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Updated April 19th, 2021 at 09:57 IST

European Super League slammed by UK PM; Boris Johnson backs action on breakaway clubs

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the plans for a Super League consisting of top European football clubs would be "very damaging" for the sport.

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
Super League: UK PM Boris Johnson responds to plans of top European clubs going exclusive
Image Credit: AP | Image:self
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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has responded to the plans of top European football clubs starting their own European Super League. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the plans for a Super League consisting of top European football clubs would be "very damaging" for the sport, adding "We should support football authorities in taking action". Earlier, reports had emerged suggesting that Europe's top 12 football clubs are in discussion to break away from UEFA and the Champions League, which is considered European football's foremost league for club competition, and start their own Super League. Later the reports were confirmed through a press release issued by 12 "founding clubs" of the so-called Super League. 

PM Johnson took to his official Twitter handle to criticise the plan of starting a Super League, exclusively for top European football clubs. Johnson said the plan would hamper the sport at the domestic level and "will concern fans all over the country". According to the press release issued by the founding clubs, six English Premier League teams, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur, have signed up for the plan. Johnson said the clubs involved in the discussion must answer their fans and the football community before taking any further steps. 

What is the European Super League?

"We have joined 11 European clubs as founding members of a new midweek competition, the European Super League. There’s lots more to do to bring the competition to life and we will continue to update our supporters as things progress," Arsenal said after releasing the official joint statement of the founding clubs on its website.

The official joint statement says that the "Founding Clubs" look forward to holding discussions with UEFA and FIFA for the successful delivery of Super League to fans. According to the statement, 20 teams will be allowed to participate in the inaugural season, of which 15 will be founding clubs and the rest five will qualify annually based on their achievements in the prior season. The statement further added that a women's league will also be launched after the start of the men's competition. The founding chairman of the league is Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid. 

"We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires," Perez said in the joint statement. 

What has UEFA said?

However, the announcement of the Super League by top European clubs has not gone down well with UEFA, which has threatened to take legal action against the clubs. UEFA said it will remain united with the English, Spanish, Italian football governing bodies and also FIFA to stop the "cynical project". Other clubs that are part of the plan are FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan. 

"If this were to happen, we wish to reiterate that we – UEFA, the English FA, RFEF, FIGC, the Premier League, LaLiga, Lega Serie A, but also FIFA and all our member associations – will remain united in our efforts to stop this cynical project, a project that is founded on the self-interest of a few clubs at a time when society needs solidarity more than ever. We will consider all measures available to us, at all levels, both judicial and sporting in order to prevent this from happening. Football is based on open competitions and sporting merit; it cannot be any other way," UEFA said in a statement. 

(Image Credit: AP)
 

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Published April 19th, 2021 at 09:57 IST

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