By Reports that a European Super League that will include six Premier League clubs will be soon be announced officially.
While the report leaves many football pundits and lovers perplexed, some are elated at the new development.
However, below is all we know about the new breakaway European Super League ;
What is the European Super League?
It was the intention for it to rival the Champions League format ahead of the competition’s announcement of their new plans. However, UEFA and the domestic leagues may ban clubs from competing in their competitions if they follow through with their plans.
There will be 18 to 20 sides and matches will be played midweek with an end of season play-off to determine the winners and it’s believed it could start as early as August.
According to The Times, the proposals include:
– The 15 founder clubs sharing an initial 3.5billion (£3.1billion) euro “infrastructure grant” ranging from £310million to £89million per club which can be spent on stadiums, training facilities or “to replace lost stadium-related revenues due to Covid-19”.
– The format would see two groups of 10 clubs who play home and away, with the top four from each group going through to two-legged quarter-finals, semi-finals and a one-legged final.
– Matches would be midweek and clubs would still play in domestic leagues
– Clubs would have rights to show four matches a season on their own the digital platforms across the world
– Income from TV and sponsorship would favour the founding clubs: 32.5% of the pot would be shared equally between the 15 clubs, and another 32.5% between all Super League clubs including the five qualifiers
– 20% of the pot would be merit money “distributed in the same manner as the current English Premier League merit-based system” according to where clubs finish in the competition or group if they don’t make the knock-out stage
– The remaining 15% would get a “commercial share based on club awareness”
– A cap of 55% of revenues permitted to be spent on salaries and transfers (net)
– A ‘Financial Sustainability Group’ would monitor clubs’ spending
Which clubs are involved?
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham are the six Premier League clubs involved.
La Liga’s Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid and Serie A’s AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus have also signed up.
Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich have rejected the proposals.
What have UEFA said?
“We will consider all measures available to us, at all levels, both judicial and sporting in order to prevent this happening. Football is based on open competitions and sporting merit; it cannot be any other way.
“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.”
That was confirmed by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who said: “”The players that will play in the closed league will be banned from playing in the World Cup and Euros. They will not be allowed play for their national teams.”
UEFA, the English Football Association, the Premier League, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), LaLiga, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Lega Serie A have today released a statement.
Read it in full here: 👇
— UEFA (@UEFA) April 18, 2021
What has the Premier League said?
“Fans of any club in England and across Europe can currently dream that their team may climb to the top and play against the best. We believe that the concept of a European Super League would destroy this dream.”
The Premier League has hit out at the plans for a breakaway European league, releasing the following statement and condemning the European Super League proposal…❌
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 18, 2021
What happens to domestic leagues?
Well, the plan was just to replace the existing Champions League but, with UEFA insisting that clubs will be “banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level” then it seems they would have to drop out of their respective leagues.
What happens to the Champions League?
The European Super League would end the Champions League – hence UEFA’s aggressive statement.
What happens next?
If the Super League clubs don’t back down, it’s likely to end up in court with UEFA and FIFA insisting they will ban the clubs and players who are taking part in a breakaway competition.
