The entire football world has been rocked by the shocking news that 12 of the biggest football clubs in Europe are planning to form a breakaway league known as the European Super League.
This radical new plan is a major development that has the potential to fundamentally change the very structure of European club football as we know it.
This is just the start of one of the biggest stories in football for some time, and there are a lot of things to unpack. So read on below to get a detailed breakdown of everything you need to know about the ESL and what it could mean for the future of football.
What is the European Super League?
The European Super League or ESL is the proposed breakaway league of some of the biggest clubs in the world. It is essentially their idealised version of the UEFA Champions League.
It is similar to the Champions League in a sense that the top clubs in Europe will face off against each other on a regular basis. However, there will be significantly fewer teams, among other major differences that will be discussed later.
The league would feature just 20 clubs: 15 permanent members who no longer need to qualify and will never face relegation and five other clubs who would qualify every year.
Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid, will serve as the first chairman of the Super League, while Juventus’ Andrea Agnelli and Manchester United’s Joel Glazer will be vice-chairs.
Which clubs are/aren’t part of the Super League?
As of now, there are 12 ‘founding clubs’ of the Super League: the ‘Big 6’ clubs in England (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur), and three clubs each from Spain (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid) and Italy (AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus). These are the permanent members who are free from relegation.
The other three permanent members are yet to be determined. The two big German clubs – Bayern Munich (who the European Super League 2021 odds would’ve had as one of the favourites if they had the tournament this year) and Borussia Dortmund – have both rejected joining the ESL. French giants Paris Saint-German are also not part of the group.
How would the Super League work?
According to the proposal, the ESL would start in August of each year. The 20-team league would be split into two groups of 10 teams, who will play each other home and away.
The fixtures will be played every midweek while the clubs compete in their respective domestic competitions.
The top three in each group would qualify for the quarter-finals, while the teams in fourth and fifth will play a two-legged play-off for the two remaining spots.
The knockout rounds would follow the same two-leg format used in the Champions League, with the final to be played in a neutral venue.
Why do the clubs want a Super League?
“So if there’s already a Champions League, why have this European Super League?”, you might be asking. As stated above, this Super League is more or less the version of the Champions League these big clubs want.
With UEFA no longer governing the competition, these clubs can set their own rules which significantly benefit them, such as permanent membership and immunity from relegation.
And of course, money is also a huge factor. Under this system, they can grab a larger share of the revenue compared to what they have received in the Champions League.
The promise of making more money is made even more important after the pandemic hit many of these clubs hard financially.
What are the reactions to the Super League?
As of this writing, the ESL has received overwhelmingly negative reactions across the board.
FIFA, UEFA, and the governing bodies of the various European countries and top leagues have all released statements condemning this move.
Several players, coaches such as Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, and pundits like former Manchester United player Gary Neville have also come out and expressed their disapproval of the proposal.
Among the main points of ESL dissenters is the fact that there is no relegation from this league, which goes against the spirit of competition and the established culture of European football. Moreover, they have admonished the club owners’ greed fueling this decision to put money ahead of the game.
What’s next for the Super League?
It’s much too early to know for sure whether the ESL will actually push through. UEFA have strongly opposed the plan, threatening to ban the participating clubs from domestic and European competitions.
That punishment could potentially come as early as this season. Three of the Champions League semi-finalists – Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Manchester City – and two Europa League semi-finalists – Arsenal and Manchester United – are ESL members.
UEFA and FIFA have also threatened to ban players of Super League clubs from participating in major international tournaments like the World Cup and the Euros to put pressure on the ESL.
It remains to be seen whether these threats will deter the ESL from moving forward. There could also be some protracted legal battles on the horizon. Regardless, stay tuned to SBOTOP for more European Super League 2021 updates in the coming weeks and months.
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