Categories
football Slides Sports News

UEFA DROPS SUPER LEAGUE LEGAL TUSSLE WITH REBEL CLUBS

UEFA has dropped its legal case against Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid over their roles in initiating the controversial European Super League (ESL) project, which has threatened to dramatically upend the football landscape.

European football’s governing body announced on Monday night that “in the matter related to a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework in connection with the so called ‘Super League,’ the UEFA Appeals Body has declared today the proceedings null and void, as if the proceedings had never been opened.”

The moves comes after a Spanish court ruled that UEFA should not punish the three clubs that remain committed to the doomed project.

UEFA added that the other nine clubs involved in the attempted breakaway – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan – will not need to pay the fines imposed on them for trying to set up the Super League.

Earlier in the day, Liverpool denied any suggestion that their U.S. owners were privately sympathetic to the breakaway league.

“Our involvement in the proposed ESL plans has been discontinued. We are absolutely committed to following that through and there should be no ambiguity to suggest otherwise. We are acting on the best legal advice and approach to appropriately end our involvement,” read a statement.

The stance was echoed by Liverpool’s arch-rivals Manchester United, who said: “Our position as announced previously has not changed – we shall not be participating in the European Super League. The process for dissolving the European Super League entity is impacted by ongoing litigation in Spain. We are not involved in that litigation and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment.”

Categories
football Sports News

UEFA SUPER CUP TO REMAIN IN BELFAST

UEFA has confirmed that the 2021 Super Cup final between Chelsea and Villarreal will be played in Belfast on the 11th of August.

It had been suggested that the game could be switched to Istanbul in compensation for the Champions League final being moved from the Turkish city to Porto due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Turkish sports minister recently claimed that UEFA were considering playing both the 2023 Champions League final and this summer’s Super Cup on the shores of the Bosphorus.

However the game between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League will be played at Windsor Park, with Irish FA CEO Patrick Nelson confirming the news.

“We have kept in close contact with our partners at UEFA on the matter and following these discussions we are delighted that they have confirmed that the game will stay in Belfast.”

Details of the capacity and ticketing for the Super Cup final have yet to finalised.

Categories
football Sports News

PREMIER LEAGUE SETS NEW RULES TO PREVENT REPEAT OF EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE

The Premier League has taken action to prevent its clubs threatening to break away again in response to the failed European Super League plans.

Six top-flight teams, including Manchester United and Liverpool, announced on April 18th they were joining the newly-formed ESL, only for it to collapse amid intense pressure within 48 hours.

A new set of measures put in place by the Premier League on Monday includes additional rules and regulations and an owners’ charter that all club owners will be required to sign up to – committing them to the core principles of the competition.

“The actions of a few clubs cannot be allowed to create such division and disruption,” a Premier League statement read.

“We are determined to establish the truth of what happened and hold those clubs accountable for their decisions and actions. We and The FA are pursuing these objectives quickly and appropriately, consulting with fans and [UK] government.”

The Premier League insisted events during the last two weeks had “challenged the foundations and resolve of English football”.

Fan protests in the days that followed the ESL announcement, on top of widespread criticism from the footballing world, resulted in most of the 12 European clubs – including all six Premier League sides – involved in the proposed breakaway pulling out.

A statement continued: “The Premier League, supported by The FA, is taking the following actions to protect our game, our clubs and their fans from further disruption and uncertainty.

“Additional rules and regulation to ensure the principles of the Premier League and open competition are protected, a new Owners’ Charter that all club owners will be required to sign up to, committing them to the core principles of the Premier League, (while) breaches of these rules and the Charter will be subject to significant sanctions.

“And we are enlisting the support of government to bring in appropriate legislation to protect football’s open pyramid, principles of sporting merit and the integrity of the football community.”

The Football Association revealed an official inquiry into the formation of the ESL and the involvement of the six English clubs – which also included Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham – got under way last week.

It also reiterated its desire to ensure any return threat of a breakaway division was thwarted.

A spokesperson for the governing body said: “Since we became aware of the European Super League our priority and focus has been on preventing it from happening, both now and in the future.

“Throughout this period, we have been in ongoing discussions with the Government, the Premier League and UEFA.

“In particular, we have been discussing legislation with government that would allow us to prevent any similar threat in the future so that we can protect the English football pyramid.

“Last week, we started an official inquiry into the formation of the European Super League and the involvement of the six English clubs.

“We wrote to all of the clubs to formally request all relevant information and evidence regarding their participation. Once we have the required information, we will consider what appropriate steps to take.”

The fallout of the European Super League boiled over on Sunday when Manchester United supporters broke into Old Trafford to protest against the Glazer family, with their plans to join the competition one source of frustration towards the Red Devils’ ownership.

It resulted in the postponement of United’s home match with Liverpool while two police officers were injured.

“Fans have played a vital and impactful role in helping to stop the European Super League from happening, and we understand their frustrations,” the FA statement continued.

“However, we cannot condone the violent and criminal behaviour that took place before the scheduled Manchester United vs Liverpool match, which The FA is now investigating.”

The Premier League added: “We are committed to maintaining close dialogue with supporters and their representatives, as we work with The FA and Government to identify solutions, but ask that all protests are peaceful.

“The actions of a minority of those present at Old Trafford on Sunday have no justification and will be investigated by the Premier League and The FA as well as by the Greater Manchester Police.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

SERIE A CLUBS TO FACE BAN IF THEY RESURRECT PLANS FOR BREAKAWAY LEAGUE

Italian clubs wishing to participate in a breakaway Super League would be barred from playing in Serie A under new rules set to come into force this summer.

Three of the country’s biggest clubs – Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan — were among the 12 sides who announced on April 18th they were forming a new competition.

The breakaway league collapsed within 72 hours after the six English sides withdrew.

The British government was credited by UEFA with playing a key role in persuading the Premier League clubs to back down.

However, on Monday Downing Street denied reports the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, spoke to Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward about the Super League and had given him the impression he would back it when they briefly met on April 14th.

Football authorities at national and continental level are looking at ways to strengthen their rulebooks to prevent a renewed breakaway attempt, and the federal council of the Italian football federation (FIGC) has moved quickly to approve new licensing rules.

“Those who plan to participate in competitions not authorised by the FIGC, FIFA or UEFA will lose their membership,” the Italian federation’s president, Gabriele Gravina, told its official website, figc.it.

He added: “It is clear that if, on June 21, the deadline for registration applications, someone wants to participate in competitions of a private nature, they will not take part in our championship.”

In England, Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has warned “nothing is off the table” as it seeks to prevent any fresh attempt at a breakaway.

It is believed the game’s authorities would prefer to avoid sanctions which punish supporters of the clubs involved, after those fans were credited with forcing the withdrawals that happened on Tuesday and the early hours of Wednesday.

The British government has promised support to the football authorities in strengthening anti-competition regulation against any future breakaway attempts.

Johnson was understood to have promised in a meeting on Tuesday — before the withdrawals began — that he would drop a “legislative bomb” on the clubs if they pressed ahead with their plans.

There were concerns among leading figures in the game about how successful any attempt to block a breakaway would have been within existing competition law, so the game’s authorities are still hoping updated legislation can be brought forward.

Johnson’s official spokesman has insisted that neither Johnson nor his chief of staff Dan Rosenfield spoke to Woodward about the Super League when the Red Devils executive visited Downing Street four days before the breakaway competition was launched.

The Sunday Times reported that the prime minister may have given Woodward — who has since confirmed he will step down from his position at the end of the year — the impression he would back the controversial move.

Asked about Johnson’s talks with Woodward, the official spokesman said on Monday: “There was a very brief introduction to Ed Woodward, I think they crossed paths.

“But the European Super League was not discussed.”

Pressed on whether Rosenfield told Woodward the government would not oppose the new venture, the number 10 spokesman said: “No, that’s not correct.

“The meeting was to discuss the safe return of fans and Covid certification as part of the events pilot work.”

Categories
football Sports News

SUPER LEAGUE CLUBS MUST FACE CONSEQUENCES – UEFA PRESIDENT

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has insisted the 12 clubs who attempted to set up the breakaway European Super League will face sanctions for their actions.

Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham announced their intention to establish a new midweek European competition to rival the Champions League last Sunday.

They were joined by six other founding clubs: LaLiga’s Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, and Serie A’s Juventus, AC Milan and Inter.

Several board members from the 12 clubs stepped down from their roles at the European Club Association (ECA), governed by UEFA, as the controversial plans started to make traction.

The competition drew widespread condemnation including from Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Duke of Cambridge, and resulted in fan protests at Stamford Bridge before Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Brighton on Tuesday before the idea started to unravel on the same evening.

As Chelsea fans gathered at the ground, reports circled the Blues were considering withdrawing from the competition before Premier League leaders Manchester City officially pulled out on Tuesday evening, shortly followed by the other English clubs.

Atletico Madrid and the two Milan clubs withdrew later, while Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona believe the European Super League still has legs.

However, Ceferin, who said he was “completely impressed” by the supporters’ reaction to the concept, admitted sanctions for the six English clubs would be the most lenient for leaving first, with Juve, Barca and Real set to be given strong punishment.

“Let’s see. Everyone has to take consequences for what they did and we cannot pretend nothing happened,” Ceferin told the Mail on Sunday. “You cannot do something like that and just say ‘I’ve been punished because everybody hates me’.

“They don’t have problems because of anyone else but themselves. It’s not OK what they did and we will see in next few days what we have to do.

“But for me it’s a clear difference between the English clubs and the other six. They pulled out first, they admitted they made a mistake. You have to have some greatness to say ‘I was wrong’.

“For me there are three groups of this 12 – the English six, who went out first, then the other three (Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Inter) after them and then the ones who feel that Earth is flat and they think the Super League still exists. And there is a big difference between those. But everyone will be held responsible. In what way, we will see.

“I don’t want to say disciplinary process but it has to be clear that everyone has to be held responsible in a different way. Is it disciplinary? Is it the decision of the executive committee? We will see. It’s too early to say.”

Categories
football Sports News

SUPER LEAGUE: SERIE A CLUBS WANT AC MILAN, INTER, JUVENTUS PUNISHED

Eleven Serie A clubs have called for AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus to face consequences for their involvement in the failed European Super League project.

AS Roma, Torino, Bologna, Genoa, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Spezia, Benevento, Crotone, Parma and Cagliari co-signed a letter addressed to league president Paolo Dal Pino, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

The letter calls for an urgent meeting of the 20 Serie A clubs to “analyse the serious acts implemented by Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and their administrators, and the relative consequences”.

The three clubs are said to have “developed and approved the project by acting in secret” with “evident and serious damage” for Italian football.

“Furthermore, to date the same clubs have not yet formally communicated their withdrawal from the project, evidence of a possible and unacceptable relaunch of its creation,” the letter added.

The Super League project was announced on Sunday but fell apart within three days as most of the founding members pulled out amid a fierce backlash from fans, governing bodies and politicians.

Categories
football Sports News

SUPER LEAGUE: UNITED FANS IN ANTI-GLAZERS PROTEST AT OLD TRAFFORD

Hundreds of Manchester United fans protested the Glazer ownership outside Old Trafford on Saturday, following the club’s intent to join the breakaway European Super League.

Protests have been a familiar sight across the Premier League this week after United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City announced their intentions to join six other clubs in a European Super League.

The decision was met with widespread anger from fans who forced the clubs into a U-turn on their decision to join the league.

A large group of Chelsea fans gathered outside Stamford Bridge on Monday and delayed the kick-off of their game against Brighton. During the protests, reports came through that Chelsea would not be joining the breakaway league which prompted the other clubs to follow suit.

Despite the fact plans for the league are now in ruins, the fallout has continued to run throughout the week as fans protest their club’s ownerships.

United fans have been particularly vocal with a group of supporters breaking into the club’s training ground in protest of the Glazer’s ownership.

On Tuesday, the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward also announced that he would resign from his position at the end of the year.

Several hundred Arsenal fans also protested outside the Emirates Stadium before the team’s match against Everton on Friday to call for owner Stan Kroenke to sell the club.

United do not have a game on Saturday but travel to face Leeds United on Sunday.

Categories
football Sports News

SUPER LEAGUE LIVES AS JP MORGAN GEARS UP SPORTS BUSINESS

American bank JP Morgan has attempted to amplify its involvement with football over the past two decades, not so much for the betterment of the sport, but rather to further the business interests of those who seek its services.

The latest and most unsavoury example has been the recent launch of the European Super League, a closed shop of a competition designed to rival and ultimately kill UEFA’s Champions League.

The European Super League would have seen a permanent membership of 15 clubs from around Europe, including a whopping six clubs from the English Premier League, the league with the most lucrative broadcast rights in the world, estimated at around $12 billion in 2019. The remaining five spots would be given to other qualifying clubs who would neither enjoy the same slice of the revenue nor the stability and security of a permanent spot in the competition.

Public, governmental and organisational outcry and backlash were swift, blunt and decisive. And so the much vaunted Super League met its demise a mere 48 hours or so after its announcement. The final death knell was delivered when all six Premier League clubs pulled out of the entire sordid affair. But is it accurate to say that the project’s expedited cancellation is a permanent one? Not quite.

If anything, the Super League has been placed in stasis, waiting to be resurrected again in some form or another, with backers JP Morgan Chase biding their time until the mood shifts in their favour.

The American bank has had an uneasy but long-standing relationship with football and how could it not? The entire football industry has grown in value at an exponential rate over the past three decades, boosted by the proliferation of cable television and the internet’s streaming era, football reached a total valuation of around €28.9 billion during the 2018-2019 season, before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in vastly diminished revenues for clubs around the world.

While the project crumbled in a span of 48 hours, JP Morgan were far from tentative in their approach, having guaranteed an amount between $200 and $300 million to all founding members as a ‘welcome bonus’. Of course, this underwriting of a sum totalling up to $3.25 billion as an ‘infrastructure grant’ and a debt financing deal spread across 23 years would have netted the bank an interest rate of somewhere between 2 and 3 per cent on the total debt amount.

JP Morgan were also the bank which facilitated and advised the American Glazer family on their acquisition of Manchester United, as well working on the club’s IPO in 2012, resulting in the family raising about $233 million from the move. Of course, the acquisition of United was just as controversial and underhanded as the Super League project itself, with the deal having been structured in the form of a leveraged buyout.

This meant that the profit-making and previously debt-free United would have to be burdened with liabilities to the tune of around £660 million in total. This had been the first time United had been in debt since 1931. The leveraged buyout has cost the club more than £1 billion in interest and debt repayments since then and this figure is set to continue to rise as the club’s debt has shot back to around £440 million after the loss in revenue in the previous and current season.

More recently, JP Morgan also advised an Italian American group on their acquisition of Italian club Fiorentina, American billionaire Dan Friedkin on his acquisition of AS Roma, as well as facilitating the sale of shares by two Italian clubs, Inter and Roma, in such a way that they are secured against revenue stemming from future broadcasting rights sales.

“I’m not surprised that a bank like JPMorgan is gearing up its European sports activity,” said Nikhil Bahel of the sports investment group Elysian Park Ventures to Bloomberg. “There is a realization here in Europe that the current financing model for these bodies needs to be revisited,” Bahel added.

The failure of the European Super League venture, regardless of its probable impermanence, has not been without impact to JP Morgan. On Wednesday, April 21, sustainability rating agency Standard Ethics downgraded JP Morgan Chase after its involvement in the European Super League became public knowledge.

“Standard Ethics judges both the orientations shown by the football clubs involved in the project and those of the US bank to be contrary to sustainability best practices, which are defined by the agency according to UN, OECD and European Union guidelines, and take into account the interests of the stakeholders,” the agency stated.

JP Morgan were downgraded from their previous ‘adequate’ rating to ‘non-compliant’ due to the European Super League and its implications, with the agency noting the ‘serious negative effects’ of the entire initiative. This followed Standard Ethics’ previous assessment of the American bank, which included concerns that JP Morgan sought out to quell fair competition, which had then resulted in the bank being incurred with antitrust fines and taxation by the US government.

While it has been put to bed for now, JP Morgan and the clubs involved in the project will likely have learned from this. It is likely that they will modify their plan, improve their communication campaign and try to launch it again in the future

Categories
football Sports News

LIVERPOOL OWNER JOHN W HENRY APOLOGISES TO FANS OVER EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE

Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry has apologised for his part in the proposed European Super League.

Henry said in a video posted by the club on Twitter that the breakaway project would only have worked with fans’ full support.

“I want to apologise to all the fans and supporters of Liverpool Football Club for the disruption I caused over the last 48 hours,” he said.

“It goes without saying but should be said, the project put forward was never going to stand without the support of the fans.

“No-one ever thought differently in England. Over these 48 hours you were very clear that it would not stand. We heard you. I heard you.”

Henry spoke of the “hurt” being felt and also apologised to manager Jurgen Klopp, his staff and players “and to everyone who works so hard at LFC to make our fans proud”.

“They have absolutely no responsibility for this disruption,” Henry said. “They were the most disrupted and unfairly so. This is what hurts most.

“They love your club and work to make you proud every single day. I know the entire LFC team has the expertise and passion necessary to rebuild trust and help us move forward.

“More than a decade ago when we signed up for the challenges associated with football we dreamed of what you dreamed of and we’ve worked hard to improve your club.

“Our work isn’t done and I hope you understand that even when we make mistakes, we’re trying to work in your club’s best interests.”

Categories
football Sports News

EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE TO ‘RESHAPE PROJECT’ AFTER PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS’ WITHDRAWAL

Organisers of the European Super League say they plan to “reshape” the controversial project after being hit by the withdrawals of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham were all announced as being among the 12 founder members of the breakaway competition on Sunday, but on Tuesday night all of those clubs announced in quick succession that they were enacting protocol to pull out following fan protests and a huge backlash from players, managers, football authorities, leagues, pundits and governments alike.

The Super League responded to those withdrawals with a statement released in the early hours of Wednesday morning in which they reiterated their belief that the existing European football structure is not fit for purpose and said that the English clubs had been “forced” to withdraw as a result of the significant pressure applied from those opposing the proposals.

They added that they plan to now take the “most appropriate steps to reshape the project” moving forward.

“The European Super League is convinced that the current status quo of European football needs to change,” the statement read

“We are proposing a new European competition because the existing system does not work.

“Our proposal is aimed at allowing the sport to evolve while generating resources and stability for the full football pyramid, including helping to overcome the financial difficulties experienced by the entire football community as a result of the pandemic.

“It would also provide materially enhanced solidarity payments to all football stakeholders.

“Despite the announced departure of the English clubs, forced to take such decisions due to the pressure put on them, we are convinced our proposal is fully aligned with European law and regulations as was demonstrated today by a court decision to protect the Super League from third party actions.

“Given the current circumstances, we shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project, always having in mind our goals of offering fans the best experience possible while enhancing solidarity payments for the entire football community.”