The Champions League and Europa League will look very different next season if the European Super League does come to fruition.
On Sunday, a joint statement by 12 of Europe's leading clubs confirmed their plans for the new competition and their resignation from the European Club Association.
The Premier League's 'big six,' as well as three sides from both Serie A and La Liga respectively, are the founding clubs involved in the plans that have shook football to its core.
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, last season's Champions League finalists, have been approached but rejected the opportunity.
The much-maligned competition is set to be played in midweek alongside domestic leagues and would mean the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona would not compete in the Champions League or Europa League.
Advert
And we could well see an influx of teams take their places in European competition. Going off current league positions, Leicester City, West Ham, Everton and Leeds United would be representing England in the Champions League next term.
In the Europa League would be Aston Villa, Wolves and Crystal Palace.
Atalanta, Napoli, Lazio and Roma would be Italy's Champions League participants, with Sassuolo, Verona, Sampdoria in the Europa League.
The lack of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League would give Sevilla, Villarreal, Betis and Real Sociedad an opportunity in Europe's premier club competition, and Granada, Levante and Celta Vigo in the secondary tournament.
Advert
The Champions League and Europa League have not been suspended contrary to some reports, but UEFA have confirmed that teams would face bans from all UEFA and FIFA competitions and any players involved would not be permitted to play in international tournaments such as the Euros or World Cup.
Every club in the Super League could also be sued for a whopping €60 billion, reports say.
The Premier League, La Liga and Serie A are opposing the plans, which have been widely condemned.
Advert
The European Super League could start as early as August and would see 20 teams compete in midweek fixtures.
Teams would be split into two groups, with the top three automatically qualifying for the quarter finals and fourth and fifth in each group competing in play-offs for the final two knock out spots.
The final would be a standalone fixture at a neutral venue.
Advert
It's been reported that a €6 billion fund from JP Morgan is backing the league, while the New York Times states that teams could earn up to $400 million-a-year - earning them nearly four times as much as they get from UEFA at present.
Featured Image Credit:
Topics: European Super League, Football, Europa League, Champions League
