Scotland players with Super League clubs may miss the Euros
President Aleksandr Ceferin’s threat to ban all Super League players from Uefa competitions as soon as possible creates a nightmare scenario for Steve Clarke and Scotland.
If the threat comes to pass, it may mean Scotland could go into the European Championships this summer without their top players – Andy Robertson of Liverpool, Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney and Scott Mctominay of Manchester United. Under the president’s declaration, the trio’s participation at the longawaited football extravaganza – the first time Scotland have returned to a major tournament in more than a generation – could be under threat due to their club affiliations. Liverpool, Arsenal and United are among England’s ‘big six’ to have pledged participation in the new Super League.
Uefa responded in the strongest possible terms to the plans for a breakaway league, led by three Serie A clubs in Italy, another three from Spain’s
La Liga and six from England which was announced on Sunday evening.
Ceferin described the project as “disgraceful” yesterday and warned players involved “should be banned from Uefa competitions as soon as possible”.
A joint statement including Uefa and the English, Italian and Spanish leagues published on Sunday said it would consider "all measures, both judicial and sporting" to prevent the competition going ahead and could include attempts to bar the competing clubs from domestic leagues and players from Uefa's international competitions too.
Ceferin hit out at the Super League plans and said: “I cannot stress more strongly, Uefa and the football world are united against this disgraceful, self serving from a select few clubs in Europe, fuelled by greed and nothing else.
"It is not just football, societies and governments across Europe are united, we are all united against this nonsense of a project.
"We have English, Spanish and Italian federations, Fifa, all 55 member associations unanimous in opposition against these cynical plans. Our sport has become greatest based on sporting merit and we cannot allow that to change.”