Monday, July 12, 2021 at 8:03 PM• Mart van Mourik • Last update: 20:12

Due to the birth of the NL League, there is a good chance that the plans for the BeNeLiGa can be canceled. Football International reports Monday evening that the new format of the NL League states that ‘no major changes’ will be made to the current competition form until mid-2025. Even after that, the Netherlands would hold off on a joint competition for the time being. However, it is reported that the possibilities of starting a tournament in which the top three or top four of Belgium and the Netherlands participate: a ‘blockbusters tournament’.

The KNVB was sidelined at the end of last month in the intended merger of the Eredivisie CV and the Cooperative Eerste Divisie (CED), the weekly reported. At the beginning of June, the majority of professional clubs approved the decision to work together towards a new, joint football organization: the NL League. The most recent draft plan for the new set-up hardly mentions the arrival of a BeNeLiGa. The plan for a joint competition of the Dutch clubs and Belgian clubs seems to be swept off the table with the arrival of the NL League. In addition, concludes Football International that ‘making the BeNeLiga concrete has been no more than a means of pressure to enforce reforms in the Netherlands’.

Yet the Netherlands still leaves the door ajar, or so it sounds. Although a competition seems out of the question, a joint cup tournament is now being considered. The possibilities of starting the revolutionary tournament are being investigated by Deloitte & Touche, the accountancy firm that also made the calculations for the setup of the NL League and the BeNeLiGa. According to reports, the tournament plans are being investigated ‘behind the scenes’.

The plan that is now on the table is that the top four of the Netherlands and Belgium, from last season, will enter an extra tournament after the winter break that will be played in addition to the competitions and the existing cup tournaments and European competitions. Reportedly, so-called ‘blockbusters matches’ are being considered. The term ‘blockbuster’ refers to a ‘box-office success’: competitions that bring in a lot of money. Right away pay per viewmodel, according to the first calculations, the participating clubs would benefit considerably financially. The number of top matches must be doubled and with it the viewing figures.

Moreover, comparable arguments are given for the BeNeLiga, which has almost been shot down. More opposition, more viewers and more money for the clubs involved. The reasoning being that the higher budgets, potentially reaching a total of €35 million extra for the participating clubs, should help them compete with the teams from the biggest European leagues. The feasibility of the ‘Blockbuster tournament’ is therefore currently being investigated. One of the stumbling blocks is the large number of matches that have to be played in a season.