Top European clubs have reached an agreement in principle about setting up the Super League, reports The New York Times. According to the newspaper, a group of top clubs led by Juventus, Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid have agreed on the structure of the new European competition. The initiative directly contradicts the plans that UEFA wants to present on Monday about the new format of the Champions League.
In recent months, clubs have been secretly talking about the Super League. At least twelve clubs have agreed or expressed interest in the arrival of the competition: it concerns six English clubs (Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur), three Spanish teams (Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético). Madrid) and three Italian teams (Juventus, AC Milan and Internazionale).
The group is also trying to get other clubs, such as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, to commit to the plans, but those clubs do not want to say goodbye to the current system. Paris Saint-Germain has also rejected invitations to join the group of top clubs for the time being. PSG Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi is also a delegate to the UEFA Executive Committee on behalf of the European Club Association, the body that represents European club teams.
Spokespersons for clubs involved in the plans do not want to respond to the alleged agreement in principle at this time. A spokesman for UEFA does not yet respond, but the European Football Association would take into account a statement from the clubs behind the scenes in the very short term. UEFA officials have held talks this weekend about options to block the plan. One of the options discussed is to exclude clubs that want to turn their backs on the traditional structure from next season in the Champions League.
The new tournament should start in 2022. In the competition, the best teams on the continent would compete against each other in their own tournament, separate from the ‘smaller clubs’. Although additional support is still being sought, a statement about the Super League may be published on Sunday. In this way, the clubs overshadow UEFA’s plans for the new Champions League format. The association wants to announce on Monday that the largest club competition in Europe now consists of 36 participants (against 32 now) and the current group phase with groups of four teams will disappear. This is exchanged for one ranking of all teams. A first phase is then played between September and January, in which each participant is assigned ten opponents per draw.