What is the most one sided football league in the world?
Jul, 30 2023
The Scottish Premiership: A League of Their Own?
Now let's take a trip to the beautiful highlands of Scotland and delve into a peculiar pattern in the Scottish Premiership. As much as I love the scenic beauty of Scotland, for all the haggis and warm woolen kilts, their football league is rather one-sided. The Scottish Premiership might as well be a perpetual battle between two titans: Celtic and Rangers. These are not just football clubs— they are institutions. Historically, no other team gets a sniff at the trophy. I know what you’re thinking and no, it's not a monopoly game. In fact, in the last 43 years, only once has the title made its way outside of Glasgow. That’s quite the monopoly if you ask me. It's akin to saying that for 43 years Santa has only ever delivered presents to two houses on the same street— talk about one-sided favoritism!
In truth, other Scottish teams do not even usually occupy the remaining Champions League or Europa League spots. You see, it's like a Hollywood movie with two big stars and the rest filling in as extras— not even getting a proper character name, just "Man in Background" or "Woman with Dog." And you can bet throughout the movie, those two characters would continually duke it out, leaving no screen-time for the extras. On paper, however, it sure adds up to quite an interesting rivalry story, but, in practice, it doesn't offer much leveling of the playing field for smaller clubs. But then again, who am I to judge? While watching a Hollywood movie, I wouldn't want "Man in Background" to suddenly steal the limelight in the climax scene!
The Bundesliga's Bavarian Dominance
Moving onto Germany now, Bundesliga in theory, is a competitive football league. But once you glance past the schnitzel, the bratwurst, and the charismatic Bayern Munich, you’ll notice a peculiar pattern. Since the Bundesliga started in 1963, the mighty Bayern Munich has won it an eye-watering 30 times. You know things are one-sided when you can actually speculate about Bayern's next potential victory celebrations even before the current season ends. It’s like knowing the sun will rise in the east, despite how much we may hope for an equally assured outcome to our lottery tickets.
Yet, similar to the universal law of gravity, like an apple will always fall downwards, the Bundesliga title will invariably find its way into the red side of Munich. Around the start of each season, I usually find myself channeling my inner Nostradamus and confidently predicting 'Bayern Munich for the title!' I guess that make me a bit of a psychic eh? Not really, that’s just Bundesliga!
Paris Saint-Germain and The French Ligue 1
Moving across the Rhine river, we find ourselves in the land of croissants and chic fashion, France. And along with its world-class cuisine and spectacular fashion style, it hosts one of the most one-sided leagues–Ligue 1, dominated tirelessly by a single club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The entire French football league can almost be deemed as a playground for PSG, who've clinched 7 of the last 10 titles since 2013. Their performance in the league can be likened to dominating a game of chess when all of your opponent's important pieces have already been taken.
Looking at the broader picture, there's no doubt about Ligue 1’s competitive spirit, but the whopping financial power of the Parisians is an Everest-sized hurdle for other clubs to climb. The financial resources of PSG are so massive that the transfer budget of most Ligue 1 clubs combined would look like loose change. You can almost hear the jingle of coins in your pocket as you compare it to PSG's overflowing treasure chest.
Portuguese Primeira Liga’s Famous Duo
Finally, let's talk about Portugal. When not busy producing world-class football talents or indulging in scrumptious Piri Piri chicken, Somewhere in between, they're engaged in the one-sided Portuguese Primeira Liga. The irony here is despite the abundance of football talent, most often, the league honors are split by just two teams, FC Porto and SL Benfica.
The landscape of this league is like that of a seesaw, with Porto and Benfica taking turns at either end. The fans have no doubt enjoyed the back-and-forth battle, but underdogs in the league get a raw deal, just like when only two people get the seesaw all to themselves in the park. Since the league's inception in 1934, Porto and Benfica have won the league a staggering 67 times combined - talk about a duopoly!
In conclusion, whereas the footballing world always appreciates an underdog story (think Greece at EURO 2004), leagues dominated by one or two powerful teams are a common phenomenon in many countries. While the predictability of the league's outcome might lead to a dampening spirit, there is no denying the charisma and thrill these powerhouses provide. Plus, these behemoths often serve as stepping stones for young talents, putting them on the global radar and shaping the future of football. Keeping aside my bias towards more balanced leagues, football like life, is interesting because of its uncertainty and unpredictability. No one truly knows what happens until the final whistle!