The European Football League, known as Superliga, collapsed just 48 hours after dozens of elite teams on the continent sparked a series of protests by authorities, politicians and sports fans with their controversial plan.
At the last minute, all six participating English clubs withdrew from the project, along with Manchester United say He “Listen carefully to the reaction of our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders.”
It was Manchester City first To leave, as a person familiar with the matter said Chelsea would withdraw amid protests by fans at London’s stadium. It was followed by Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
The departure of half of the teams practically led to the collapse of the Premier League plan, which was to be led by Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, after a torrent of opponents inside and outside the world of football. In an effort to salvage his proposal, the executives behind them are holding some crisis talks, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
The planned getaway started battle With the governing body of UEFA and the national championships, which led to the intervention of leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. While this appears to be a plan to diminish the notoriety of the prestigious European competition, the Champions League, the battle is also about control of a sport whose finances have been hit by the pandemic, not forgetting that the biggest clubs want more money.
Initially, six teams from England, three from Italy and three from Spain participated in the proposal for a new tournament to start in August. They all have a wide fanbase, but also have significant debt, and are looking to capitalize on the broadcast rights and boost revenue after a year of playing in empty stadiums.
UEFA has described the new league as “cynical” and is pushing for plans for a revamped version of the UEFA Champions League. On Monday, the organization was exploring a € 6 billion funding proposal from a UK asset manager to fund and respond to the Premier League.
However, it may be the growing anger that has prompted some clubs to rethink it. “We don’t like it and we don’t want it to happen,” Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said on Twitter. There were also riots between prominent players and coaches from other clubs.
In Chelsea, owned by Roman Abramovich, hundreds of fans gathered for Tuesday night’s match to protest, chanting “We want Chelsea back.” The match was delayed by 15 minutes due to the failure of the team bus to bypass the demonstrators.
Meanwhile, at Manchester United, the club announced that its vice president, Ed Woodward, would be resigning. Woodward, who has served as a springboard for the club’s discontentment in recent years, has been a major supporter of the Premier League. The statement was followed by a statement saying the club had withdrawn.
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