Featured Image Credit: Getty/A22
Topics: Football, Premier League, Liverpool, European Super League
Chris Byfield
Topics: Football, Premier League, Liverpool, European Super League
Only one of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ has not publicly rejected new plans for a European Super League (ESL).
The ESL was first launched 32 months ago and received widespread opposition from fans, the then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Football Association president Prince William. Plans were subsequently dumped as nine of the ESL’s 12 founding members pulled out amid public scrutiny.
However, this week a ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg stated world and European governing bodies FIFA and UEFA had "abused a dominant position" by threatening the ESL clubs and players with sanctions and exclusion from major competitions.
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The ECJ added that rules that demand prior approval for "interclub football projects" were "unlawful" and that their exclusive control in negotiating commercial rights for competitions was restriction of trade.
Within hours, A22’s new ESL proposal had been released, promising sixty-four men's teams split across three divisions and 32 women's teams split across two.
Manchester United were the first Premier League club to reject proposals for a new ESL, stating: "Our position has not changed. We remain fully committed to participation in Uefa competitions, and to positive cooperation with Uefa, the Premier League, and fellow clubs through the ECA on the continued development of the European game."
Later in the day, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea all released similar messages within 15 minutes of one another, while Arsenal added their name to the list of clubs standing against the ESL on Friday.
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In turn, Liverpool are the only club from the Premier League’s ‘big six’ to have not publicly rejected the new plans.
While fans on social media have noted that the Reds’ are yet to have rejected A22’s plans, Fenway Sports Groups’ Tom Werner told the Athletic a year ago that a ESL was "certainly off of Liverpool's agenda".
Furthermore, in the wake of the backlash over the 2021 proposal, the Liverpool owners had "acknowledged it was a mistake".
The Athletic claim FSG’s position remains unchanged.