Twelve major football clubs from England, Spain and Italy have set up an independent Super League with a budget of 3.5 billion euros. UEFA and FIFA condemned it.
Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Juventus Turin, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Liverpool should have a place in the competition.
Superliga officials said they would like to have 15 so-called founding members, which would add five qualified clubs to a total of twenty participants each season. When the competition should start, its representatives did not announce. Earlier plans talked about the year 2022/23.
The organizers expect that it would be played in the middle of the week, on weekends the clubs would continue in domestic competitions. But that will probably be a problem. UEFA has stated that for the establishment of an elite closed league, clubs will be excluded from all domestic, European and world competitions. In addition, their players will lose the opportunity to play for the national team.
The announcement of the superliga came just hours before UEFA was to present a plan for a revised Champions League, which will now have 36 participants. The European Football Union has stated that it is ready to use “all means” against secession.
“Interested clubs will be banned from playing in any other competition at home, European or world level and their players may be banned from representing their national teams,” said UEFA, who thanked the clubs in Germany and France that did not join the project. “We call on all football lovers, fans and politicians to join us in the fight against this project. The selfishness of the minority has been around for a long time. That has been enough,” UEFA officials said on Sunday, when the Super League was about to be announced.
UEFA has also sided with FIFA, which has declared “opposition to a ‘closed breakaway European league’ outside international football structures.” However, she did not repeat her previous threat that players from superliga clubs would not be allowed to play in the World Cup.
Neville: It’s pure greed
The work of clubs has been sharply criticized by many personalities. “I’m disgusted. Championship clubs (Second English League) are dead, clubs from League One and League Two are dead. The whole system of competitions, in which they have been fighting for 150 years, is to fall for only six clubs? “Former English representative Gary Neville, for example, was upset.” Let them go, but punish them severely. Deductions of points, giant fines, take away their titles, “added the former Manchester United star.
“It’s pure greed. They’re cheaters. The owners of this club, the owners of Liverpool, the owners of Chelsea, the owners of Manchester City have nothing to do with football in this country. No loyalty to this country and its leagues,” added Neville, eight-time Premier League winner.
Angry Gary Neville:
???? | “I’m a #MUFC fan and I’m absolutely disgusted.”
???? | “They are an absolute joke.”@ GNev2 gives a brutally honest reaction to reports that England’s biggest clubs are expected to be part of plans for a breakaway European Super League. pic.twitter.com/VfJccHgybc— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 18, 2021
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Politicians from some major football countries immediately spoke out against the new project. French President Macron said the super league “threatens the principle of solidarity and the essence of sport”. “The French state will support all steps taken by the LFP (French League), FFF (French Federation), UEFA and FIFA to protect the integrity of federal competitions, whether national or European,” the Elysee Palace said.
British Prime Minister Johnson chose similar words. “These plans can have a devastating effect on football. They will attack the very essence of domestic competitions and worry fans across the country. The clubs involved will have to answer to their fans and the wider football community before taking further action,” Johnson said on Twitter.
The clubs involved must answer to their fans and the wider footballing community before taking any further steps. (2/2)
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 18, 2021
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Representatives of the founding clubs, of course, defend their project. “It will help football at every level,” said Real Madrid’s first man Florentino Perez.
“By bringing together the world’s biggest clubs and players to compete throughout the season, the Superliga opens a new chapter in European football. It will also increase financial support for the entire football pyramid,” said Manchester United boss Joel Glazer.
Superliga officials said they planned “solidarity payments” for the rest of football Europe, which would exceed the amount currently paid by UEFA. During the 23 years to which the clubs of the Super League have subscribed, it should amount to more than 10 billion euros (259 billion crowns).
The super-league teams themselves will operate with a € 3.5 billion fund dedicated to infrastructure projects and the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. These funds will not be used for player transfers.
According to respected Swiss Ramble analysts, the main motivation for the founding clubs may be the huge debts that all a dozen clubs show:
If we include other debt, such as the amounts owed to staff, tax authorities, suppliers and other creditors, the total debt of the 12 clubs signing-up to the European Super League is a staggering £7.4 bln. pic.twitter.com/ohRPZmRGOs
— Swiss Ramble (@SwissRamble) April 19, 2021
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