Talk of a European Super League is nothing new.
The success of the Champions League has pushed the idea of an extended competition to the top of agendas for the superpowers of the game.
This debate has only intensified since the recent Footy Leaks stories suggested that the idea was the subject of some of Europe's top clubs including Manchester United and Real Madrid.
The proposed league - originally scheduled for 2021 - would be set up in such a way that the clubs could not be promoted or relegated for 20 years. But it would be at the expense of the domestic competitions, the kind of breakaway which would have seismic consequences.
According to Footy Leaks, a total of 16 clubs were being lined up for the new Super League including Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus.
This is a plan which has been drawn up with zero consideration for the fans, for whom the cost of following their team abroad would be prohibitively expensive. In fact, the report suggests that in discussions, the fans were not even mentioned as a blueprint for a potential fixture format was drawn up. Not that such disregard should surprise us - the revenue from TV deals and sponsorship deals would mean they could play the games in empty stadiums - probably at staggered, anti-social kick-off times and they'd still be generating huge amounts of money.
The early kick-off times in this season's Champions League should tell us that this is an idea which will be rolled out in coming seasons.
But are we just kidding ourselves that such a plan will never happen? That the thirst for winning domestic competitions is somehow always going to prevail when faced with a breakaway league? The refusal of many clubs to come out and rubbish this idea suggests that this is too good an opportunity to turn down.
The Super League in its proposed form may not get off the ground but as long as there's a hunger for the rich to get richer, this is a plan which will get mentioned every year. The question will then be when and not if.
