The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Monday, April 19

Hi, all!

Here’s another one of those pictures that is very emblematic of our times.

Ramble of the Day

It looks like the football world has a bit of an existential question to answer, so it feels like I should designate this space for opinions on a possible Super League.

It’s a pretty complicated topic, and there are a lot of things to think about! A few of my scattered thoughts on the matter:

• Despite governing bodies’ claim of extraordinary greed on the part of the clubs, the idea of the Super League feels very much like a different result of a long-standing issue in the sport. The governing bodies crying foul, after all, are guilty of wanting to make oodles of cash from their work; they are clearly just upset that they are being cut out of this seemingly powerful money-making idea.
• Leverage is the name of the game here, and the clubs seem to think they have all of it. They might, too — FIFA’s statement was not particularly harsh, and the other governing bodies can’t do much without FIFA. Legal battles, though, may shake things up in this regard.
• On the topic of leverage, it will be very interesting to see where players fall as European clubs try to shift power. We have heard from almost everyone when it comes to the Super League — clubs, governing bodies, supporters, broadcasters, and former professionals — while the current crop of professional players have remained silent so far. In addition to not personally having a read on their opinions, I also have no read on how much leverage they have.

It still feels like there are plenty of unknowns here, and it feels like there’s still a lot that will happen before we found out one way or another if this Super League will succeed. I couldn’t argue it’s inherently a good idea, but it looks like we have a lot of discourse ahead of us.

tl;dr: A formal invitation to talk about what you were already going to talk about, the Super League.

Stay informed, read this: Aruna D’Souza on how Asian-American artists are using their work to combat AAPI hate for The New York Times

Links of the Day

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore took a leave of absence after developing complications from COVID-19.

Sky’s Michelle Owen received sexist abuse on social media after revealing on air she missed a red card while reporting on Walsall-Tranmere.

Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick said he will leave the club at the end of the season.

A longer read: Tariq Panja on the road to Sunday’s announcement of a European Super League, and reaction to the news for The New York Times