Everton will fight any revised plans for a breakaway European Super League.
The club condemned the initial proposals when they were revealed last year, slamming those involved for their "preposterous arrogance". Chairman Bill Kenwright has now re-iterated the club’s opposition to any future move, accusing those involved of "greed and self-interest".
In his foreword to Everton’s accounts, released on Tuesday evening, he expressed pride at the club’s role in speaking out against the project. And he added that, should the club need to "step up" again, it would.
READ MORE: Everton confirm major loss as latest club accounts revealed
READ MORE: Why Everton are confident of avoiding Premier League points deduction
A dozen clubs were part of plans to launch the European Super League last April. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea were the Premier League outfits to be involved. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan were also included in the plans, which were scrapped within 48 hours after a backlash from supporters and the wider football community.
Among the clubs to speak out at the time was Everton. A statement from the board, referring to the Premier League contingent, said: "The self-proclaimed Super Six appear intent on disenfranchising supporters across the game - including their own - by putting the very structure that underpins the game we love under threat. The backlash is understandable and deserved – and has to be listened to.
"This preposterous arrogance is not wanted anywhere in football outside of the clubs that have drafted this plan. On behalf of everyone associated with Everton, we respectfully ask that the proposals are immediately withdrawn and that the private meetings and subversive practices that have brought our beautiful game to possibly its lowest ever position in terms of trust end now."
While many of the clubs involved backtracked in the days that followed, rumours of a revised European Super League plot continue to persist. Just this week, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed the project remains alive and that Premier League clubs "are still in favour".
In an interview with Spanish radio station RAC 1, he said: "There are many English clubs in favour of the project, but they do not expose themselves because they are awaiting the judgments of the courts. It is an open Super League, no longer closed, it has evolved. It will surely be the most attractive league in the world. I believe that in the end we will be able to establish a constructive dialogue with UEFA and that an improved Champions League can be created."
Writing in Everton’s newly-released accounts, which revealed a loss of £120.9m for the 2020/21 season, Kenwright returned to the issue as he discussed the "challenges" posed over the past year - from the continuing impact of the Coronavirus pandemic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He said: "As outlined, the past year has presented many challenges outside the control of the football club and it has been a source of great pride to me that Everton has stepped up, as I know you would expect us to. Whether it’s our response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our consistently tremendous work in the community - supporting tens of thousands of families through the work of our pandemic response team – or the way we stood up to those clubs acting out of greed and self interest to try to establish a European Super League, I believe we have done the right thing – not just for Everton, but for the people of our city and for the game we all love.
"As regards Covid-19 and the breakaway ‘Super League’, let’s hope we don’t need to step-up again, but please know that if we need to, we will."
