Huge news on the international soccer front on Sunday as it was revealed a dozen powerful clubs are launching a breakaway Super League. The clubs included plan to withdraw from the European Club Association.
What Clubs Are Part of This?
The clubs are: AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Internazionale, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as founding clubs, according to releases.
And there you go…. pic.twitter.com/l8fwvhEo60
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) April 18, 2021
Games would be played in the middle of the week, with the Super League governed by the founding clubs, per club statements.
ESPN sources said plans to start are for the 2023-24 season.
A seismic shift in European football could be on the horizon.
A number of clubs, including the Premier League’s ‘big six’, have released a statement outlining their plans for a breakaway ‘Super League’.
Read the story in full:
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 18, 2021
To say the decision is controversial would be an understatement. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Uefa, and the Premier League condemned it.
UEFA released a statement:
UEFA, the English Football Association and the Premier League, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and LaLiga, and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Lega Serie A have learned that a few English, Spanish and Italian clubs may be planning to announce their creation of a closed, so-called Super League.
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.
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.
As previously announced by FIFA and the six Confederations, 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.
The Format?
Per BBC.com:
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, BBC.com reported
It will start in August, with midweek fixtures, and the clubs will be split into two groups of 10, who play each other home and away.
The top three in each group 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 will have the same two-leg knockout format used in the Champions League before a single-leg final in May at neutral venue.
There was additional news leading during Sunday.
There will be no turning back. All the teams taking part in the Super League will no longer play the Champions League and the Europa League. (Source: MARCA) pic.twitter.com/97H3kHrKk5
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) April 18, 2021
And, of course, some social media humor.
Dear AC Milan, Arsenal , Atlético, Chelsea, Barcelona, Internazionale, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham fans,
If you need a new club to support, we’re always here for you.
Kind regards,
FC Spartak Moscow.— FC Spartak Moscow (@fcsm_eng) April 18, 2021
