Atletico, Barca and Juve CL exits highlight further ESL embarrassment

Barcelona, Atletico and Juventus were all architects of the doomed European Super League but now can’t even get to the Champions League last-16… it’s more embarrassment for three clubs going backwards on-and-off the pitch

• Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus are all out of the Champions League
• Barcelona have dropped down to the Europa League after Inter Milan beat Plzen
• Juventus and Atletico are both in danger of finishing bottom of their groups
• The trio were part of the failed breakaway European Super League last year
• However, Barca and Juve are still pushing for its revival – along with Real Madrid

What goes around, comes around.

There will be many smug faces around European football at the fact that Juventus, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have all been dumped out of this season’s Champions League.

The tainted trio embarrassingly exited Europe’s elite club competition at the ignominy of the group stages this week – outcomes that do nothing for their continental prestige.

Barcelona players cut forlorn figures after being dumped out of the Champions League

On Wednesday night, Atletico Madrid also bowed out of the competition at the group stages

On Tuesday night, Juventus also were eliminated from qualifying for the knockout stages

Barcelona have been crowned European champions five times, Juventus twice and Atletico Madrid have been runners-up in dramatic fashion twice too.

Yet for them, the Europa League beckons – and that’s only guaranteed for Barcelona currently.

A competition deemed beneath them, for the majority of European clubs it is ironic that Barcelona will now be desperate to win Europe’s second-tier prize – while Juventus and Atletico will be eager to join them too by simply qualifying for it.

It may have been 18 months ago, but those who care deeply about football will never forget the bombshell revelation that threatened to destroy the sport forever.

April 18, 2021. That Sunday evening, football was left in a state of shock when 12 of Europe’s elite clubs announced that they had agreed to join a new European Super League.

Atletico, Barca, Juve were one quarter of that alongside AC Milan, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and the English sextuplet made up of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham.

In a statement, the ESL said: ‘Going forward, the founding clubs look forward to holding discussions with UEFA and FIFA to work together in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for the new league and for football as a whole.’

UEFA had hoped the plans for a new 36-team Champions League would head off the formation of a Super League.

Barcelona are five-time European champions but sought pastures new (pictured winning the Champions League in 2014-15 – their fifth and final triumph to date)

However, the 12 sides involved in the Super League did not think the reforms went far enough and cited that the global pandemic had ‘accelerated the instability in the existing European football economic model’.

‘In recent months, extensive dialogue has taken place with football stakeholders regarding the future format of European competitions,’ they continued.

‘The founding clubs believe the solutions proposed following these talks do not solve fundamental issues, including the need to provide higher-quality matches and additional financial resources for the overall football pyramid.’

The breakaway league was widely condemned – with UEFA fiercely opposed to their structure being torn apart.

After three days of posturing, more than half of the protagonists (the six English sides and Inter Milan) renegaded on their decision as their own supporters turned on the clubs in hostile protests.

The European Super League failed after English fans protested against the idea in April 2021

Twelve has now been reduced to three with Barca, Juve and Real Madrid all still pushing ahead with plans for it.

Atletico may have pulled out, but there is no irony lost that Barcelona, Juventus and Atletico – as well as ‘founding members’ Arsenal and Manchester United – are not in the Champions League for the knockout stages.

Last April’s shock proposal sparked the European Clubs’ Association (ECA), which represents Europe’s clubs, to hold an emergency meeting.

Chaired by Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar, the Dutch giants were represented alongside the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

At the time, then-Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said his club were opposed to the plans: ‘I don’t think the Super League will solve the European clubs’ financial problems caused by coronavirus.

‘Rather, all clubs in Europe should work in solidarity to ensure that the cost structure, in particular the players’ salaries and the fees for the consultants, are adjusted in order to make European football more rational.’

Barcelona and Real Madrid, along with Juventus, are still pushing ahead to create a new ESL 

That solidarity is broken and Atletico, Barcelona and Juventus’ woe will unify many clubs, who bristle at their arrogance and greed.

On Wednesday, the Italian papers were scathing of their fallen giant. ‘Juve in Hell,’ read the headline on the front of Corriere dello Sport, while Tuttosport asked, ‘Who will pay the damages?’

It is the first time in nine years that Juventus have crashed out at the group stage and the financial implications haven’t been lost on this most devastating of setbacks.

‘At least €25million (£21.7m) in missed revenue provoked by a squad and coach who earn €175m (£152m) per season,’ the front page bemoaned after a 4-3 defeat at Benfica which consigned their fate.

‘Embarrassing defensive errors, again lack of intensity and precision.’

Italy’s papers on Wednesday ripped into Juventus as they crashed out of Champions League

 It is the first time in nine years that Juventus have failed to escape from the group stage

Twenty four hours later and the Spanish media were equally as damning about Barcelona and Atletico’s demises.

Barcelona learned of their fate before they even took to the pitch after watching Inter Milan thrash Viktoria Plzen 4-0 in the early kick-off in their group on Wednesday, and they then went on to lose 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, Atletico still had faint hopes of qualifying from Group B, but were held to a 2-2 draw by Bayer Leverkusen, with Yannick Carrasco missing an injury-time penalty that would have kept them in the hunt for a top-two finish.

Spanish outlet AS went with ‘Night of terror’ on their front page, as they described a major low for the two LaLiga giants alongside a picture of Carrasco looking distraught after his spot-kick was saved.

Sport did not hesitate to criticise Barcelona and Atletico either, leading with ‘consummate failure’, and plumping for a photo of Barcelona players looking deflated.

On Thursday, the Spanish publications tore into Atletico and Barca after their European exits

Barcelona have now failed to make it past the group stage in both of the last two seasons, and they were comfortably swept aside by Bayern at the Nou Camp.

And no one is implicated as badly as the Blaugrana. The cash-strapped Catalans played roulette with their financial future by banking on at least reaching the quarter-finals of the competition.

They rolled the dice and it landed on red: what their finances are likely to be in unless they win the ‘second-rate’ Europa League.

It truly is their worst-case scenario. Having spent £130m this summer, nobody envisaged that they would be demoted to this competition – and before October is out too. Early elimination will cost the club at least the £8.4m given to teams that reach the last 16. As Sportsmail has detailed, they had budgeted for at least a quarter-final place and failing to make it to that stage has cost them a further £9.3m – meaning there is a £17.7m shortfall in prize money for their pending accounts.

Being crowned Europa League champions will see them recoup £13m, but they failed to achieve that last season and the calibre of the teams in this campaign’s competition means it won’t be a foregone conclusion either.

Barcelona manager Xavi knows his side now face a minimum expected shortfall of £17.7million

So it is no surprise that Barcelona and Juventus are still imploring for a European Super League. Having received backing by JP Morgan, a payment of between €200m (£174m) and €300m (£261m) was due to be made to each participating side – a windfall that would have severely aided a financially mismanaged club such as Barca.

Despite those initial proposals being dead in the water, they’re still persisting with plans – this time with no permanent membership and with the aim of it being and up and running by the 2024-25 season. The idea will be deemed preposterous by many: as if those clubs live a warped vortex, oblivious to the majority opposed to their visions.

‘Yes, there has been an important reassessment and the concept is spreading out about openness and taking the permanent membership off the table,’ said Bernd Reichart earlier this month – who has been hired by A22 Sports Management, which was formed to sponsor and assist in the creation of the original breakaway league.

‘I can say the three clubs have credibly reassessed and taken some learnings from the first approach. I believe there is no reason not to engage in an open dialogue but we shall see.

‘I am aware of what the English clubs stated a year and a half ago but I hope the whole football community is appreciating the approach to continue to care and try to come up with solutions.

Bernd Reichart says the new proposed ESL will have no permanent membership, unlike before

‘Initially the dialogue can work without them (English clubs). I will talk to clubs in other countries but this is not an exclusive initiative at all, it is an inclusive initiative.

‘Of course the situation of the English clubs and the Premier League is a strong example of how attractive a club-run competition could actually look like and what difference it makes if you have the best playing each other week after week in a way.

‘I would love to have their point of view as well, let’s see. Let’s kick it off today.’

They can try and kick it off but there is no sign that the ball will roll.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is still hellbent on a European Super League forming

Barcelona’s greatest-ever player Lionel Messi never played in the Europa League during his 17 years at Barcelona. Since leaving for PSG in August 2021, his old side have dropped to it.

Meanwhile, for Juventus their recent European history will bring a wry smile to the faces of their opponents.

The Old Lady have been knocked out of the Champions League in five-straight seasons by clubs overlooked for the European Super League with Ajax (2018-19, quarter-finals), Lyon (2019-20, last 16), Porto (2020-21, last 16), Villarreal (2021-22, last 16) and now Benfica (this season, group stages) putting them to the sword.

For Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and other proprietors of the European Super League, many will say to them: karma is a b****.

Many rivals clubs will be happy to see Andrea Agnelli glum-faced after Juventus’ latest demise

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