Ian Holloway has reacted with disgust at plans for a new European Super League blasting the selfishness of the 12 clubs involved in the closed-shop competition.
On Sunday, 12 teams from England, Spain and Italy, including the Premier League's "Big Six" - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham - confirmed they were forming a breakaway competition that would effectively replace the Champions League from 2024.
The new tournament would have 15 of its 20 spots permanently fixed for "founding clubs", removing any sense of promotion or relegation, and ensuring a consistent yearly income of around £300m a year while they continue to compete in their respective domestic divisions, further deepening the financial imbalance.
The clubs involved claim it's out of necessity due to the financial challenges of the pandemic and that the money, which is being bankrolled by investment bank JP Morgan and future broadcasting reportedly via DAZN, will be redistributed throughout the pyramid.
But Holloway sees through that pitch, claiming it's motivated purely by greed and a desire to earn as much as possible, irrespective of the financial and structural implications beyond the self-appointed elite.
"One of pure disgust, I have to say," Holloway told talkSPORT, referencing the pride he felt at watching Prince Philip's funeral on Saturday.
"Talk about sadness, I don’t know about you, but I spent time watching the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral at the weekend and for the first time in a long time I was really proud to be British and this morning that’s just gone away.
"That man was so selfless in his life and I wanted us to come out of this pandemic caring about other people more than ourselves and the opposite is happening.
"I am totally outraged, absolutely disgusted in how selfish some people can be the game belongs to supporters not them and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Holloway claims the rebel group of clubs shows a lack of leadership in world football as FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League and the rest look powerless to the whims of the respective owners.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed on Monday that any players taking part in the Super League will be prohibited from competing in European Championships and the World Cup, but are those sanctions strong enough?
"Who is actually in charge? That’s the worrying thing for me," Holloway added. "Action needs to be taken. It’s not good enough to just say ‘you can’t do it’.
"It’s not strong enough, they should be relieved of their positions, stripped of their clubs.
"A fit and proper owner? Is this how people see football going? It doesn’t make sense.
"The biggest worry is, if you’re getting £3billion a year and not getting relegated, you’re going to want to do it.
"But what is football actually about? It’s about believing you can be better and catch the people who are the best. That’s what football is all about.
"Life’s about trying to get somewhere, not about someone telling you that you can’t get there. It’s doesn’t make sense."
