English football’s Big Six to declare plan to join European Super League TONIGHT

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The big six of English football have signed letters of intent to join a new European Super League, which will be announced at 9.30pm on Sunday night.

Manchester City were the last to agree, on Saturday, joining Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham in the breakaway, which will spell the end of competition in domestic and European football as we know it.

UEFA were strong in response, revealing in a statement that they will take legal action if the ‘cynical project’ for a Super League goes ahead.  

The new league represents the American takeover of elite European football, which will become a closed shop run by its founder members. It is bankrolled by US banking giant JP Morgan and is the brainchild of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and the American owners of three leading English clubs. 

It is believed Perez will hold the chairman’s role in the new league’s structure, with Liverpool’s John W. Henry, Joel Glazer of Manchester United and Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke as vice-chairmen. 

Andrea Agnelli, chairman of Juventus, and believed until now to be an ally of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin will occupy the fourth vice-chairman role. 

Ceferin is understood to be furious at Agnelli’s betrayal, the news of which comes less than 24 hours before UEFA’s own proposals for a revamped Champions League.

The plan is for the Super League to evolve to roughly 15-18 teams, but the initial 12 signatories to the deal are the six English clubs, plus Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from Spain, and Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan from Italy. This leaves room for other major clubs, such as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, to be picked off with UEFA’s own competitions hopelessly devalued. 

The Premier League are aware of the agreement and have spent the weekend formulating their response. 

In a statement on Sunday, the Premier League condemned proposals that they feel ‘attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit’. 

‘Fans of any club in England and across Europe can currently dream that their team may climb to the top and play against the best,’ the statement continued. ‘We believe that the concept of a European Super League would destroy this dream.’ 

Former Manchester United full-back Gary Neville, speaking in commentary during their game against Burnley, called the news an ‘absolute scandal’.

After the match he ripped into the idea describing the idea ‘as pure greed’ and the owners of the English teams as ‘imposters’ with ‘nothing to do with football in this country.

He said: ‘I’m disgusted with Manchester United and Liverpool most. I mean with Liverpool they pretend ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ the people’s club. Manchester United, a 100 years born out of workers around here and they’re breaking away into a league without competition, that they can’t be relegated from? 

‘It’s an absolute disgrace and we have to wrestle back the power in this country from the clubs at the top of the league. It’s pure greed, they’re impostors. The fans need protecting. I benefitted from football hugely, I’ve made money from football and invest money into a club. 

Neville went on to add that the six clubs should be punished and that the owners are ‘disowning their clubs.

He said: ‘They’ve got no loyalty to this country and these leagues. Enough is enough. There isn’t a football fan in this country that shouldn’t be seething listening to this. This is disowning your own club stuff, this. I mean, seriously? 

‘How could you think to watch a super league when you’ve left the 14 clubs in the Premier League behind you? Your Championship clubs dead. Your EFL clubs dead, the National League, the pyramid system which we’ve fought for 150 years has gone because of six clubs?   

‘It’s absolutely embarrassing and it’s never going to happen. Let them break away but honestly punish them straight away. If they announce a letter of intent has been signed as six clubs they should be punished heavily. 

‘Massive fines, points deductions, takes the titles off them. Give the title to Burnley, let Fulham stay up and relegate Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

‘Yeah Chelsea and City new money in game come forward I’m not happy with them either, Tottenham I’m not that bothered about. Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal they should know better. The history and tradition that runs through those three clubs is absolutely enormous and I value it but they leave a lot to be desired at this moment in time.

‘Liverpool Football Club seriously. I don’t like them, they don’t like me. But I always thought they had integrity. But I always though that they had honesty, integrity, looked after their own. That’s gone forget that. If they sign that letter of intent they’re as bad as the rest of them.’

Manchester United’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson meanwhile said it would end ’70 years of football history’. 

‘Talk of a Super League is a move away from 70 years of European club football. Both as a player for a provincial team Dunfermline in the 60s and as a manager at Aberdeen winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup, for a small provincial club in Scotland it was like climbing Mount Everest,’ he told Reuters.

He added: ‘Everton are spending £500 million to build a new stadium with the ambition to play in Champions League. Fans all over love the competition as it is.

‘In my time at United, we played in four Champions League finals and they were always the most special of nights.

The six clubs are not intending to resign from domestic football, but need Premier League permission to join any new competitions. This could be the first sticking point because the Premier League board is unlikely to grant any request that weakens its own competitive value. 

It does not need to be put to a vote of the 20 clubs, but goes before the Premier League board comprising Gary Hoffman (chair), Richard Masters (chief executive) and Kevin Beeston (non-executive director). 

If they say no to the European Super League, as expected, the clubs will have to be break away from the Premier League entirely in order to join, putting in jeopardy their players’ participation in UEFA and FIFA competitions, such as the World Cup and European Championships.

Yet the Premier League no longer believe this to be more brinkmanship in the battle for control of Champions League monies and make-up. 

JP Morgan are believed to be debt financing the new league to the tune of £4.6billion, which is set against future broadcast revenue. 

A letter sent to clubs by Premier League chief executive Masters has warned those involved to ‘walk away…before irreparable damage is done’. 

It added that clubs would need Premier League permission to enter a new competition – and Masters wrote ‘I cannot envisage any scenario where such permission would be granted.’

‘Based on our understanding of the proposed European Super League concept it would sit outside the auspices of UEFA and the current European sporting pyramid, offering 15 founding members permanent access from as early as season 2022-23, rather than via the historic access principles of annual sporting merit,’ the letter read.

‘Such a European Super League would be deeply damaging to the European pyramid, and immediate and future prospects of the Premier League and its member clubs and all those in football who rely on our funding and solidarity to prosper.

‘We do not and cannot support such a concept. Premier League rules contain a commitment amongst clubs to remain within the football pyramid and forbid and clubs from entering competitions beyond those listed in Rule L9, without Premier League Board permission. 

‘I cannot envisage any scenario where such permission would be granted. It is the duty of the Premier League Board to defend the integrity and the prospects of the League as a whole, and we will have no choice but to do everything we can to protect and maintain both.

‘As previously evidenced, we would expect complete condemnation from all parts of the game, fans groups and the UK Government.

‘This venture cannot be launched without English clubs and we call upon any club contemplating associating themselves or joining this venture to walk away immediately before irreparable damage is done.’

There was also a strong response from the UK Government on Sunday evening, with Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden insisting that fans should have been consulted.

In a statement, he wrote: ‘Football supporters are the heartbeat of our national sport and any major decisions made should have their backing.

‘With many fans, we are concerned that this plan could create a closed shop at the very top of our national game. Sustainability, integrity and fair competition are absolutely paramount and anything that undermines this is deeply troubling and damaging for football.

‘We have a football pyramid where funds from the globally successful Premier League flow down the leagues and into local communities. I would be bitterly disappointed to see any action that destroys that.’

Fan groups were quick to come out and join the condemnation of the news that the Big Six are keen to join. 

The Football Supporters’ Association described the European Super League as a project motivated ‘by nothing but cynical greed’. 

‘This competition is being created behind our backs by billionaire club owners who have zero regard for the game’s traditions and continue to treat football as their personal fiefdom,’ the FSA statement read.

‘The FSA, and no doubt supporters across the continent, will continue to fight against its creation.’

FansEurope added in their own statement that the Super League ‘is illegitimate, irresponsible, and anti-competitive by design.’