The six English clubs; Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea, have quit the Super League project following backlash from fans, former players, celebrities, among others.
Moreso, politicians and football authorities threatened to take legal actions against them.
Chelsea club was the first to break ranks after fans gathered outside their Stamford Bridge ground to voice out grievances, the club immediately issued a statement to back down.
It said; “Chelsea Football Club can confirm that it has begun the formal procedures for withdrawal from the group developing plans for a European Super League.”
Manchester on its part said; “Manchester United will not be participating in the European Super League. We have listened carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders.
“We remain committed to working with others across the football community to come up with sustainable solutions to the long-term challenges facing the game.”
Then Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal announced hours later that they were pulling out as well.
Reports from Italy say ”the Inter Milan has joined in abandoning the project.”
However, a statement released by the European Super league claimed the tournament will ‘reshape’ and go ahead.
Juventus President, Andrea Agnelli is still hopeful the Super League project will succeed.
In an interview with an Italian daily, he said: “The Super League project is going ahead and has a 100 per cent chance of being a success despite the six English Premier League clubs quitting.”
Agnelli is a key figure in the project and has been named its Vice-President.
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In a joint announcement on Sunday night, the six English clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur alongside three teams from Italy: AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus; and three from Spain: Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid, had agreed to form the Super League governed by the founding clubs.
A statement posted at their website read: “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. In recent months extensive dialogue has taken place with football stakeholders regarding the future format of European competitions. The Founding Clubs believe the solutions proposed following these talks do not solve fundamental issues, including the need to need to provide high-quality matches and additional financial resources for the overall football pyramid.”
On the format of the competition, the statement read; ”Twenty 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.”
The first chairman of the Super League and President of Real Madrid CF, Florentino Perez had this to say; “We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. 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”
Juventus Chairman Andrea Agnelli said; “Our 12 Founder Clubs represent billions of fans across the globe and 99 European trophies. We have come together at this critical moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting the game we love on a sustainable footing for long-term future…”
Joel Glazer, co-chairman of Manchester United and Vice President of the Super League on his part said: “By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increases financial support for the wider football pyramid” American bank JP Morgan had committed about $5billion to the project.”