Due to the size of their clubs, the owners are making a huge cash grab, because they are tired of having to share with smaller clubs. The funny thing is that this is being spearheaded by the American Owners of Manchester United (the Glazers), Arsenal (Kroenke), and Liverpool (Henry/FSG). We are used to it here in America, but in Europe, they are used to a socialized football pyramid where money cascades from the top teams all of the way down to the teams at the bottom of the pyramid. According to what I have seen, the top teams in the Champion's League end up getting paid between $100-$150M. The new tournament will guarantee each club over $300M+.

I think that this is going to make a complete mess of things. That said, FIFA and UEFA are hugely corrupt organizations with a long track record of embezzlement, graft, bribery, etc. Those organizations have absolutely ZERO moral high ground here--they are just angry that they were cut out of the picture.

I think what you are going to see the individual leagues and UEFA try to do everything possible to thwart this, with threats ranging from expulsion, transfer exclusion, national team exclusion for players at those clubs, etc. This thing could play out in court for many years. I honestly think that these clubs are trying to gain special concessions, and they are using breaking away from the Champions League as the threat.