In news that will undoubtedly annoy and worry football fans across the continent, the prospect of a European Super League has once again reared its ugly head, as the biggest clubs in the sport seem determined to force through this widely reviled idea.
After being sent packing by a rare moment of unity, albeit in the form of a burning rage, from football supporters back in 2021, the ESL is desperate to tell you why it’s different this time.
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Up to 80 teams, multiple divisions and a guarantee of 14 matches per season, Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22, in charge of promoting the ESL, has detailed the framework of a more palatable league to German newspaper Die Welt.
But will it happen this time? Here’s what we know so far about the revived European Super League:
What is the new European Super League?
In short, the original proposal so widely reviled in April 2021 was a new ‘closed shop’ competition for Europe’s biggest (richest) football clubs that would enable them to generate more money by only playing other super-clubs and not having to worry about relegation or missing out on lucrative European competition by that pesky notion of having to perform well on the pitch to finish high up in their national leagues. It’s guaranteed revenue.
The latest, February 2022, proposal has been slightly tweaked and could contain up to 80 teams in a multi-divisional format, the competition’s chief executive has said. This time, the Super League is said to be based on sporting performance only with no permanent members. A22 chief executive Bernd Reichart, in charge of promoting the ESL, told German newspaper Die Welt that teams would be guaranteed a minimum of 14 matches per season.
A22 have consulted with nearly 50 European clubs since October last year and developed 10 principles based on that consultation which underpin its plans for a new-look league. The people involved with the European Super League believe football across the continent is in danger and they are the self-appointed guardians to save it.
Reichart said the new-look Super League would be an open competition, with qualification achieved via performance at national level and with all its teams competing in their domestic leagues. Those national leagues would remain “the foundation” of the game, Reichart said, and argued that the new Super League would generate new revenues to support the entire pyramid. There is a guarantee of a minimum of 14 matches that would provide “stablility and predictability” of revenue.
Which clubs are involved?
Given the immediate outcry last time they put their head above the parapet to back this new venture, unsurprisingly the clubs involved this time are keeping their identities a secret.
However, we can assume it will include the biggest proponents of the ESL from 2021, which were the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan. Given the draw of the biggest Premier League clubs, the competition will be desperate for them to be involved.
What happened last time?
It was a rare triumph of fan power when the European Super League first tried to launch back in April 2021 as immediate, sustained protests from across the football community caused the clubs involved to scuttle away with their tail between their legs.
The competition was initially launched with 12 founding members – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid – who would permanently take part in the competition.
The plan quickly collapsed after the six Premier League clubs pulled out within 24 hours in the face of fierce criticism from supporters, pundits, clubs and the media, but Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid remained committed to the concept.
Then-prime minister Boris Johnson also used a coronavirus press conference to condemn the project calling it “a cartel” and threatened government intervention if the English clubs didn’t pull out, although ultimately it never came to that and Labour leader Keir Starmer recently told The Independent that Johnson deserves no credit for stopping the league.
What have they said?
In support of the latest proposal, Reichart wrote: “The foundations of European football are in danger of collapsing. It’s time for a change. It is the clubs that bear the entrepreneurial risk in football. But when important decisions are at stake, they are too often forced to sit idly by on the sidelines as the sporting and financial foundations crumble around them.
“Our talks have also made it clear that clubs often find it impossible to speak out publicly against a system that uses the threat of sanctions to thwart opposition. Our dialogue was open, honest, constructive and resulted in clear ideas about what changes are needed and how they could be implemented. There is a lot to do and we will continue our dialogue.”
Unsurprisingly, the news of the relaunch has sparked immediate backlash in certain quarters.
Chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), Kevin Miles, told The Independent: “It’s not going to happen. This latest plan is just their way of reminding the world that they exist, they are still here. But it’s all hot air.
“It’s the twitching of the corpse.”
La Liga president Javier Tebas was also similarly dismissive as he depicted the organisation as a sly thief trying to steal influence and finance away from the heart of football.
“The Super League is the wolf, which today disguises itself as the little grandmother to try and cheat European football,” he wrote on Twitter. “But their nose and their teeth are very large. Four divisions in Europe? Of course, the first one for themselves, just like the 2019 reform ideas. Governed by the clubs? Of course, just the big ones.”
Is there a legal challenge?
A22 has challenged UEFA and FIFA’s right to block the formation of the Super League and sanction the competing clubs in the courts, arguing the governing bodies are abusing a dominant position under EU competition law.
The European Court of Justice is due to give its final ruling in the case later this year, but a non-binding opinion delivered by the Advocate General in the case in December said rules allowing UEFA and FIFA to block the formation of new competitions was compatible with EU law.
What are the ‘10 principles’ of the new European Super League
There remains a startling lack of specific detail available over the Super League’s newly scrubbed reform plan, but they have released list of 10 principles to govern their approach. They say they have been formed after “consistent feedback” with clubs, though opted against saying which ones.
The 10 guiding princples are listed as:
- Meritocratic competitions, with multi-divisional format and no permanent members
- Clubs remain committed to domestic tournaments
- Improve competitiveness with stable, sustainable resources
- Player health at the centre of the game
- Well-enforced and transparent financial sustainability rules
- Create “the world’s best football competition”
- Improved fan experience
- Develop and finance women’s football by putting it “centre stage” side-by-side with men’s game
- Significant increase in solidarity
- Respect for EU laws and values
