Arsenal's recent international withdrawals have sparked a broader debate about the state of modern football, as the club's pursuit of a treble—Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup—reflects a worrying trend of wealth concentration. Mikel Arteta has been rallying his squad with the mantra 'We have a title to win,' but the issue extends beyond Arsenal, with Manchester City also chasing a domestic treble.
Since the 2020–21 season, there have been six or seven instances where a Premier League team could still win a treble by April, compared to just three in the decade before the Covid break. This surge mirrors a shift in European football: before 2008, only four trebles involving the European Cup or Champions League had been achieved, with just one from a major league. Since then, there have been seven in 17 seasons, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich each doing it twice.
The concentration of wealth in a few clubs, exacerbated by Champions League revenue, has created a self-perpetuating system. Uefa leadership has shown little will to address this, with one senior source noting 'there’s just not much energy to actually do it.' The Bosman ruling and aging officials have contributed to a lack of innovation, leaving newer bodies like the Union of European Clubs to propose solutions.
The Union of European Clubs has suggested redistributing prize money so that only 50% goes to qualified clubs, with the rest shared through the Europa League and Europa Conference. This would help smaller leagues and clubs, but Uefa has described the plan as 'extreme,' despite it merely returning to a more equitable distribution seen for most of football's history.
