Drama of ESL farce is coming soon to TV

THE wounds from this year’s controversial European Super League coup are set to be reopened amid plans to release a multi-part Netflix-style documentary on the 48 hours that rocked football. sportsmail has learned a number of the industry’s most prominent documentarymakers have started early investigations into filming visual accounts of the breakaway league that sent shockwaves through the sport in April. The relevant governing bodies — including UEFA and FIFA — are understood to have been contacted with a view to obtaining key interviews with the leading figures behind the rise and fall of the ESL debacle. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who was deeply critical of the plot, is understood to have been approached by at least one production company, with the Football Association and the Premier League also likely to have been contacted. FIFA president Gianni Infantino is an interview target, as is Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli — who was one of the ESL’s key leaders. However, there is significant doubt over whether the main protagonists of the attempted defection, namely the founding clubs — which included Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham — would be willing to participate given the huge criticism they received. The lack of co-operation from those at the heart of the ESL launch would provide a key stumbling block towards the necessity for balance within the documentaries. Acclaimed production firm Fulwell 73 have been commissioned by Sky to create a one-off 90 minute documentary depicting the rise and rapid fall of the ESL. However, sportsmail has learned that at least one firm are looking into producing a multi-part documentary, the sort that have become hugely popular on outlets such as Netflix and Amazon in recent years. The ESL effort created a huge backlash against the clubs and the owners involved. The breakaway scheme lasted barely two days as the majority of clubs withdrew due to a massive public backlash. And it emerged yesterday that more than half of European Union members have now formally opposed the contentious project at the European Court of Justice. Of the 27 countries, 16 have filed written submissions against the ESL to the court in Luxembourg this week. The court has been asked by a judge in Madrid to examine if UEFA and FIFA have a monopoly control of world football.