Controversy explodes in European Soccer as 15 major clubs propose breakaway league

[Renew Deal]

This is turning into a big deal...

Man United, Liverpool among clubs in $6 billion European Super League talks - sources

Fifteen of Europe's biggest clubs are in talks to launch a European Super League, planned to start in time for the 2023-24 season, with a $6 billion (£4.3 billion) fund backing the project, sources have told ESPN.

If the initiative is successful, it would threaten the existence of the Champions League -- football's biggest club competition -- with UEFA due to announce on Monday a new 36-team format for the tournament designed to stave off attempts by the game's top clubs to break away.

s reported by UK newspaper The Times, English top-flight clubs Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are among 11 European teams to have signed up to the Super League plan.

ESPN has been told by a person familiar with the blueprint that the proposed framework involves a total of 20 teams, with 15 permanent members who cannot be relegated.

A further five teams will be rotated in and out of the competition, based on performance, but the permanent members will include six Premier League clubs, three from La Liga, three from Italy's Serie A, two from the Bundesliga and one from France's Ligue 1.

Sources have told ESPN that New York-based investment bank JP Morgan will underwrite the project, with $6 billion distributed as loans to the teams.


https://www.espn.com/soccer/uefa-champions-league/story/4363096/man-united-liverpool-among-clubs-in-$6-billion-european-super-league-talks-sources

[LastDemocratInSC]

1. Yawn.

[underpants]

2. PSG from France I would guess

I don’t like this. It makes it really clear that there are two with absolutely no shot against the big fish.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. They announced with 12 (6 England, 3 Spain, 3 Italy), and want it as a Champions League replacement

which they would basically qualify for every year, no matter how poorly they're doing at the time.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/18/five-english-clubs-sign-up-to-european-super-league-report-says

Nice for them for the money. Shit for proper competition. It's not as if these clubs always dominate European competition.

Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have so far insisted they have not signed up so it remains to be seen whether the others will carry out their threat to turn their backs on their domestic leagues and risk their players being barred from all competitions, including the World Cup. PSG’s reluctance to turn their back on Ligue 1 despite major issues with its new TV rights deal could be down to proposed stringent financial regulations in the new competition that would be similar to Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

The impetus for the breakaway league has come from the Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez – who will be president of the new organisation - with Joel Glazer of Manchester United and Andrea Agnelli of Juventus as vice-chairmen.
...
The former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson led criticism of the new proposals, telling Reuters that a super league would be “a move away from 70 years of European club football.

“Everton are spending £500m to build a new stadium with the ambition to play in Champions League. Fans all over love the competition as it is,” he said. “In my time at United, we played in four Champions League finals and they were always the most special of nights. I’m not sure [if] Manchester United are involved in this, as I am not part of the decision making process.”