Madrid- It’s official: twelve of the most important clubs in Europe have founded the Super League, a competition that especially threatens the very existence of the Champions League.
AC Milan, Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham are the founders of the new league.
In addition, three other teams will join the twelve founding clubs in the opening season. The intention is that a total of 20 teams will form two groups of ten members each to play the tournament that starts in August.
The format is as follows:
– 20 clubs will participate, the 15 founding clubs and an additional five teams that qualify annually based on the performance of the previous season.
– All matches are played on weekdays, all clubs will continue to compete in their respective national leagues, keeping the traditional calendar central to club life.
– The season starts in August with the participation of the clubs in two groups of ten, which play home and away matches; The top three of each group automatically qualify for the quarter-finals. Teams that finish fourth and fifth will play an additional two-legged playoff.
– Two-side playoffs will then be played from the quarters to reach the final, which will be played as a single game on a neutral venue at the end of May.
“Looking ahead, the founding clubs hope to have talks with UEFA and FIFA to find the best solutions for the Super League and for world football as a whole,” the clubs said in a statement.
The management organization chart will be composed as follows:
Florentino Pérez: President of Real Madrid and President of the Super League
Andrea Agnelli: President of Juventus and Vice President of the Super League
Joel Glazer – Manchester United President and Super League Vice President