Any faint hope of a European Super League resurrection was washed away on Thursday as Uefa and Fifa received significant backing in their fight against the controversial tournament idea. Athanasios Rantos, Advocate General at the European Court of Justice, released his 'Opinion' which indicates Fifa and Uefa have the right to block the creation of new competitions and issue punishments to sides that participate in breakaway projects.
The company spearheading the controversial plans - A22 Sports Management - are now down to just the support of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus. But any plans for a new competition in the immediate future look dead and buried after the recent court ruling.
"[It] is an encouraging step towards preserving the existing dynamic and democratic governance structure of the European football pyramid," Uefa said following the ruling.
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Newcastle were not part of the initial European Super League plans but since the £300m takeover in 2021, and the subsequent success on the pitch, speculation has been rife that any new project formed could consider including the Magpies in their plans.
Chronicle Live understands Newcastle would dismiss any attempt to include them in the Super League, should it somehow come to fruition in the years to come. However, with the club currently occupying a top-four spot and eyeing regular finishes in the Premier League's European spots, Toon bosses will be keeping a close eye on any Uefa changes to the current format.
The 2024/25 season sees changes to the current format of the Champions League, with the group stages scrapped and replaced with a 36-team league table. Under the new format, teams will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against 10 different teams.
Despite the fine start to the season under Howe, the aim inside the St James' Park boardroom has always been steady and sustainable growth, meaning a failure to hold onto a top-four spot this term wouldn't constitute a crisis.
However, with a revamped training ground in the works, an ever-improving squad at Howe's disposal and a significant level of ambition at the top - reaching the new-look 2024/25 Champions League looks an achievable prospect for the Tyneside outfit.
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