The Reading / Listening - Football / Soccer - Level 1

Europe's top football clubs created a super league. It fell apart less than 48 hours later. The richest teams in Europe said they would start the European Super League in August. This made fans, players and managers angry. Even the British Prime Minister was angry. He said the new league would destroy football. The worldwide anger made the clubs pull out of the ESL. Many football fans protested. They said greedy club owners created the ESL.

Six of England's richest teams and top teams from Spain and Italy agreed to join the ESL. No teams from Germany and France joined. This made it less European. In Germany, teams are 51-per-cent owned by fans, so fan power is big. The UK government said it would take action to stop the ESL. Premier League clubs want the six English clubs to leave their league. FIFA said it might ban players who played in the ESL from the World Cup.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Football / Soccer - Level 0,  Football / Soccer - Level 2   or  Football / Soccer - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.espn.com/soccer/manchester-united/story/4365066/man-united-man-city-players-voice-super-league-concerns-to-clubs-sources
  • https://sports.yahoo.com/super-league-faces-potential-legal-215850700.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/19/european-super-league-government-fa-and-uefa-unite-to-denounce-plans


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. clubs created a
  2. It fell apart less than
  3. The richest
  4. This made fans, players and
  5. the new league would
  6. anger made the clubs pull
  7. Many football fans
  8. greedy club
  1. destroy football
  2. out of the ESL
  3. 48 hours later
  4. owners
  5. super league
  6. protested
  7. teams in Europe
  8. managers angry

Paragraph 2

  1. Six of England's
  2. agreed to
  3. This made it less
  4. teams are 51-per-cent
  5. it would take action
  6. Premier League clubs want the six
  7. FIFA said it
  8. ban players who played
  1. might
  2. owned by fans
  3. in the ESL
  4. join the ESL
  5. English clubs to leave
  6. richest teams
  7. to stop the ESL
  8. European

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Europe's top football (1) ___________________ super league. It fell apart less than (2) ___________________. The richest teams in Europe said they would start the European Super League in August. This (3) ___________________ and managers angry. Even the British Prime Minister was angry. He said the new league (4) ___________________. The worldwide anger made the clubs (5) ___________________ the ESL. Many football fans protested. They said greedy club (6) ___________________ ESL.

Six of England's richest teams (7) ___________________ from Spain and Italy agreed to join the ESL. No teams from Germany and France joined. This (8) ___________________ European. In Germany, teams are 51-per-cent (9) ___________________, so fan power is big. The UK government said it would take action to stop the ESL. Premier League (10) ___________________ six English clubs (11) ___________________ league. FIFA said it might ban players (12) ___________________ the ESL from the World Cup.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Europe'stopfootballclubscreatedasuperleague.Itfellapartlessthan4
8hourslater.TherichestteamsinEuropesaidtheywouldstarttheEurop
eanSuperLeagueinAugust.Thismadefans,playersandmanagersangr
y.EventheBritishPrimeMinisterwasangry.Hesaidthenewleaguewoul
ddestroyfootball.TheworldwideangermadetheclubspulloutoftheESL
.Manyfootballfansprotested.Theysaidgreedyclubownerscreatedthe
ESL.SixofEngland'srichestteamsandtopteamsfromSpainandItalyag
reedtojointheESL.NoteamsfromGermanyandFrancejoined.Thismad
eitlessEuropean.InGermany,teamsare51-per-centownedbyfans,so
fanpowerisbig.TheUKgovernmentsaiditwouldtakeactiontostoptheE
SL.PremierLeagueclubswantthesixEnglishclubstoleavetheirleague.
FIFAsaiditmightbanplayerswhoplayedintheESLfromtheWorldCup.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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