Reigning European champions Bayern Munich and the team they defeated last year in the Champions League final, Paris Saint-Germain, have released statements opposing the creation of a European Super League.
Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Internazionale and AC Milan are the 12 founders of a proposed breakaway tournament announced on Sunday.
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However, after Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, two of the contenders for the 20-team tournament, which will have 15 permanent members and five qualifying places, opposed its creation, Bayern announced they would not participate.
“FC Bayern Munich has a clear position on the issue of the Super League,” said a statement from Bayern.
Bayern President Herbert Hainer added: “Our members and fans reject a Super League. As FC Bayern, it is our desire and goal for European clubs to experience and develop the beautiful and emotional competition called the Champions League together with UEFA. FC Bayern says no to the Super League. “
CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge also said: “On behalf of the board, I want to make it explicitly clear that FC Bayern will not participate in the Super League.
“FC Bayern is in solidarity with the Bundesliga. It was and always is a great pleasure for us to play and represent Germany in the Champions League.
“We all fondly remember our 2020 Champions League victory in Lisbon – you will not forget such a joyful moment. For FC Bayern, the Champions League is the best club competition in the world.”
PSG has also indicated that it does not agree with the conclusion of the match.
“Paris Saint-Germain firmly believes that football is a game for everyone,” said club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. “I’ve been consistently working on this from the very beginning.
“As a football club, we are a family and a community of which our fans are the fabric – I think we shouldn’t forget this. There is a clear need to further develop the existing UEFA competition model presented by UEFA yesterday. [Monday] and the completion of 24 months of comprehensive and joint consultation across the entire European football landscape.
“We believe that any proposal without the support of UEFA – an organization that has been committed to the interests of European football for nearly 70 years – will not solve the problems currently facing the football community, but instead be driven by self-reliance.
“Paris Saint-Germain will continue to work with UEFA, the European Club Association and all stakeholders of the football family – based on the principles of good faith, dignity and respect for all.”
Many of the European Super League clubs suggested in a statement that they would continue to participate in their national competitions, but all relevant local federations have threatened them with exclusion if the tournament continues.
The presidents of UEFA (Aleksander Ceferin) and FIFA (Gianni Infantino) have also strongly criticized the Super League project.