Europeans perhaps have something in common with St. Louis sports fans, disdain for the owner of the Los Angeles Rams. Supporters of a London soccer club are planning a protest calling for the ouster of its owner, businessman Stan Kroenke.
The protest will follow a remarkable few days in Europe that began with 12 of the richest clubs on the continent, including Kroenke's Arsenal FC, announcing a breakaway Super League.
Following a furious response, from fans, players, governing bodies, governments, and even the intervention of a British Royal, the plan was in tatters within just over 48 hours.
It was announced Sunday, and clubs began pulling out Tuesday. That evening, the plan was dead.
But fans of Arsenal are still planning to gather prior to a game on Friday, and they want Kroenke, a director and member of the club's board, to stand down. The protest is "dedicated to getting Kroenke out of our club," according to the organizers. Under COVID-19 restrictions no fans are allowed inside stadiums in England.
Kroenke - the Columbia, Mo.-born billionaire embroiled in a lawsuit over moving the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles - and the rest of the board apologized for the club's involvement in the proposed Super League, which would have upended the traditional structure of the leagues by introducing a U.S. style closed shop run entirely by the owners.
It was backed by a promised $4.2 billion in funding from JP Morgan, with hundreds of millions to be disbursed among the clubs.
"The last few days have shown us yet again the depth of feeling our supporters around the world have for this great club and the game we love," according to the board, which also includes Kroenke's son, Josh.
"We needed no reminding of this but the response from supporters in recent days has given us time for further reflection and deep thought.
"As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologize for it."
The plan was to create a league with 15 permanent teams, and a further five somehow qualifying to join each year. Twelve of the 15 announced they had signed an agreement, including six English clubs, three from Spain and three from Italy.
If allowed to happen, it would have upended the so-called pyramid structure that involves qualification for the pan-European tournaments, considerably devalued the national leagues, and crucially allowed the owners to control revenue from broadcasting rights.
Of the six English clubs, three are owned by U.S. companies, one controlled by the Glazer family of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, FSG of the Boston Red Sox and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, one by a Russian oligarch, and a fifth by Sheikh Mansour, the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.
Arsenal, deep in debt, is expected to announce losses of around $200 million on May 31, according to Arsenal Times, part of the Football Network.
Following the announcement, the governing bodies, UEFA in Europe, and FIFA, along with the English Premier League, issued a series of warnings.
The English clubs were told they would be kicked out of the national leagues, while the players were warned of a bar against them playing for their national teams.
Prince William, the Queen's grandson, spoke out against the move, as did British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and current and former players for the teams involved.