A new documentary series is coming to Apple TV+ January 13 — Super League: The War for Football. Its trailer, dropped Wednesday, makes it look like a spy thriller filled with betrayals is currently unfolding in the world of international soccer.
And it’s good timing on the streaming service’s part, promoting it during the world’s most-popular sport’s biggest event, the World Cup.
Super League: The War for Football trailer suggests money is ruining big-time soccer
As always, money is the root of all evil. And it has corrupted the “beautiful game,” the new trailer suggests. The four-part documentary series about a controversial plan to form a “European Super League” premieres January 13.
“This vast inequality has been growing for 10 years, the rich getting richer, running away from the rest, leaving them with crumbs,” a voice-over declares. “The owners used to be local. To succeed now you have to be owned by a small country.”
Here’s how the streaming service describes the documentary-series:
Super League: The War for Football is a four-part series that documents the high stakes battle that is set off when plans for a breakaway league emerge and the past, present and future of European football collide, leaving the game’s most powerful leaders to defend, or upend, the traditions of the sport.
With unprecedented access to league presidents, club owners and the architects behind the European Super League, the docuseries brings fans the yet untold story of how and why this idea was hatched and the battle plans that were formed to fight it.
Makers’ serious sports pedigrees
The filmmakers behind the series have serious sports-doc pedigrees.
All Rise Films’ News & Documentary Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist (The Two Escobars, The Line, Momentum Generation) directs and executive produces the series. Another executive producer is Words + Pictures’ Emmy Award-winning Connor Schell. Another producer is Libby Geist (The Last Dance, 30 for 30, and the Oscar-winning O.J. Made in America).
Lots of sports docs on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ noted the new documentary joins an impressive list of current and upcoming “nonfiction programming featuring the biggest names in sports” on the streaming service. They include:
- A documentary depicting the life and career of seven-time Formula One racing champion Sir Lewis Hamilton.
- The documentary film Underrated features NBA star Stephen Curry.
- The Emmy Award-nominated four-part documentary series They Call Me Magic covers the life of two-time NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
- The Dynasty, a documentary series about the New England Patriots, comes from Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries in association with NFL Films.
- The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball covers basketball sensation Makur Maker.
- Documentary series Make or Break features top surfers as they compete in the World Surf League Championship Tour.
- Greatness Code, a short-form unscripted series directed by Gotham Chopra, now in its second season.
Apple TV+ is available by subscription for $6.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle.
After first airing in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 299 wins and 1,279 award nominations and counting,” the service said.
