Come to your senses, UEFA president urges ‘Big Six’ bosses

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin urged England’s so-called ‘Big Six’ to “come to their senses” as Boris Johnson told the football authorities that no action by the Government “is off the table” in seeking to stop the Super League.

The six are within a group of 12 European heavyweights who are founder members of the new competition, threatening to fundamentally alter the shape of football on the Continent. They have faced criticism from within the Premier League, with Everton and Brighton speaking out yesterday against the plans. The other 14 English top-flight sides also met to discuss a way forward following the weekend’s developments.

There are reports that some executives at the breakaway clubs are getting cold feet after 48 hours of almost unanimous criticism, and

Ceferin warned: “Gentlemen, you made a huge mistake.

“What matters is that there is still time to change your mind. Everyone makes mistakes.

“Come to your senses, not out of love for football, because I imagine some of you don’t have much of that, but out of respect for those who bleed themselves dry so that they can go to the stadium to support the team and want the dream to be kept alive.” Ceferin was addressing the 45th UEFA Congress in Montreux, and was preceded on the stage by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

He did not explicitly threaten to ban players at European Super League clubs from future World Cups, but did say to the clubs involved: “If some elect to go their own way then they must live with the consequences of their choice. They are responsible for their choice.”