SUPER LEAGUE CRUMBLES
Furious fans pile pressure on breakaways Man City and Chelsea set to withdraw Man Utd chief quits as dream project flops
THE European Super League folded like a house of cards last night as fan power brought the hated breakaway tournament to its knees.
On a day of incredible drama, Chelsea and Manchester City jumped ship and Ed Woodward – one of the main drivers of the project – quit as Manchester United executive vice-chairman over the collapse of the £4.6billion project.
And Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish
urged Liverpool to withdraw. United chief Woodward will remain in his role at Old Trafford until the end of the year, despite tendering his resignation.
It is understood Woodward was due to step down at the end of the season but the announcement of his departure was brought forward due to potential leaks, although the timing suggests it was heavily linked to the ESL venture.
Chelsea were set to confirm their intention to withdraw late last night, with Man City to follow, as the grandiose plan folded – less than 48 hours after it was launched.
The rest of the 12-club breakaway cartel, including United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Barcelona and Real Madrid are all expected to follow Chelsea and City by quitting the ESL.
All 12 were last night involved in a hastily-convened conference call over how to best announce their ESL exit strategy. None anticipated the scale of the backlash that followed their announcement and the fury it generated among supporters worldwide.
Players from the six Premier League clubs who signed up to the ESL were also vehemently opposed to the move and made their feelings clear to chief executives.
United skipper Harry Maguire is understood to have made clear the squad’s disapproval to Woodward. City star Kevin De Bruyne tweeted: “Maybe this is a good moment for everyone to come together and try to work for a solution.”
Liverpool director Dalglish tweeted: “The last few days have been difficult for everyone who loves Liverpool and I really hope we do the right thing.”
Anfield captain Jordan Henderson echoed Dalglish in a statement on behalf of the Reds players. He said: “We don’t like it and we don’t want it to happen. This is our collective position.”
Roman Abramovich made Chelsea the first club to pull out after being rocked by the ferocious global backlash to the plan.
Hundreds of angry Blues fans massed at the gates outside Stamford Bridge to vent their fury for over two hours ahead of their last night’s Premier League game against Brighton. Police lined the streets to maintain order.
It is believed Chelsea players had already voiced their opposition following the threat from UEFA president Alexander Ceferin that they would be banned from this summer’s Euros.
Ceferin welcomed the withdrawal of City. He said: “I am delighted to welcome Manchester City back to the European football family.
“They have shown great intelligence in listening to the many voices – most notably their loyal supporters.”