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12 European Clubs Agree To Join European Super League Soccer
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The post offers relevant information and context about the proposed European Super League, but lacks original input or personal commentary, making it feel somewhat low-effort. Adding thoughts or analysis would enhance its value to the community.
- Staff
- #12
A game of poker between the big clubs and Uefa to see who will blink first.
Big clubs flexing their muscles and trying to get a bigger cut of the pie.
I don't believe this Super League is in any way a realistic option.
Big clubs flexing their muscles and trying to get a bigger cut of the pie.
I don't believe this Super League is in any way a realistic option.
Laporta just gave an interview saying that he'd rather have a club world cup than a super league.
I'm totally confused atm.
I'm totally confused atm.
Breaking News
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham have agreed to join a breakaway European Super League.
A statement read: "Twelve of Europe's leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs.
"AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid CF and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as Founding Clubs. It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable.
All the 12 participating clubs in the Super League will be EXCLUDED from the Champions League and their domestic leagues for the 2021/22 season.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham have agreed to join a breakaway European Super League.
A statement read: "Twelve of Europe's leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs.
"AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid CF and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as Founding Clubs. It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable.
All the 12 participating clubs in the Super League will be EXCLUDED from the Champions League and their domestic leagues for the 2021/22 season.
Statement was released late last night outlining the proposal and those involved.
What has been announced?
A statement from the European Super League said: "Twelve of Europe's leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs."
"It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable."
Who is involved?
The 12 clubs involved in the European Super League are: Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.
How will it work?
The clubs say that 15 founding clubs - the 12 who have reached the agreement plus three who they expect to join - will be joined by five other teams who qualify each season.
They say the games will be played in midweek, starting in August, with teams playing home and away fixtures in two groups of ten, with the top three in each group automatically qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Teams finishing fourth and fifth will then compete in a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final positions. A two-leg knockout format will be used to reach the final at the end of May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue.
The clubs said that a women's league will also be launched "as soon as practicable" after the start of the men's competition, but provided no further details.
What has been said?
Florentino Perez, President of Real Madrid and the first chairman of the Super League said: "We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. 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."
Andrea Agnelli, chairman of Juventus and vice-chairman of the Super League said: "Our 12 Founder clubs represent billions of fans across the globe and 99 European trophies. We 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, substantially increasing solidarity, and giving fans and amateur players a regular flow of headline fixtures that will feed their passion for the game while providing them with engaging role models."
Joel Glazer, co-chairman of Manchester United and vice-chairman of the Super League said: "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."
What does the future hold for Agnelli?
Agnelli has resigned as chairman of the European Club Association and the UEFA Executive Committee while Juventus have also left the ECA.
Will clubs still be able to play in domestic competitions?
The Super League clubs say that all participating clubs will continue to compete in their domestic leagues, "preserving the traditional domestic match calendar which remains at the heart of the club game."
The clubs also say that they wish to implement the Super League project in agreement with FIFA and UEFA.
UEFA, the Premier League and other top European leagues, however, said in a joint statement on Sunday that this would not be the case.
They said: "As previously announced by FIFA and the six Federations, the clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams."
What has FIFA said?
FIFA released a statement after the announcement: "In view of several media requests and as already stated several times, FIFA wishes to clarify that it stands firm in favour of solidarity in football and an equitable redistribution model which can help develop football as a sport, particularly at global level, since the development of global football is the primary mission of FIFA.
"In our view, and in accordance with our statutes, any football competition, whether national, regional or global, should always reflect the core principles of solidarity, inclusivity, integrity and equitable financial redistribution. Moreover, the governing bodies of football should employ all lawful, sporting and diplomatic means to ensure this remains the case. Against this background, FIFA can only express its disapproval to a "closed European breakaway league" outside of the international football structures and not respecting the aforementioned principles.
"FIFA always stands for unity in world football and calls on all parties involved in heated discussions to engage in calm, constructive and balanced dialogue for the good of the game and in the spirit of solidarity and fair play. FIFA will, of course, do whatever is necessary to contribute to a harmonised way forward in the overall interests of football."
Who opposes it?
Before the Super League's confirmation, the French Football Federation released a statement, stating their opposition while Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also not supporting the ESL.
There is a belief at the top of PSG that it would be disrespectful to join the 12 clubs backing these plans.
They are keen to discuss UEFA's proposal after it is presented on Monday.
PSG are also thought to believe that European competition should not be restricted to the richest clubs, and that smaller teams like Atalanta, Ajax or Leicester should have their shot.
A source added: "We are sticking to the tradition of UEFA."
What has the reaction been?
Before the announcement, a Premier League statement read: "The Premier League condemns any proposal that attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit which are at the heart of the domestic and European football pyramid.
"A European Super League will undermine the appeal of the whole game, and have a deeply damaging impact on the immediate and future prospects of the Premier League and its member clubs, and all those in football who rely on our funding and solidarity to prosper.
"We will work with fans, The FA, EFL, PFA and LMA, as well as other stakeholders, at home and abroad, to defend the integrity and future prospects of English football in the best interests of the game."
Gary Neville also called for Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal to be relegated if they were to join a European Super League.
Speaking to Sky Sports before the Super League was confirmed, he said: "Let them break away but punish them, punish them straight away. If they announce a letter of intent has been signed as six clubs, they should be punished heavily, massive fines, point deductions, take the titles off them, who cares.
"Give the title to Burnley and Fulham. Let Fulham stay up, relegate Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal because they should be the ones who suffer the most."
And what about UEFA's reformed Champions League?
UEFA wants a new format for the Champions League from 2024, with one 36-team league replacing the current group stage, where every team plays 10 matches.
This is called the 'Swiss model'.
Under the proposed format, by the time the winner has lifted the European Cup, the competition will have produced 100 new games, and the finalists will have played at least 17 matches, four more than under the current system.
Accommodating four additional games in the autumn will be a challenge for most national leagues, however, including in England, where the Carabao Cup would be under threat.
Three of the four extra Champions League places would meanwhile go to clubs based on past performance in Europe, using the UEFA coefficient ranking system.
What has been announced?
A statement from the European Super League said: "Twelve of Europe's leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs."
"It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable."
Who is involved?
The 12 clubs involved in the European Super League are: Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.
How will it work?
The clubs say that 15 founding clubs - the 12 who have reached the agreement plus three who they expect to join - will be joined by five other teams who qualify each season.
They say the games will be played in midweek, starting in August, with teams playing home and away fixtures in two groups of ten, with the top three in each group automatically qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Teams finishing fourth and fifth will then compete in a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final positions. A two-leg knockout format will be used to reach the final at the end of May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue.
The clubs said that a women's league will also be launched "as soon as practicable" after the start of the men's competition, but provided no further details.
What has been said?
Florentino Perez, President of Real Madrid and the first chairman of the Super League said: "We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. 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."
Andrea Agnelli, chairman of Juventus and vice-chairman of the Super League said: "Our 12 Founder clubs represent billions of fans across the globe and 99 European trophies. We 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, substantially increasing solidarity, and giving fans and amateur players a regular flow of headline fixtures that will feed their passion for the game while providing them with engaging role models."
Joel Glazer, co-chairman of Manchester United and vice-chairman of the Super League said: "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."
What does the future hold for Agnelli?
Agnelli has resigned as chairman of the European Club Association and the UEFA Executive Committee while Juventus have also left the ECA.
Will clubs still be able to play in domestic competitions?
The Super League clubs say that all participating clubs will continue to compete in their domestic leagues, "preserving the traditional domestic match calendar which remains at the heart of the club game."
The clubs also say that they wish to implement the Super League project in agreement with FIFA and UEFA.
UEFA, the Premier League and other top European leagues, however, said in a joint statement on Sunday that this would not be the case.
They said: "As previously announced by FIFA and the six Federations, the clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams."
What has FIFA said?
FIFA released a statement after the announcement: "In view of several media requests and as already stated several times, FIFA wishes to clarify that it stands firm in favour of solidarity in football and an equitable redistribution model which can help develop football as a sport, particularly at global level, since the development of global football is the primary mission of FIFA.
"In our view, and in accordance with our statutes, any football competition, whether national, regional or global, should always reflect the core principles of solidarity, inclusivity, integrity and equitable financial redistribution. Moreover, the governing bodies of football should employ all lawful, sporting and diplomatic means to ensure this remains the case. Against this background, FIFA can only express its disapproval to a "closed European breakaway league" outside of the international football structures and not respecting the aforementioned principles.
"FIFA always stands for unity in world football and calls on all parties involved in heated discussions to engage in calm, constructive and balanced dialogue for the good of the game and in the spirit of solidarity and fair play. FIFA will, of course, do whatever is necessary to contribute to a harmonised way forward in the overall interests of football."
Who opposes it?
Before the Super League's confirmation, the French Football Federation released a statement, stating their opposition while Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also not supporting the ESL.
There is a belief at the top of PSG that it would be disrespectful to join the 12 clubs backing these plans.
They are keen to discuss UEFA's proposal after it is presented on Monday.
PSG are also thought to believe that European competition should not be restricted to the richest clubs, and that smaller teams like Atalanta, Ajax or Leicester should have their shot.
A source added: "We are sticking to the tradition of UEFA."
What has the reaction been?
Before the announcement, a Premier League statement read: "The Premier League condemns any proposal that attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit which are at the heart of the domestic and European football pyramid.
"A European Super League will undermine the appeal of the whole game, and have a deeply damaging impact on the immediate and future prospects of the Premier League and its member clubs, and all those in football who rely on our funding and solidarity to prosper.
"We will work with fans, The FA, EFL, PFA and LMA, as well as other stakeholders, at home and abroad, to defend the integrity and future prospects of English football in the best interests of the game."
Gary Neville also called for Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal to be relegated if they were to join a European Super League.
Speaking to Sky Sports before the Super League was confirmed, he said: "Let them break away but punish them, punish them straight away. If they announce a letter of intent has been signed as six clubs, they should be punished heavily, massive fines, point deductions, take the titles off them, who cares.
"Give the title to Burnley and Fulham. Let Fulham stay up, relegate Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal because they should be the ones who suffer the most."
And what about UEFA's reformed Champions League?
UEFA wants a new format for the Champions League from 2024, with one 36-team league replacing the current group stage, where every team plays 10 matches.
This is called the 'Swiss model'.
Under the proposed format, by the time the winner has lifted the European Cup, the competition will have produced 100 new games, and the finalists will have played at least 17 matches, four more than under the current system.
Accommodating four additional games in the autumn will be a challenge for most national leagues, however, including in England, where the Carabao Cup would be under threat.
Three of the four extra Champions League places would meanwhile go to clubs based on past performance in Europe, using the UEFA coefficient ranking system.
It's been obvious since UEFA started making noises about reform to appease the bigger clubs a couple of years ago that they were scared shitless of a ESL that could ruin them.
They must have smelled a rat when the Glazers and Fenway tried to reform the PL last year, that was the beginning of the end. Anything spearheaded by the Americans is a consolidation of power, fans are an afterthought. It's Noah letting the lions on the boat and leaving the rest to die.
The home stadiums could be empty with fans protesting but they won't care, these ESL games will be played in China, US, Malaysia eventually anyway. United v Liverpool pulled in over 100k fans in Michigan 3 years ago, that's the future. The TV money will be eye-watering. UEFA pull in 3 billion a year the bulk of which will redirect to the ESL divided between a handful of clubs. Who will care about a champions league final between Seville and Atalanta when Barcelona are playing Man City, UEFA will have no TV deals. There will be some posturing I'm sure but all of the big clubs will sign up to this, including Bayern, the loss of CL money could break them.
The rest of the teams in the PL will probably fold, all of English football will need restructuring. I don't see how this can be stopped unless the national organisations oppose it. UEFA offering the big clubs more money, taken from the smaller clubs presumably, and a guarantee they won't miss out on a CL spot is just as wretched.
My interest in the club I've supported since a child has been waning for a number of years, because of owners/management, and I honestly think this would kill it off completely.
They must have smelled a rat when the Glazers and Fenway tried to reform the PL last year, that was the beginning of the end. Anything spearheaded by the Americans is a consolidation of power, fans are an afterthought. It's Noah letting the lions on the boat and leaving the rest to die.
The home stadiums could be empty with fans protesting but they won't care, these ESL games will be played in China, US, Malaysia eventually anyway. United v Liverpool pulled in over 100k fans in Michigan 3 years ago, that's the future. The TV money will be eye-watering. UEFA pull in 3 billion a year the bulk of which will redirect to the ESL divided between a handful of clubs. Who will care about a champions league final between Seville and Atalanta when Barcelona are playing Man City, UEFA will have no TV deals. There will be some posturing I'm sure but all of the big clubs will sign up to this, including Bayern, the loss of CL money could break them.
The rest of the teams in the PL will probably fold, all of English football will need restructuring. I don't see how this can be stopped unless the national organisations oppose it. UEFA offering the big clubs more money, taken from the smaller clubs presumably, and a guarantee they won't miss out on a CL spot is just as wretched.
My interest in the club I've supported since a child has been waning for a number of years, because of owners/management, and I honestly think this would kill it off completely.
- Staff
- #17
The UEFA Executive Committee today approved a new format for its club competitions as of the 2024/25 season.
The more I think about it, the less I understand the play.
I do understand the motivation - money - but I can't see how this move doesn't fail.
I don't see where they get 3 more founders from. PSG won't touch it, not yet anyway, with the World Cup in Qatar coming up. Bayern aren't going to touch it (with Karl Heinz Rummenigge taking a position on the Uefa board this morning) and I don't think Dortmund will either - with the German 50+1 model I can't see a German club being able to join it.
Even if they get 3 more - if the Domestic FAs and Uefa don't ultimately agree then there is no possibility of the 5 others sides qualifying for it.
Roma aren't going to accept qualification to the ESL one season, at the expense of ever playin in a uefa comp again.
Without domestic agreement, and Uefa, they have no ability to influence the football calendar - so arranging games becomes a logistical issue every single season. There are more ESL matches than EL/CL matches. So you can't even do it in the Uefa slots. They could just bull in on the Uefa slots, but then your TV sales value is lessened - because you are competing with the Uefa competitions. Both will be damaged in that respect.
And, should this idea ultimately fail, the fallout is potentially huge.
If it fails before it gets start it is massively embarrassing but could be salvaged. Claim compromise, lick you wounds and continue with the current set up.
If it fails after a few seasons, which it easily could, what is the possibility of gettig back into Uefa competition? Maybe it wouldn't be an issue and Uefa would, in the end, bring them back in, but it wouldn't be easy.
And if it does fail, and they do either get back in to Uefa or stay in it. United (Woodward), Juventus (Angelli), Real Madrid (Perez) etc have lost their seats at the top of the table, and lost their ability to influence the agenda.
To me, this seems so destined for failure, I feel like I must be missing something.
The plan has to be for the ESL to essentially become a closed shop champions league, and the CL effectively becoming the EL. But I don't see them getting that, and as long as Uefa commits to the CL/EL/EConference the ESL can't win.
Going by the reaction today, I just can't see how they beat Uefa and replace the CL with the ESL, and if they don't, they fail and have cost themselves money, respect, power.
I do understand the motivation - money - but I can't see how this move doesn't fail.
I don't see where they get 3 more founders from. PSG won't touch it, not yet anyway, with the World Cup in Qatar coming up. Bayern aren't going to touch it (with Karl Heinz Rummenigge taking a position on the Uefa board this morning) and I don't think Dortmund will either - with the German 50+1 model I can't see a German club being able to join it.
Even if they get 3 more - if the Domestic FAs and Uefa don't ultimately agree then there is no possibility of the 5 others sides qualifying for it.
Roma aren't going to accept qualification to the ESL one season, at the expense of ever playin in a uefa comp again.
Without domestic agreement, and Uefa, they have no ability to influence the football calendar - so arranging games becomes a logistical issue every single season. There are more ESL matches than EL/CL matches. So you can't even do it in the Uefa slots. They could just bull in on the Uefa slots, but then your TV sales value is lessened - because you are competing with the Uefa competitions. Both will be damaged in that respect.
And, should this idea ultimately fail, the fallout is potentially huge.
If it fails before it gets start it is massively embarrassing but could be salvaged. Claim compromise, lick you wounds and continue with the current set up.
If it fails after a few seasons, which it easily could, what is the possibility of gettig back into Uefa competition? Maybe it wouldn't be an issue and Uefa would, in the end, bring them back in, but it wouldn't be easy.
And if it does fail, and they do either get back in to Uefa or stay in it. United (Woodward), Juventus (Angelli), Real Madrid (Perez) etc have lost their seats at the top of the table, and lost their ability to influence the agenda.
To me, this seems so destined for failure, I feel like I must be missing something.
The plan has to be for the ESL to essentially become a closed shop champions league, and the CL effectively becoming the EL. But I don't see them getting that, and as long as Uefa commits to the CL/EL/EConference the ESL can't win.
Going by the reaction today, I just can't see how they beat Uefa and replace the CL with the ESL, and if they don't, they fail and have cost themselves money, respect, power.
My gut instinct is that it still won't happen, it would really shake up the whole world of football if something like this was to happen but I just can't see it.
I don't want to see it happen but don't think I'm as outraged by it as a lot of others. At the end of the day, I think I would be just as likely to flick on a ESL game on a Wednesday night as I am a Champions League game at the moment, it will still be the best players playing against the best players. The group stages sound very drawn out but the new CL format sounds equally as bad if not worse.
Obviously, the main issue with it is the fact that it is a closed shop and there is no promotion/relegation. That is fundamentally wrong and no club deserves an automatic right to play in a certain tournament just because of who they are or how much money their owners have.
So many saying football has lost its soul, a strange comment really or at least strange that it has taken this long for the majority to feel like that. Players getting paid hundreds of thousands a week, ticket prices and tickets going to corporate customers, World cups in Qatar and in the winter, sky taking over football and charging huge money to watch it, UEFA slowly weeding the smaller clubs out of European competition and closing the CL off to super clubs essentially. Football probably lost its soul a long time ago at that level, I feel this is just a continuation of that.
I don't want to see it happen but don't think I'm as outraged by it as a lot of others. At the end of the day, I think I would be just as likely to flick on a ESL game on a Wednesday night as I am a Champions League game at the moment, it will still be the best players playing against the best players. The group stages sound very drawn out but the new CL format sounds equally as bad if not worse.
Obviously, the main issue with it is the fact that it is a closed shop and there is no promotion/relegation. That is fundamentally wrong and no club deserves an automatic right to play in a certain tournament just because of who they are or how much money their owners have.
So many saying football has lost its soul, a strange comment really or at least strange that it has taken this long for the majority to feel like that. Players getting paid hundreds of thousands a week, ticket prices and tickets going to corporate customers, World cups in Qatar and in the winter, sky taking over football and charging huge money to watch it, UEFA slowly weeding the smaller clubs out of European competition and closing the CL off to super clubs essentially. Football probably lost its soul a long time ago at that level, I feel this is just a continuation of that.
Imagine Barcelona supposedly spend 74 per cent of the club's revenues go to players' wages and Messi wages are jaw dropping
El Mundo today, what a bomb. Leo Messi's contract with Barcelona revealed on front page
– €555,237,619 contract [4 years].
– €138m per season fixed + variables.
– €115,225,000 as 'renewal fee' just for accepting the contract.
– €77,929,955 loyalty bonus.
It's grotesque.
It's no wonder they are itching for this ESL, it's their way out of the hole they created for themselves
El Mundo today, what a bomb. Leo Messi's contract with Barcelona revealed on front page
– €555,237,619 contract [4 years].
– €138m per season fixed + variables.
– €115,225,000 as 'renewal fee' just for accepting the contract.
– €77,929,955 loyalty bonus.
It's grotesque.
It's no wonder they are itching for this ESL, it's their way out of the hole they created for themselves
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