According to documents reviewed by The Times in January, plans for the breakaway body have still been strained since the summer. Top clubs have tried to exploit the uncertainty in the football industry caused by the pandemic to create a new path that would ensure some financial stability for them, but which also almost certainly leads to a significant – and potentially devastating – loss of value and income would result. for teams excluded from the project. The documents promise each of the prospective permanent members of the proposed super league to sign 350 million euros, or $ 425 million.
Under the then revised proposals, the super league, which would play its matches in the middle of the week, sought to acquire 16 top football franchises as permanent members and add four qualifiers from local competitions. The clubs will be divided into two groups of ten, and the top four teams in each group qualify for the knockout phase, which culminates in a final that will take place on a weekend.
According to the documents, the participating teams, which are already the richest clubs in the sport, would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in extra revenue, according to the documents. (An alternative version of the plan proposed 15 permanent members and five qualifying places.) The people, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. entered into discussions to raise funding for the project. The firm has so far declined to comment.
UEFA has found a powerful ally in opposition to the plans in FIFA, football’s global governing body. FIFA has warned that any player participating in such an unsanctioned league will be banned from appearing in the World Cup. The statement comes after UEFA president Alexander Ceferin demanded support from his FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino amid growing speculation that the breakaway would support FIFA.
European football leaders rallied over the phone and at video conferences over the weekend to launch a counterattack. However, finding a solution to the potential loss of the biggest brands in football is not an easy task. The Premier League, for example, would lose much of its luster – and almost certainly much of the commercial appeal that made it the richest league in football – it would ban its top six teams.
As club-owned clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid are likely to need the support of thousands of fans before formally joining, and any German club that agrees to take part will face similar obstacles. Everyone can expect heavy internal opposition; fan groups from across Europe have expressed opposition since the details of the plans for a super league appeared earlier this year.