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The UK government has said it will do "whatever it takes" to prevent a controversial breakaway European Super League involving some of England's biggest football teams.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that they were working with the game's authorities to ensure that the plans could not go ahead as suggested.
The warning came as the Duke of Cambridge signalled his dismay at the proposed breakaway, saying he shared the concerns of fans about "the damage it risks causing to the game we love".
William, who is the current president of the Football Association, tweeted: "Now, more than ever, we must protect the entire football community – from the top level to the grassroots – and the values of competition and fairness at its core."
In his House of Commons statement, Mr Dowden said that if the sport was unable to act, then ministers were prepared to step in to protect the national game. "Be in no doubt, if they can't act, we will. We will put everything on the table to prevent this from happening," he said.
"We are examining every option from governance to competition law to mechanisms that allow football to take place.
"We will be reviewing everything government does to support these clubs to play. We will do whatever it takes to protect our national game."
His warning follows the announcement that Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City have signed up to the plan, joining teams from Italy and Spain, provoking outrage across the sport.
Earlier, Boris Johnson said the breakaway plans were not "good news for fans" or for UK football.
"I don't like the look of these proposals," he told reporters on a campaign visit to Gloucestershire. "We are going to look at everything that we can do with the football authorities to make sure that this doesn't go ahead in the way that it's currently being proposed."
He said the teams are more than just "great global brands", adding: "They're clubs that have originated f rom their towns, from their cities, from their local communities. They should have a link with those fans in their community.
"So it is very, very important that that continues to be the case."
In his statement Mr Dowden said the government was now bringing forward its promised fan-led review of football, to be chaired by former sports minister Tracey Crouch.
He said the "root and branch" examination would cover the financial sustainability of both the men's and women's games, governance and regulation, and the merits of an independent regulator.
"Crucially in the light of this weekend's proposal it will also consider how fans can have an even greater say in the oversight of the game and models which might best achieve that," he said.
Earlier Downing Street said ministers were looking at a "range of options", with a German-style system of fan ownership of clubs and clawing back coronavirus support loans included as possibilities.