Rebels defiant in face of Uefa ‘threats’

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus defend ill-fated Super League project

European giants Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus yesterday defended the aborted Super League project after the nine other clubs involved agreed to a financial penalty by Uefa.

The three clubs said they had received “unacceptable” threats from Uefa and Fifa since the project collapsed just two days after it was announced last month, when six English Premier League clubs and three other teams pulled out.

In a joint statement, Real, Barcelona and Juventus said the Super League had been launched “with the aim of providing solutions to the current unsustainable situation in the football industry”.

They argued that they and the nine clubs who withdrew under pressure amid protests by fans – Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and AC Milan – “shared the same concerns ... that structural reforms are indispensable to ensure our sport stays appealing and survives in the long term”.

Those nine clubs have agreed to forego 5 per cent of their revenue from Uefa competitions for one season and between them make a €15 million (HK$141.7 million) donation for grass-roots and youth football in Europe.

They also committed to take part in Uefa competitions for which they qualify and agreed to pay fines of €100 million if they ever seek to play in an “unauthorised” competition.

Real, Barcelona and Juventus said: “We regret to see that our friends and founding partners of the Super League project have now found themselves in such an inconsistent and contradictory position when signing a number of commitments to Uefa.”

Uefa said it would take “appropriate action” against the three clubs who still support the Super League project. The clubs responded that “the founding clubs have suffered, and continue to suffer, unacceptable third-party pressures [and] threats”.

The remaining trio are at risk of being banned from the Champions League for not renouncing the breakaway. They will be referred to Uefa disciplinary bodies for sanctions.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said: “The measures announced [for the nine other clubs] are significant, but none of the financial penalties will be retained by Uefa. They will all be reinvested into youth and grassroots football in local communities across Europe, including the UK. These clubs recognised their mistakes quickly and have taken action to demonstrate their contrition and future commitment to European football.

“The same cannot be said for the clubs that remain involved in the so-called ‘Super League’.”

The 12 clubs were dubbed the “dirty dozen” by Ceferin in a heated period when he fought to prevent the clubs launching a competition that would lock in 15 places for teams for more than two decades, rather than having to qualify through annual domestic league placings as is required for the Champions League.

The nine clubs to sign up to Uefa’s “club commitment declaration” will rejoin the European Club Association.