A quiet enough weekend of football was topped off on Sunday evening with a breaking story about the European Super League. Greeted with almost complete disgust from regular football fans who aren't currently bankrolling a so called big European club. So what is it all about?
What Is The European Super League?
BREAKING: Statement confirming that Man Utd, Liverpool, Man City, Spurs, Arsenal & Chelsea - along with AC Milan, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, & Real Madrid have agreed to establish a new European ‘Super League’, with 3 more clubs expected to join pic.twitter.com/33xrmIWrrp
— Dan Roan (@danroan) April 18, 2021
A brand new Super league set up by 12 founding member super clubs who cannot be relegated - to replace the existing Champions League -
"The formation of the Super League comes at a time when the global pandemic has accelerated the instability in the existing European football economic model. Further, for a number of years, the Founding Clubs have had the objective of improving the quality and intensity of existing European competitions throughout each season, and of creating a format for top clubs and players to compete on a regular basis.
"The pandemic has shown that a strategic vision and a sustainable commercial approach are required to enhance value and support for the benefit of the entire European football pyramid."
What Teams are involved in The European Super League?
From their own statement released on Sunday night - 3 Italian clubs, 6 English clubs and 3 Spanish clubs have joined with more to follow
12 football clubs today jointly announced an agreement competition, the Super League. AC Milan, Arsenal , Atlético, Chelsea, Barcelona, Internazionale, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham have all joined. No German clubs are involved as yet.
What is the format of the new European Super League?
According to their own statement -
- 20 participating clubs with 15 Founding Clubs and a qualifying mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based on achievements in the prior season.
- Midweek fixtures with all participating clubs continuing to compete in their respective national leagues. preserving the traditional domestic match calendar which remains at the heart of the club game.
- An August start with clubs participating in two groups of ten, playing home and away fixtures, 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.
What has the reaction been to the new league?
Almost universally negative. Most if not all supporters groups condemning the new European Super League as the end of football. Fans calling for banning of founding members from current competitions. Players like Ander Herrara have come out strongly against it. The Premier League released this statement.
SEE ALSO: Gary Neville Has Absolutely Slated The Prospect Of A Super League
