The six Premier League clubs associated with the European Super League have formally withdrawn themselves from the competition.
Manchester City became the first English club to change their stance with Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all pulling out from the breakaway league eventually late Tuesday.
The financial uncertainty created by the pandemic, stoked the idea of a tournament that offered the major European teams a promise of economic security.
On Sunday, the top-six clubs of England along with their continental counterparts, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid of Spain and Italy’s AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus announced their plans for a new breakaway league, which would be the new midweek competition for the clubs in question.
But the reaction from fans, football bodies, players and experts across Europe turned the proposed project dubious. UEFA and FIFA declared a ban on players willing to participate while fans gathered outside their clubs to protest the involvement.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson held a virtual meeting with the six club captains and later confirmed their “collective position” against the Super League.
It took only 48-hours for the clubs to rectify themselves; in an event which is being seen as a glorious victory for football and its fans.
Manchester City made the first move and announced that they had formally enacted the procedures to withdraw from the group planning to create the European Super League.
Chelsea soon followed suit and stated that it was time to consider the matter fully and that they decided their “continued participation in these plans would not be in the best interests of the club, our supporters or the wider football community”.
The Arsenal board meanwhile, went a step further and apologised to their fans, claiming that they listened to their fans and are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. They accepted that they made a mistake and they also apologized for it.
Manchester United declared that they “remain committed to working with others across the football community to come up with sustainable solutions to the long-term challenges facing the game”
Liverpool announced their withdrawal saying that the club had “received representations from various key stakeholders, both internally and externally” and thanked them for their “valuable contributions in the subject”.
Spurs director Richard Levy thanked the fans for their support adding that Tottenham decided that it was important to be a member in “a possible new structure that sought to better ensure financial fair play and financial sustainability whilst delivering significantly increased support for the wider football pyramid”.
The decision was warmly welcomed by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin who graciously added,
“They are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game. The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together.”
he said.
However, for Fiorentino Perez, the ESL chairman and his colleagues, the war has just begun. According to the statement released by the ESL shortly after, the organisation announced that it still feels that the Champions League should no longer be Europe’s premier club competition.
“The European Super League is convinced that the current status quo of European football needs to change. We are proposing a new European competition because the existing system does not work.
Our proposal is aimed at allowing the sport to evolve while generating resources and stability for the full football pyramid, including helping to overcome the financial difficulties experienced by the entire football community as a result of the pandemic.
It would also provide materially enhanced solidarity payments to all football stakeholders. Despite the announced departure of the English clubs, forced to take such decisions due to the pressure put on them, we are convinced our proposal is fully aligned with European law and regulations as was demonstrated today by a court decision to protect the Super League from third party actions.”
ESL declared in their statement.
