European Super League explained: What is the proposal? Is it possible?
European Super League Q&A: A new 80-club, multi-division format has been proposed as the battle against UEFA reignites… but what exactly are the plans? Who is leading the charge? Why now? And what impact could it have on domestic and European football?
- A new proposal for a European Super League was revealed on Thursday morning
- Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus are still waging a legal battle with UEFA
- Sportsmail answers the questions on a move that could alter European football
Following the disastrous launch of the Super League project in April 2021, a revised proposal which could reshape the future of European football was revealed on Thursday morning.
Gone is the idea of a mega-rich powerhouse of a division – with no possible promotions or relegations to and from the league – with an 80-team format sitting outside of domestic football now in the works.
The proposal offers a breakaway from the existing Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League format, as rebel leaders Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus continue their fight against UEFA.
It comes amid growing concerns about the financial might of England’s Premier League, whose 20 clubs shelled out a combined £815million during the January window.
Below are all the key questions answered on a move that is threatening to drastically alter football across Europe.
New plans for a European Super League have been revealed after failed proposals in 2021
What are the new proposed plans and how are they different to the initial idea?
First, some context. The initial plans were launched in April 2021 and saw 12 European founding clubs pledge their support for a breakaway competition. Those plans were quickly silenced and ultimately put on the back burner after a quickfire and rather emphatic Premier League U-turn.
Six clubs from England – Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal – agreed to join the league, while Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan made up the remaining six places.
The 10 principles for a European Super League
- An open competition with several leagues based on sporting merit
- Clubs involved remain committed to national competitions
- Greater distribution of financial resources to improve competitiveness
- Health of players essential when deciding how many games played each year
- Transparent financial rules with European competitions governed by clubs, not third parties
- The aim is to create the best football competition in the world
- Improved fan experience is key
- Increased funding in women’s football to put it in spotlight alongside men’s format
- Significant increase in solidarity towards grassroots football
- Respect for EU laws and values
There was uproar, to say the least. The proposal was met by a fierce backlash and all six Premier League sides quickly withdrew from the £4.6billion scheme. The Super League admitted defeat and confirmed it would suspend the project, though while insisting the current football climate was unsustainable.
The fight, as was indicated at the time, was far from over. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus remain in a battle against UEFA – which we will touch on shortly – and the fear that the Premier League is becoming too powerful remains. ‘European football is on the brink of the abyss,’ as was written in Thursday’s proposal.
Now, rather than the initial 20-team format proposed, a new plan – the ‘Ten principles for a European football league’ – has been unveiled. The new competition would comprise of several divisions and involve between 60 and 80 teams with a minimum of 14 matches per club, per season.
Crucially, the idea of permanent members has been abandoned. Instead, there would be a promotion and relegation system between the divisions, with those in the competition getting there on merit.
There are no details yet on how the 60-80 teams would be organised and who would be selected. What has been outlined, though, is that ‘participating clubs should remain committed to their national competitions and tournaments.’
In other words, this would run alongside the existing domestic tournaments. A women’s competition is also in the plans.
Who has made the new proposal? And why now?
The latest development in the Super League saga has been spearheaded by A22 Sports Management, who made the announcement in various European newspapers on Thursday.
A22, for short, was formed to both sponsor and assist in the creation of the European Super League. The face of the company is CEO, Bernd Reichart, who has been an active voice throughout the entire process.
Reichart announced the latest plans following detailed conversations with clubs around the continent, insisting there is a shared belief that the very foundations of European football is under threat.
He believes European football is ‘at a tipping point’, with huge ‘imbalances’ emerging across the continent. He believes former giants of the game are now losing both relevance and the ability to compete.
Bernd Reichart, head of the company A22, is trying to revive the idea of a Super League
Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez (left) and Barcelona president Joan Laporta (right) were heavily involved in the Super League plans
The timing – both with a court trial verdict to come (which we’ll touch on shortly) and following the January transfer window – is not surprising. The new proposal comes amid concerns about the growing firepower of the Premier League, whose clubs certainly flexed their muscles in the January transfer window.
The total outlay by top-flight clubs in Spain, Italy, France and Germany combined came to just over a quarter of the Premier League.
Reichart believes the time for change is now, stating: ‘Last October we started an open process of dialogue on the future of European football. Since then we have spoken with almost 50 clubs and other players in the sector and the conclusion shared by almost all of them is that the foundation on which European football is built is seriously under threat. The time has come to make changes.
‘It is the clubs that bear the entrepreneurial risk in football. But when it comes to important decisions, they are too often forced to stand idly by from the sidelines as the sporting and financial foundations run under their hands.
‘Our talks have also made it clear that it is often impossible for clubs to raise their voices publicly against a system that uses the threat of sanctions to prevent opposition.’
Can UEFA and FIFA block the new league?
They’re certainly trying.
FIFA and UEFA insist for the controversial Super League project to take place, it should be subject to prior approval from the governing bodies.
It was only in December last year that the European Super League were dealt a huge blow, when a senior legal figure, Advocate General Athanasios Rantos, advised the European Court of Justice to rule that UEFA have not breached EU competition laws by maintaining that stance.
Rantos instead found that European Union competition law was compatible with the restrictions UEFA and FIFA asserted over football.
The European Super League was dealt a huge blow as a court backed UEFA over the league
A senior legal adviser to the European Court of Justice ruled that UEFA hadn’t breached EU law
UEFA, led by Aleksander Ceferin, are fighting the Super League rebels in a court case
A22 are in the midst of legally challenging this sentiment, arguing that UEFA and FIFA are abusing their position under EU competition law.
They also argue that the governing body’s threats to sanction players and clubs who participated in non UEFA-FIFA competitions, such as the Super League, was also against EU competition laws.
It should be noted that, while the ECJ judges are not bound to the advice, they generally follow recommendations like these.
The European Court of Justice is set to give a ruling later this year, which will ultimately prove instrumental to the future of European football.
What would happen to domestic football?
As stated, the teams joining the European Super League would not leave their domestic divisions to do so.
Rather, Reichart insists that domestic football remains the ‘foundation’ of football, with the increased funding for grassroots football a key point in the new proposal.
In the new competition, teams would be guaranteed a minimum of 14 games per season, one more than the current Champions League winner would play. Reichart believes this would provide ‘stability and predictability’ of revenue for those involved.
Domestic football across the continent would continue under the new Super League proposal
Reichart, again looking to improve the stability of clubs, also insists ‘club spending must be based solely on the funds generated and not on competitively distorting capital injections’.
While domestic football would be allowed to continue, it’s not yet clear who or how the teams would be picked for the new format. What we do know, though, is that it’s a real threat to the existing European tournaments.
Could Premier League clubs conceivably join?
At this point, that remains unclear. But what is certain is that there couldn’t be a European Super League without big clubs from the Premier League.
While the worldwide interest isn’t quite there in the Spanish, German, French and Italian leagues, the same can’t be said about the powerhouse that is the Premier League.
But, in a blow for the Super League, it will now be incredibly difficult for Premier League clubs to join it. The six sides who initially agreed to sign up to the new format eventually paid a collective ‘goodwill gesture’ of £22million.
The failed breakaway led to supporters of the Big Six clubs taking to the streets to protest
They also agreed to cough up a further £25m and to a 30-point deduction if they try to leave the league again.
Meanwhile, a section of the 2022-23 Premier League handbook – which all 20 club owners must agree to – reads: ‘We are collectively committed to the Premier League and recognise our responsibility to support it. We will not engage in the creation of new competition formats outside of the Premier League’s Rules.’
Whether the new format – which allows domestic football to continue – presents a different question for the Premier League remains to be seen.
The Premier League are yet to comment on the latest proposal.
What has been the reaction?
LaLiga quickly responded to the latest proposal for a new European Super League.
Spain’s top flight responded: ‘The Super League is a wolf disguised as grandma in the hope of tricking European football but its teeth are very big.’
Spanish League president Javier Tebas also tweeted: ‘Four divisions? Of course the top one for them. Government by the clubs? Of course only the big clubs.’
The tweet was accompanied by a cartoon depicting the Super League as the wolf and European Football as Red Riding Hood.
LaLiga and its president Javier Tebas slammed new proposals for a European Super League
Meanwhile, the Football Supporters’ Association’s chief executive, Kevin Miles, said: ‘The walking corpse that is the European Super League twitches again with all the self-awareness one associates with a zombie.
‘Their newest idea is to have an “open competition” rather than the closed shop they originally proposed that led to huge fan protests. Of course an open competition for Europe’s top clubs already exists – it’s called the Champions League.
‘They say “dialogue with fans and independent fan groups is essential” yet the European Zombie League marches on – willfully ignorant to the contempt supporters across the continent have for it.’
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