LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 20: Fans hold banners against Chelsea entering the newly proposed European Super League ahead of the Premier League match between Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on April 20, 2021 in London, England.
Chloe Knott – Danehouse | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
LONDON – Plans for a breakaway elite football league in Europe have already been unraveled after widespread criticism and even threats of government interference.
The European Super League, announced on Sunday, is set to challenge the UEFA Champions League format, which is currently Europe’s leading annual club competition.
Twelve of Europe’s richest teams have signed up as founding members of the new league, backed by JPMorgan with $ 6 billion in debt financing.
But the move has sparked outrage among lawmakers, governing bodies, former players, supporters, managers and experts, and many are worried about the consequences for the structure of local competitions.
Many consider it a cynical project and extremely controversial, as the permanent members of the league could not be demoted.
Chelsea became the first club on Tuesday night to indicate he was jumping, with fans protesting against the plans outside his West London stadium ahead of a Premier League match. Manchester City quickly followed with the official confirmation of their withdrawal, and then England’s other four clubs pulled out just hours later.
UEFA President Alexander Ceferin condemned the project and described it as a “spit in the face” of all football fans. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to “thwart” it and liken it to a “cartel”.
The teams that originally agreed to play in the ESL include:
- England: Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal.
- Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
- Italy: Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.
European Super League president Florentino Perez said on Monday night that plans to form the new breakaway elite competition were ‘to’ save football ‘.
He pushed back against the widespread criticism by claiming that change was needed because young people were no longer interested in the sport.
—CNBC’s Sam Shead and Sam Meredith contributed to this article.