There are several football clubs who are forced, or choose, to play in a league outside of where they are located, and they rarely get the chance to shine at the top of that country’s pyramid.
The exception, of course, being AS Monaco who have regularly earned Champions League football and the occasional league title in France, but what if these exiled clubs joined forces?
Enter the Exile Unity Group – who will collate clubs from around the world into an alliance, with total football domination the ultimate goal.
The Monegasque club is set to spearhead this new venture, being already established near the top of the French footballing pyramid and the two-way street between themselves and their affiliates will be key to success across the board.
Three further clubs will join the Exile Unity Group from the outset, with more expected to follow as the years go on.
Second to Monaco will likely be Cardiff City in England’s second division. Recently promoted to the Championship after just one season in League One, the Bluebirds now have the chance to make the capital of Wales a force in the world’s most competitive footballing landscape.
Promotion is the first goal for the Welsh club, then remaining in the Premier League will be crucial to provide the financial power required to challenge at the top, and they could even surpass Monaco in the Group’s hierarchy given the stature of their respective leagues.
Below the top two teams in the Group, Wellington Phoenix are hoping to use their European connections to take control of Australian football.
The Phoenix have been in the A League for ages as New Zealand’s only representative but now Auckland FC have arrived and are already looking to become the superior Kiwi outfit.
Not only will the men’s side seek domestic and continental glory, but the women’s side is competitive in the W League, aiming to do the same.
The final team of the founding four will be Derry City, playing in the Republic of Ireland’s top flight despite being from north of the border.
The Candystripes have never won the title in Ireland and only won their own country’s title once before moving to play south, but they have been a regular in the top flight since the turn of the century.
These teams will be looking to utilise each other’s resources, loan players and grow together under the management of some former internationals.
Torben Joneleit will take the helm at AS Monaco as a Monegasque-born man himself. He represented Germany at Under 21 level, retiring in 2014 at the age of just 27 after 62 appearances for Genk in the Belgian top flight.
In the Welsh capital, a legend of the country has taken the helm. Chris Gunter has left his post as the National Team’s Under 19s coach to lead Cardiff into this new era, after his 109 caps for his country.
Former Premier League defender Winston Reid has returned to his native New Zealand to manage Wellington Phoenix. His vast experience of European football should help achieve the goals of the Group to bring the style of football and culture to the southern shores.
The Phoenix’s women’s team will be led by the Football Ferns’ all-time record goal scorer, Amber Hearn, hoping to inspire some firepower to take the club to the title.
And finally in Derry, Aaron Hughes will take the hot seat, bringing Premier League knowledge from his time at Newcastle, Aston Villa, Fulham & QPR, while winning 112 caps for his country.
Other Teams have already shown interest in joining the alliance, but the Exile Unity Group has announced they will only accept one new club each season. The interested teams are:
The New Saints (Wales, in England)
Vaduz (Switzerland, in Liechtenstein)
FC Andorra (Spain, in Andorra)
Vancouver Whitecaps, Toronto FC, Montreal Impact (USA, in Canada)
San Marino Calcio (Italy, in San Marino) (Unplayable starting league)
Berwick Rangers (Scotland, in England) (Unplayable starting league)
DPMM (Malaysia, in Brunei)
Merthyr Town (England, in Wales) (Swansea, Wrexham and Newport have all rejected the chance to apply to the Group due to Cardiff’s involvement)
The first new club to join has not yet been decided, so only time will tell…
Leave a Reply