across Europe and raise the question as to whether the English clubs are becoming too powerful for the Champions League's good.

This is a major concern of Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, who believes the Premier League's might is at the expense of other leagues across Europe. "It (The Premier League) is taking over in such a manner that the other leagues have difficulties to match it," said Blatter in a recent interview. He criticised the number of foreign players plying their trade in England and mentioned that FIFA may consider imposing rules on the number of non-home grown players allowed to represent a club in Europe. He also launched a scathing attack on Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore for allowing large numbers of English clubs to be taken over by foreign owners.

Scudamore himself isn't bothered by Blatter's comments or by anyone that attacks the success of Premier League teams in Europe. "It's good for English football (to do well in the Champions League), there's no downside, apart from possibly that other leagues and other people get jealous, but we will live with that," he said recently. Just a handful of home grown players took to the field for the three English clubs involved in the semi-finals of this season's Champions League this season, a fact Scudamore views as irrelevant. "English football is based in England," he said. "Our fans don't discriminate, they don't care (where players are from) as they see the best players, which is really important."

The debate over whether it is right for the English Premier League to dominate the Champions League as it currently does looks set to run and run. What is not in doubt is if Manchester United can secure a victory over Barcelona in this month's final, then England will officially be the most successful nation in the competition's history. They will have 12 European Cups to their name while Spain and Italy's will have 11 each.

No doubt the majority of Europe and a certain Sepp Blatter will be rooting for a Barca victory in Rome this month, to temporarily halt the English march of power in the Champions League. Whether United win or lose however, England's 'big four' will already be amongst the favourites to lift the trophy in 2011.

Andy Greeves

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