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ARSENAL, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United have CONFIRMED their plans to join a European Super League.
The 12-club tournament would be held throughout the season and would make the clubs even richer than they already are.
Gary Neville did not hold back on TV after Sky Sports discussed the plans live on air while leading football organisations including the Premier League have told clubs traditional competition is best for English football.
Follow ALL of the latest updates below from this developing story…
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JOEL GLAZER SPEAKS
Manchester United’s co-chairman said: “By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider pyramid.”
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez added: “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.”
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SUPER LEAGUE FORMAT
As per the proposals, the League will contain 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.
It will involve midweek fixtures with their plan that all participating clubs continuing to compete in their respective national leagues.
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.
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UEFA HIT BACK
Potential fallout could see the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo absent from every future Champions League and World Cup with Barcelona and Juventus signed up to the Super League.
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SUPER LEAGUE STATEMENT
“Twelve of Europe’s leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs.
“AC Milan, Arsenal , Atlético, Chelsea, Barcelona, Internazionale, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham have all joined.
“Three more clubs are expected to join as Founding Clubs before the inaugural season, which is expected to start as soon as possible. In the future, the Founding Clubs look forward to consulting with UEFA and FIFA in order to work together.”
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JAVI-NG THE BEST TIME
Marcelo Bielsa has compared ‘Mr Versatile’ Stuart Dallas to Argentine legend Javier Zanetti.
He said: “I had a player like him, Javier Zanetti, and also Julio Saldana who I had when I first managed at Newell’s.
“Those two players are very alike Dallas in terms of their versatility.
“Dallas is a very potent, powerful player. He can play with either foot, his right or his left, he’s good at defending.
“He has the capacity to combine as well as make runs, which allows him to flourish playing in the middle.
“He has a change of rhythm and surprise when he attacks. It’s very difficult to find all that in just one player.”
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‘WAR OF FOOTBALL’
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has had his say on European Super League plans.
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BRAGGING RIGHTS
Rangers’ hopes of a league and Scottish Cup Double are ON after a derby win over Celtic at Ibrox.
The Light Blues ran out 2-0 winners to secure a spot in the quarter-final stage of the competition as they aim to add to their Premiership triumph.
Steven Davis and an own goal from Jonjoe Kenny handed Steven Gerrard’s men another victory over the Hoops this season and ensured their rivals won’t end the season with any silverware this campaign.
Read SunSport’s match report HERE.
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RON-MAN TEAM
Juventus’ Champions League qualification hopes were dented by a late Atalanta winner as they felt the full force of Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence.
Andrea Pirlo’s side struggled without the injured CR7 and were beaten courtesy of Ruslan Malinovskiy’s 87th minute strike.
Atalanta leapfrogged their opponents into third place and moved on to 64 points, two ahead of Juventus, with both having played 31 games.
The Bianconeri are set to see their decade of dominance in the Italian league ended after nine consecutive Scudetto wins.
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CLUB MUST ANSWER TO FANS
Prime minister Boris Johnson has released a short statement on Twitter addressing plans for a European Super League.
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PFA ON EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE
A statement read: “The PFA has substantial concerns regarding the wide-ranging implications of the proposed European Super League concept.
“Football should strive to preserve the sanctity of a competitive domestic league above all else. Aspiration and sporting merits are an essential part of any sport and a vital component of the game we love.
“This proposed move would detract from the strength and joy of domestic football and diminish the game for the vast majority of fans across the continent.
“Clubs across all domestic competitions are not equal, each having differing financial starting points. However, success is never guaranteed, often cyclical and always earned.
“We have seen countless examples around Europe of teams outperforming their resources. In recent years, at home in the Premier League, this has resulted in unrivalled global entertainment and sporting drama.
“A…
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