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European Super League announced, German teams not involved — live updates
Twelve teams have agreed to join a Super League, but no German clubs are involved. The move is a threat to the Champions League and UEFA says players who break away will not play in the World Cup. Here's the latest:
Summary:
12 European clubs announce breakaway European Super League
German sides Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund not involved
UEFA and national leagues reject "cynical" proposals, FIFA "disapproves"
Supporters groups and prominent names outraged by plans "driven by greed"
UEFA boss Ceferin says players could miss out on World Cups, Euros
Bayern boss Rummenigge says Super League not the answer to Covid crisis
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Rummenigge: 'Bayern not involved in plans'
Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has released the following statement, seemingly confirming the German champions' rejection of the European Super League proposals:
"FC Bayern were not involved in the plans for a Super League. We are convinced that the current format in football guarantees a reliable basis.
"FC Bayern welcomes the reforms to the Champions League and we believe that this is the right step for the development of European football. The modified group stage will bring more excitement and emotion to the competition.
"I do not believe that the Super League will solve the financial problems of European clubs caused by the coronavirus crisis. Moreover, all clubs in Europe should act in solidarity to ensure that cost structures, especially player wages and agents' fees, are adjusted to match revenues, in order to shape European football more rationally."
Rummenigge earlier replaced Juventus' Andrea Agnelli on UEFA's executive committee, after the Italian backed the Super League move (see below).
Remaining clubs set for talks, Tuchel in the dark Reports from England and Spain suggest the top flight clubs, aside from those breaking away, are set to meet in the coming days to discuss the ramifications of the proposed new league.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's German coach Thomas Tuchel admitted he knew nothing of his club's involvement in the breakaway until the day news broke.
"I've known since yesterday [Sunday] but I am here to be in the hardest competition, it's why I came here, to play the toughest competitions in Europe," Tuchel told reporters.
"I am part of this club and I trust this club to make the right decisions. I think it's too early to judge everything and it's not my part."
German FA and League take stand against Super League
Germany's two main football bodies, the DFB (Football Association) and DFL (Football League), have released a joint statement opposing the Super League.
"We stand in solidarity with UEFA and President Aleksander Ceferin," it reads. "At the same time, we support all the countermeasures announced by FIFA and UEFA, but also by the national leagues and associations concerned. We are aware that this could also affect the selection of German national team players under contract with Super League clubs."
As well as standing behind UEFA, the organizations spoke to a loss of perspective concerning the game's roots and spirit and called for togetherness.
"Football in Europe thrives on the fact that it is theoretically possible for every club to compete with the best on the continent. This dream must not be replaced by an almost closed society. National leagues are the basis for professional football, its popularity and the way it radiates throughout society."
Rummenigge replaces Agnelli at UEFA
In what looks a highly significant move, Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has been named as Andrea Agnelli's replacement on UEFA's Executive Committee after Agnelli backed the Super League.
The German, who will stand down from Bayern at the end of this season, has previously voiced his opposition to a Super League and this appointment further suggests Bayern are throwing their weight behind UEFA.
A number of German clubs in the Bundesliga and beyond have condemned the breakaway plans.
'Snakes close to us'
More from that explosive speech from Ceferin.
"If I start with Ed Woodward, he called me last Thursday evening saying he’s very satisfied with and fully supports the reforms and the only thing he wanted to talk about was FFP [Financial Fair Play rules], when obviously he had already signed something else.
"Andrea Agnelli is the biggest disappointment of all, I’ve never seen a person that would lie so many times, so persistently as he did. It’s unbelievable.
"We might have been naive in not knowing we have snakes close to us. Now we know. There will be legal action soon."
UEFA chief: Players who break away won't play World Cup
Aleksander Ceferin, the president of UEFA, has doubled down on his promise to punish players who join the Super League. A furious Ceferin called it a "disgraceful self-serving proposal", a "spit in the face of all football lovers" and warned players that they will face bans if they follow their clubs in to the new competition.
"My opinion is that as soon as possible they [the clubs] have to be banned from all our competitions and the players from all our competitions," Ceferin said, while also launching attacks on many of the architects of the breakaway, including Manchester United's Ed Woodward and Andrea Agnelli of Juventus.
UEFA organize the Champions League, Europa League, European World Cup qualifiers and various other continental competitions. Ceferin also said UEFA is looking in to its legal options.
Gladbach join German rejection
Following on from RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach have confirmed they have no interest in joining the breakaway. They also suggest such sentiment applies to "all German clubs."
Union: Players used as leverage
FIFPRO, the global union for football players, have joined the swell of criticism of the breakaway plans.
"Players continue to be used as assets and leverage in these negotiations. This is unacceptable for FIFPRO, our 64 national player associations and the 60,000 players we represent. We will vigorously oppose measures by either side that would impede the rights of players, such as exclusion from their national teams," a statement on the organization's website said.
FIFA have not yet said players at the breakaway clubs will not be allowed to play for their countries, but it is one of multiple potential scenarios.
Players and coaches have their say
Still no official word from Bayern Munich, but their head coach Hansi Flick was asked about the breakaway in his press conference.
"I currently have other topics that concern me. I don't know all the details, but I can only stand behind the club and Borussia Dortmund. It's not good for football," said Flick, who wants to leave Bayern at the end of the season.
Players plying their trade away from the breakaway clubs have also started to express their views, with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Ander Herrera echoing the thoughts of many fans.
"I love football and cannot remain silent about this. I believe in an improved Champions League, but not in the rich stealing what the people created, which is nothing other than the most beautiful sport on the planet," the Spanish midfielder tweeted.
Former Germany international Mesut Özil struck a similar note.
Legal challenges ahead?
News agency PA are reporting that the ESL have sent a letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin, suggesting it is also prepared to take legal action.
"We are concerned that FIFA and UEFA may respond to this invitation letter by seeking to take punitive measures to exclude any participating club or player from their respective competitions," the letter reportedly read.
Elsewhere, Germany's
Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper suggested that a mostly closed Super League could violate European Union laws which protect the current format of football, a suggestion backed by Porto (see below).
Porto rejected invite
Porto president Pinto da Costa has confirmed the Portuguese champions rejected an approach from the European Super League.
"There were informal contacts from some clubs, but we didn't pay much attention for two reasons. The first is that the European Union does not allow a closed circuit of events like in the NBA, for example," he said.
"As the Portuguese Football Federation is against this, and as part of UEFA, we cannot participate in anything that is against the principles and rules of the European Union and UEFA."
The 2004 Champions League winners had been touted in some quarters as one of the three clubs the new competition said they would add.
German fan group join chorus of disapproval
Fan groups across Europe, particularly those of the 12 clubs involved, have been nearuniversal in their criticism of the Super League. And Unsere Kurve, a fan group representing German supporters across all clubs, have not held back in a recently released statement.
It says they accept the stances of the DFB and UEFA against the Super League proposals, but lament that it's all come too late.
"What we would have done to hear all these words much earlier. Enough is enough? That has been true for us for a long time! The Super League is only the tip of the iceberg. For far too long, the federations have stood by and watched the actions of some officials and European clubs," a statement on its website read.
"We say: Stop it now! The behavior of these clubs must finally be stopped! The associations must take immediate action to ensure fair competition with integrity," the statement continued. "Serious concepts for fundamental reforms in football have been presented by fans for months."
Unsere Kurve also called on UEFA to withdraw its Champions League reforms.
RB Leipzig also not involved
With German clubs intitially absent from the European Super League plans, the common assumption is that the two candidates would be Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Yet RB Leipzig are currently second in the Bundesliga, and reached the semifinal of last season's Champions League, while backers Red Bull are certainly not averse to marketing opportunities.
However, according to Sky Deutschland, RB Leipzig will not be part of the Super League.
UEFA vote through Champions League reforms from 2024
While the 12 breakaway clubs continue with their plans for a Super League outside of UEFA, European football's governing body has continued with its own plans to reform the Champions League.
At the meeting of the body's executive committee on Monday morning, it was confirmed that the competition will have a new format as of 2024, with the group stage replaced by a "Swiss model" league of 36 teams. Presumably without the breakaway Super League clubs.
According to Tariq Panja of The New York Times, Paris SaintGermain president Nasser alKhelaifi was among those who voted in favor.
Borussia Dortmund statement
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke released a statement on Monday morning, reiterating the position of the European Club Association (ECA) board on Sunday night:
"The members of the ECA board met virtually on Sunday night and agreed that the board decision of the previous Friday still stands," said Watzke. "The decision was that the clubs want to implement the the planned Champions League reforms. The members of the ECA board were of the clear opinion that they reject the plans to form a Super League."
He added: "The two German clubs on the ECA board, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, have been entirely of the same opinion in all discussions."
It should be noted that not all of the 12 breakaway clubs, which are also on the ECA board, attended Sunday night's meeting. Those that did reportedly remained silent.
The Super League
European football's governing body, UEFA, was plunged into crisis on Sunday after 12 clubs announced they were going to join a European Super League.
"Twelve of Europe’s leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its founding clubs," read a statement from the founding clubs: Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus
No German or French clubs have committed to take part at this stage, with reigning European champions Bayern Munich, current Champions League semifinalists Paris Saint-Germain and German giants Borussia Dortmund the surprise absentees from the list, although the statement added: "It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable."
The 12 founders stated that the economic crisis brought about by the pandemic was a reason behind the groundbreaking move, saying: "The formation of the Super League comes at a time when the global pandemic has accelerated the instability in the existing European football economic model.
"Further, for a number of years, the founding clubs have had the objective of improving the quality and intensity of existing European competitions throughout each season, and of creating a format for top clubs and players to compete on a regular basis."
The proposed league will be underwritten by debt financing from American bank JP Morgan, which helped facilitate the takeover of Manchester United by the Glazer family in 2005 — now one of the key drivers behing the Super League.
"Founding clubs will receive an amount of €3.5 billion [$4.2 billion] solely to support their infrastructure investment plans and to offset the impact of the COVID pandemic," read the statement. "The new annual tournament will provide significantly greater economic growth and support for European football."
'Cynical project'
The 12 breakaway clubs said that they "look forward to holding discussions with UEFA and FIFA to work together in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for the new League and for football as a whole." European and world governing bodies slammed the plans in a robust response, threatening to expel any team that joins a Super League from all competition.
"The clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams," a statement read.
That was followed by joint statement from UEFA, the Premier League, the English Football Association, La Liga and Serie A, which described the formation of a Super League as a "cynical project founded on the self-interest of a few clubs."
World governing body FIFA also expressed it's "disapproval" of the plans, saying in a statement: "Any football competition, whether national, regional or global, should always reflect the core principles of solidarity, inclusivity, integrity and equitable financial redistribution.
"Against this background, FIFA can only express its disapproval to a 'closed European breakaway league' outside of the international football structures and not respecting the aforementioned principles."
'DFL do not agree'
German clubs Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund were not among the 12 founder clubs, despite being invited. Although the two clubs have yet to comment, Christian Seifert, CEO of the German Football Association (DFL), reacted to the news via a statement, condemning the announcement as a threat to "destroy the structures of European football."
"The DFL do not agree with any concept of a Super League," Seifert wrote. "The economic interests of big clubs in England, Spain and Italy cannot destroy the structures that exist in the whole of European football.
"In particular, it would be irresponsible to irreparably damage the national leagues of European professional football in this way. I therefore support the joint decision of UEFA and the national leagues of England, Spain and Italy."
'Driven by greed'
Some of football's biggest names, supporter groups and even the British and French governments stated their opposition to the plans.
Former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, told Reuters that a super league would be "a move away from 70 years of European club football. Fans all over love the competition as it is, I'm not sure if Manchester United are involved in this, as I am not part of the decision making process."
"The closed shop competition will be the final nail in the coffin of European football, forsaking everything that has made it so popular and successful — sporting merit, promotion and relegation, qualification to UEFA competitions via domestic success, and financial solidarity," a statement by Football Supporters of Europe read.
"It's illegitimate, irresponsible, and anti-competitive by design [...] it is driven exclusively by greed."
British Culture Minister Oliver Dowden echoed the sentiment that any Super League creates a "closed shop" and takes the game further away from fans.
"Football supporters are the heartbeat of our national sport and any major decisions made should have their backing," the statement read. "With many fans, we are concerned that this plan could create a closed shop at the very top of our national game. Sustainability, integrity and fair competition are absolutely paramount and anything that undermines this is deeply troubling and damaging for football."
How will it work?
In their statement, the 12 founder clubs outlined the new format for their Super League, which they envisage will feature three more founder members (potentially Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain) plus five more teams, the criteria for which are yet to be confirmed.
The 20 teams will compete in two groups of 10, playing matches home and away, with the top three from each progressing to a knockout stage. The teams who finish fourth and fifth will compete to determine the final two teams in the quarterfinals.
The knockout stage will be a standard two-legged format with the final to be a single game at a neutral venue.
The founder members would like their competition to begin as early as August, with games taking place mid-week. For clarity: These clubs would leave the Champions League, but they do still wish to compete in their national leagues — a situation which is now likely to lead to legal action.
And what about UEFA?
The news of the breakaway Super League came on Sunday night, just nine hours before UEFA's Executive Committee was due to meet to sign off on plans for equally controversial Champions League reforms, which would see the current group stage scrapped and replaced by a so-called "Swiss Model."
Plans by elite clubs for a Super League had long been considered a strategy to squeeze further favorable concessions out of UEFA in the Champions League.
Whether UEFA still goes ahead with its reforms given that 12 of its top clubs have broken away, remains to be seen.