England’s biggest clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – have all decided to join a new European Super League. A major controversial move for these six clubs who now join AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid as founding members of the tournament.
The ESL announced that a “new midweek competition” will be played while teams continue participating in their “respective national leagues”. And that the competition is “intended to
commence as soon as practicable” and “anticipated that a further three clubs will join” the respective founders.
The news has been deeply condemned by the entire football community with FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League and other footballing bodies criticising the move.
FIFA declared that it would not recognise the competition and threatened players with a ban in World Cup matches.
UEFA, Europe’s highest governing body of football, also heavily disapproved of this news, saying players involved in such tournaments won’t be allowed in the pre-existing domestic, European and national fixtures.
But in response the ESL released a statement which read,
“Going forward, the founding clubs look forward to holding discussions with Uefa and Fifa to work together in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for the new league and for football as a whole.”
According to multiple reports, talks about the tournament started last October, with Wall Street mogul JP Morgan overseeing the finance with an estimated £4.6bn investment.
The competition would replace the Champions League which in return was being plotted to be revamped once more in a new 36-team format. However, the 12 clubs in question disagree that UEFA’s reforms won’t be enough.
“In recent months, extensive dialogue has taken place with football stakeholders regarding the future format of European competitions.
The founding clubs believe the solutions proposed following these talks do not solve fundamental issues, including the need to provide higher-quality matches and additional financial resources for the overall football pyramid.”
The league will supposedly see 20 teams; the 12 members and three other unnamed clubs who are expected to join soon with another five teams annually qualifying as per their domestic performances. The league would begin in August with regular midweek fixtures, and the participants would be split into two groups, 10 each, who would be pitted against each other in home and away fixtures. Top three finishers from both groups will qualify for the quarter-finals, and the fourth and fifth placed clubs will clash in a two-leg play-off for the other two spots.
The competition will then follow the Champions League format with home and away quarter and semifinals with a single Final at a neutral venue.
The ESL says it will generate more money than the Champions League and would result in a greater distribution of revenue throughout the game.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is expected to be the first chairman of the ESL and has expressed his optimistic views about the new league,
“We will help football at every level. Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires,”
he said.
Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer has been asked to be the vice-chairman of the Super League.
“By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid”
Glazer said.
The clubs have come together at this critical moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting the game we love on a sustainable footing for the long-term future.”
said Andrea Agnelli, one of the masterminds behind the proposed tournament, who recently resigned from his position at the UEFA executive committee.
The ESL also revealed their plans to launch a women’s competition imminently after the men’s tournament begins.
