On the 18th of April, 12 of the biggest clubs in Europe have announced that they will form a new mid-week competition, the Super League. US bank JP Morgan Chase plans to back the project, investing £5 billion.
Super League Clubs
The clubs involved are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Internazionale Milano, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City. Three more clubs are expected to join prior to the inaugural season, set to begin as soon as possible.
Eight of the ten most valuable clubs in the world are joining this league. On the other hand, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and PSG have declined invitation. Who those remaining three clubs will be is unknown, but it will most likely be Spanish or Italian clubs with the Premier League Big Six already joining.
Super League’s Statement
The ESL has finally made a statement outlining the format of the competition and the reasons for its formation.
“We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world,” said Real Madrid president and the first Super League chairman, Florentino Perez. “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.”
The announcement comes just one day before UEFA was planning to unveil changes they plan to make to the Champions League.
Reactions
One of the most appealing things about domestic league football is that teams face relegation. Each season, the three teams that finish at the bottom of their league are dropped to the league below, while three teams from the lower division are promoted. The Super League would completely dissolve this aspect of the game. Therefore the teams wouldn’t have to worry about relegation, so the competitive aspect would be lowered.
UEFA released a statement saying, “If this were to happen, we wish to reiterate that we – UEFA, the English FA, RFEF, FIGC, the Premier League, LaLiga, Lega Serie A, but also FIFA and all our member associations – will remain united in our efforts to stop this cynical project, a project that is founded on the self-interest of a few clubs at a time when society needs solidarity more than ever.”
UEFA is even considering booting Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal from the Europa and Champions League. They will be making a decision Friday.
For example, Manchester City compete in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup every season. UEFA will ban Manchester City from competing in any of these competitions, thus making the Super League their only games.
Furthermore, the players on these teams may face a ban from participating in their international duties. Imagine a World Cup without the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane, and Sergio Ramos. Fans would, consequently, be furious not seeing their favorite players. It’s the most important tournament in the sport.
Future
In short, the Super League would be terribly for the beautiful game.
Less than 48 hours since the Super League announcement, Manchester City and Chelsea have requested documentation to withdraw.
Reports also say that all 12 clubs will have a meeting soon to discuss the disbanding of the league.
Stay tuned.
