Super League leaves football shaken, stirred
Twelve elite European clubs on Monday announced that they would form a new tournament, named the Super League, to be administered by founding members in a move that would see them break away from the UEFA-run Champions League, which announced a new format from 2024.
UEFA said the new format for the Champions League will increase the number of clubs in the group stage from 32 to 36. The new format —which will see all 36 clubs brought together into one pool instead of the current four-team groups—was approved at an executive committee meeting.
The Super League move, however, prompted furious reactions from UEFA, national football associations, fans and politicians.
The founding clubs said the inaugural edition of the Super League will take place “as soon as practicable” and that a women’s version of the competition will follow. The move is expected to trigger a bitter legal battle between the clubs and football authorities.
What happened?
Twelve heavyweights from England, Spain and Italy have agreed to establish a new competition, the Super League, governed by its founding clubs. This challenges the supremacy of Europe’s top club competition, the UEFA-run Champions League. The clubs involved are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus. Three more teams are expected to join as founding clubs.
What’s the format?
The founding clubs are guaranteed participation each year, with another five qualifying annually, making it a 20-team competition. Games will be midweek, ruling teams out of the Champions League but leaving them free for domestic fixtures. It will feature two groups of 10 playing home and away, and the top three qualifying for the quarter-finals.
The fourth and fifth-placed teams will play off for the remaining quarter-final spots. The quarter and semi-finals will be played over two legs and the final is a single game at a neutral venue. There are also plans for a women’s version.
What’s behind all this?
Money. Europe’s top clubs have long agitated for the income that is guaranteed, annual competition against their fellow powers would bring. The Super League will bring them far more than the Champions League.
The founding clubs are expected to receive more than 10 billion euros in uncapped “solidarity payments” during their initial commitment period. They will also receive 3.5 billion euros for infrastructure investment and to offset their losses from the pandemic. By comparison, UEFA competitions generated 3.2 billion euros in TV earnings in the pre-pandemic 2018-2019 season.
How have the authorities reacted?
The condemnation was widespread and swift. European football’s governing body UEFA and English, Spanish and Italian football authorities issued a joint statement threatening to ban participating clubs from “any other competition at domestic, European or world level”.
Players could even be barred from their national teams, they said. World body FIFA said it “can only express its disapproval” about a competition “outside of the international football structures”.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the plans “would strike at the heart of the domestic game”.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised French clubs for not taking part.