European Super League: UEFA furious at 11 major clubs signing up to breakaway plans...

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Senior Uefa figures are furious that 11 major European clubs, including five from England, have signed up to a breakaway European Super League



BBC Sport was told last week of plans for some sort of confirmation about a European Super League.

Uefa hoped to head off plans with a new-look 36-team Champions League set to be confirmed on Monday.

Uefa said it will use "all measures available" to stop the "cynical project" of a breakaway Super League.

The European governing body released a joint statement together with the English Football Association, Premier League Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), La Liga, and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) as well as Serie A on Sunday.

They said they will "remain united" in trying to stop the breakaway, using both judicial and sporting measures if required.

They also reiterated Fifa's stance that players taking part in the Super League would be banned from all other competitions at domestic, European or world level and could be prevented from representing their national teams.

In a separate statement, the Premier League said it condemned the proposal as it "attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit which are at the heart" of domestic and European football.

Juventus owner Andrea Agnelli, Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and AC Milan chief executive Ivan Gazidis would all have had a significant input into the Champions League discussions on Friday.

However, it appears those clubs are among those to have broken ranks, to the fury of Uefa, whose president Aleksander Ceferin wanted to stave off a Super League threat.

Spanish La Liga sides Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are also part of the 11-team group, as are Italian Serie A club Inter Milan.

None of the clubs concerned have responded to questions about the proposals.

The Premier League said a European Super League would "destroy" the dream of fans that "their team may climb to the top and play against the best".

It added such a league would "undermine the appeal of the whole game" and that they would work with the FA, the English Football League, Professional Footballers' Association, League Managers Association and fans to "defend the integrity and future prospects of English football".

The FA said it will "not provide permission to any competition that would be damaging to English football" and will "take any legal and/or regulatory action necessary" to stop it.

Uefa said it thanked "those clubs in other countries, especially the French and German clubs, who have refused to sign up" to the breakaway league.

"We call on all lovers of football, supporters and politicians, to join us in fighting against such a project if it were to be announced," they added.

"This persistent self-interest of a few has been going on for too long. Enough is enough."

Quite when the European Super League would start is unclear.

However, world governing body Fifa has already said it would not recognise such a competition and any players involved in it would be denied the chance to play at a World Cup.

Serie A have called an emergency board meeting to discuss the matter.

The Football Supporters' Association said it is "totally opposed" to the plans, which it said were "motivated by nothing but cynical greed".

They added: "This competition is being created behind our backs by billionaire club owners who have zero regard for the game's traditions and continue to treat football as their personal fiefdom."

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European Super League: Premier League's 'big six' agree to join new league



Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham are among 12 clubs who have agreed to join a new European Super League (ESL).

In a seismic move for European football, the Premier League clubs will join AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.

The ESL said the founding clubs had agreed to establish a "new midweek competition" with teams continuing to "compete in their respective national leagues".

It says the inaugural season "is intended to commence as soon as practicable" and "anticipated that a further three clubs will join" the breakaway.

The ESL says it also plans to launch a women's competition as soon as possible after the men's tournament starts.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Uefa and the Premier League condemned the move to launch a European Super League when news of it broke on Sunday.

World governing body Fifa has previously said it would not recognise such a competition and any players involved in it could be denied the chance to play at a World Cup.

Uefa, Europe's governing body, reiterated this warning on Sunday when it said players involved would be banned from all other competitions at domestic, European or world level and could be prevented from representing their national teams.

After the Super League was announced, Fifa expressed its "disapproval" of the proposed competition and called on "all parties involved in heated discussions to engage in calm, constructive and balanced dialogue for the good of the game".

In a statement, the ESL said: "Going forward, the founding clubs look forward to holding discussions with Uefa and Fifa to work together in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for the new league and for football as a whole."

The league will have 20 teams - the 12 founding members plus the three unnamed clubs they expect to join soon and five sides who qualify annually according to their domestic achievements.

Under the proposals, the ESL campaign would start in August each year, with midweek fixtures, and the clubs would be split into two groups of 10, playing each other home and away.

The top three in each group would qualify for the quarter-finals, with the teams in fourth and fifth playing a two-legged play-off for the two remaining spots.

From then on, it would have the same two-leg knockout format used in the Champions League before a single-leg final in May at a neutral venue.

The ESL says it will generate more money than the Champions League and would result in a greater distribution of revenue throughout the game.

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European Super League: All six Premier League teams withdraw from competition



All six Premier League teams involved in the European Super League have formally withdrawn from the competition.

Manchester City were the first club to pull out after Chelsea had signalled their intent to do so by preparing documentation to withdraw.

The other four sides - Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham - have all now followed suit

The 12-team Super League was announced on Sunday to widespread condemnation.

Manchester City confirmed they have "formally enacted the procedures to withdraw" from the Super League.

Liverpool said their involvement in the proposed breakaway league "has been discontinued".

Manchester United said they had "listened carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders" in making their decision to not take part.

Arsenal apologised in an open letter to their fans and said they had "made a mistake", adding they were withdrawing after listening to them and the "wider football community".

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said the club regretted the "anxiety and upset" caused by the proposal.

Chelsea confirmed they have "begun the formal procedures for withdrawal from the group" proposing the Super League.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin welcomed the reversal, adding: "They are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game.

"The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together."

English football's 'big six' were part of a group, also containing Spain's Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid and Italy's AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, that announced plans to form the breakaway league, which they hoped to establish as a new midweek competition.

It was condemned by fans, football authorities and government ministers in the UK and across Europe by Uefa and league associations.

Around 1,000 fans gathered outside Chelsea's Stamford Bridge ground before their game against Brighton on Tuesday to protest at their club's involvement.

Chelsea have yet to release a statement confirming their withdrawal, though BBC sports editor Dan Roan reported earlier on Tuesday the Blues had begun proceedings to pull out of the proposed tournament.

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who was involved in the Super League discussions, has announced he will step down from his role at the end of 2021.

Leading players at some of the six clubs signalled their disapproval of the planned breakaway league.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said on social media his side's "collective position" is they do not want the Super League to take place.

"We don't like it and we don't want it to happen," read a message that was also posted by many fellow Liverpool players.

After City confirmed their withdrawal, England winger Raheem Sterling posted: "Ok bye."

Uefa had hoped to stave off the threat of a European Super League with a new 36-team Champions League, which was agreed on Monday.

In announcing their proposals for a Super League that would eventually comprise of 20 teams, the 12-club group said the Champions League reforms did not go far enough.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who was named as the ESL's chairman, said the competition was set up "to save football" because young people are "no longer interested" in the game because of "a lot of poor quality games".

None of the Spanish and Italian sides have yet released a statement after the six Premier League teams pulled out.