The Super League project appears dead in the water as Chelsea withdrew, with other clubs reported to have followed suit, less than 48 hours after it was officially announced.
Here the PA news agency looks at the latest state of play.
What’s the background to this?
Club statement.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 18, 2021
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On Sunday night a group of 12 clubs – including the Premier League’s so-called ‘Big Six’ – announced they had signed up to a new Super League, which it was intended would feature 15 ‘founder members’ who were protected from relegation and five additional sides on an annual basis. The new competition would start “as soon as is practicable”, according to the press release confirming it.
Why did the clubs take that action?
For some of them, it stemmed from a disagreement between some of European football’s superpowers and UEFA over commercial control of the revamped Champions League, which is due to start under a new format from 2024. On Friday, the UEFA clubs competition committee – including a number of representatives from breakaway clubs – had given its blessing to UEFA’s proposals before a dramatic change of direction.
What’s happened now?
Now, more than ever, we must protect the entire football community – from the top level to the grassroots – and the values of competition and fairness at its core.
I share the concerns of fans about the proposed Super League and the damage it risks causing to the game we love. W— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) April 19, 2021
Chelsea are understood to have withdrawn, while Manchester City are refusing to comment on reports that they have done the same. There has been almost universal backlash towards the Super League from football’s authorities, other clubs, players and spectators, and even from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince William. Broadcasters have also waded in to distance themselves from the project, raising questions about the viability of any league.
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has also quit, while there are conflicting reports in Italy over Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli’s position at the club.
Where do we go from here?
The project appears doomed, however many of the 12 are left standing by the end of play on Tuesday. Last season’s Champions League finalists Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain had already rejected the chance to join the group, which was a big blow given their status. What happens with the billions of pounds in start-up money put forward by American bankers JP Morgan is anyone’s guess.
What might the impact of all this be?
Season after season, year after year, football fans demonstrate unwavering loyalty and passion by sticking by their clubs.
But their loyalty is being abused by a small number of individuals who wield an incredible amount of power and influence. (1/4)— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) April 20, 2021
If we take it as read that the Super League will not go forward, it arguably lances a boil which has been festering for more than three decades.
Europe’s big clubs can surely no longer hold the threat of a breakaway over the heads of UEFA, because the evidence is there that no one really wants it.
It might even pave the way for a more equitable future for the game at European level, and it has had the side benefit of triggering a fan-led review of football governance in England which has been long called for and may lead to new, German-style ownership models being enshrined in law if supporters’ groups get their way.
It could be a revolution, but not as Florentino Perez intended on Sunday night.
Will the clubs still face sanctions?
There is the possibility of some punishments being handed out as deterrents, but UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has repeatedly urged the clubs to come to their senses, and will be pleased and relieved if they all do.
However, with their negotiating position weakened, some of the concessions to the big clubs in the 2024 revamp – like the ‘safety net’ of two qualification places based on historic performance – might be looked at again and ditched.
