Kevin Pietersen invites MASSIVE controversy with support to Super League, Man United dig

The controversial European Super League proposal made by 12 of Europe's top clubs has received severe backlash not only from football pundits but also from other sportspeople, who follow football closely. The latest to comment upon the draconian proposal is English cricketing legend Kevin Pietersen. The former batsman invited massive controversy after expressing support for the European Super League and used this opportunity to take a dig at Manchester United.

What is European Super League and who are the European Super League teams?

The twelve teams that support the European Super League include Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan. Two German clubs and a French club are also reported to join the Super League as founding members. As per the joint statement, the inaugural European Super League season will feature 20 teams participating from across Europe, consisting of 15 founding members and five rotating clubs.

It is important to note that the 15 founding members cannot be relegated while the five rotating clubs will have to qualify each season. The qualification will be based upon the achievements of these clubs in the previous season. Once the 20 teams are decided, they will be divided into two groups of 10 participants each with the top three teams from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. The fourth and fifth teams will then compete in a two-legged playoff to decide the remaining spot in the quarter-finals. The rest of the competition will progress as a typical knockout competition.

Kevin Pietersen trolls Manchester United and expresses support for European Super League

Kevin Pietersen, who supports Chelsea, took to Twitter to troll rival club Manchester United. He wrote, "How on this planet is Man Utd in the SL anyway...?!" In a separate tweet, he also expressed support for the controversial European Super League. The former English batsman wrote, "If the SL is played during the week and doesn’t interfere with domestic league schedules, what’s the issue? Serious question? Would like to understand please?"

However, the English legend received severe criticism from his fans for his support of the European Super League. Aditya Trivedi wrote, "Direct entry into Europe w/o any competition, no relegation just because they have financial pull. What about the likes of Leicester and West Ham who are on the brink of qualifications? their entire season has now no value now. It's money, each club in the SL is guaranteed £300m." Several other tweets can be seen below.