Super League to change elite tournament plans after British teams say they won’t participate

by

The dramatic collapse of the billion-dollar league comes less than 48 hours after it first launched, and caused a furious backlash across the continent among football fans, players, sports officials and senior government leaders.

According to a Super League statement obtained by The athletic and ESPN, the organizers of the competition remain committed to the formation of a new competition, although they seemed to recognize that their original proposal was no longer tenable. “(The) status quo of European football needs to change,” the Super League statement read, but that “given the current circumstances, we will reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project.”

CNN has reached out to the Super League for comment and full statement, but has not heard anything.

On Tuesday evening, all six English Premier League clubs had declared their intention to withdraw from the competition. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur confirmed in public statements that they will no longer participate, with some citing feedback from fans and other stakeholders.

Initial plans for the closed league, which would be funded by US investment bank JP Morgan, would include the six English clubs, along with three teams from Italy – AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus – and three from Spain – Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real. Madrid.

“I think this project passed away today … and it is on track to become a complete botch,” former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon told CNN.

“I think it deserves it because it was a project destined to kill football. Most of all I think we live in this day and age where many clubs are struggling to survive due to the economic troubles of the pandemic. What football needs is unity, solidarity. “

The announcement of the league’s formation on Sunday caused shock waves from the football world, sparking outrage and a rare display of political unity, with both the British government and its main opposition party pledging to support legislative action to protect the domestic game if required.

The English Football Association and the European and international governing bodies UEFA and FIFA also threatened punitive measures and possible sanctions for the breakaway clubs.

.Source