The European Super League fell apart before it ever even started. As news came to light of 12 of Europe’s most dominant football clubs were joining this new, midweek league, the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) spoke out on the dissatisfaction of the emerging league and how it will affect long-time fans of Europe’s most popular sport.
What is the Super League?
For those who aren’t avid soccer fans or just don’t keep up with trending sports news, this new addition to the world of soccer may sound confusing. The Super League sounds like something out of a Marvel movie, and although the men in this league may seem like superheroes, the newly-introduced league is a bit more casual.
The league would allow their players to still hold their position in their parent club’s league but allow them to compete in midweek matchups against other players in some of the leagues’ biggest teams. The goal of the Super League was to better stabilize European football’s economic model and allow “top players and clubs to compete on a regular basis,” as stated in the league’s press release.
Who is involved?
Twelve teams were recognized as the founding members. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus are all recognized as founding members of the Super League. However, 10 of the 12 teams have since pulled out of the league, leaving just Real Madrid and Barcelona remaining, due to rising controversy surrounding the initiation.
Why the controversy?
The Super League was publicly opposed by FIFA and UEFA, the two governing bodies for international soccer, from the initial introduction. Danish FIFA chairholder and UEFA member Jesper Møller said that the semifinalists who are also involved in the Super League will be disqualified from the season’s competition. FIFA president Gianni Infantino warned the clubs of their involvement in the Super League, that the clubs could not do both leagues.
The very public backlash probed the British government to rethink ownership rights and introduce the 50-plus-one rule from Germany, which would allow fans a 51 percent stake in their clubs. This sparked even more outrage from supporters who thought the traditional values of the sports would be tainted and soon diminished. The English Premier League’s 14 teams who did not join the Super League held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to reject any cooperation with the competitive league.
What happens now?
It seems as though the Super League is crumbling before the players ever took the field. The league is still fighting for their inaugural season, despite 10 teams pulling out, blaming the backlash and pressure put on the English clubs for them pulling back and retracting their involvement. The Super League released a statement, saying “Given the certain circumstances, we shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project, always having in mind the goals of offering fans the best experience possible while enhancing solidarity payments for the entire football community.” Juventus and AC Milan, although having pulled out of the Super League, have commented that there is still a future for the Super League.
Stay tuned for more updates on the European Super League and other international football stories!
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