Menzi Magubane
Twelve European giants stand to lose more than they intended to gain with their European Super League formation.
The development will see them breakaway from the UEFA Champions League.
On Sunday, it was announced that Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan have signed up to the Super League.
However, reports emerged on Tuesday night that Chelsea and Manchester City are preparing to request to withdraw from the competition, after an overwhelming negative reception from the club’s fans.
The participating teams will be joined by three other clubs in securing a permanent place, with every team reportedly set to share a pot of R62 billion.
Before news emerged that Chelsea and Manchester City are preparing to withdraw, UEFA executive committee member Jesper Moller said that the two clubs, alongside Real Madrid, must be expelled from the Champions League.
“And I hope it happens on Friday,” said Moller on the UEFA Twitter page.
“I hope UEFA forbids them from playing in the semi-finals.”
He said he wanted the teams to be dismissed from all UEFA club competitions immediately and that Real, Barcelona, AC Milan and Liverpool should be stripped of their badges of honour.
Premier League chief Richard Masters has written to the competition’s 20 clubs, saying rule L9 means clubs who have signed up to the Super League will have to quit England’s top level.
“Premier League rules contain a commitment amongst clubs to remain within the football pyramid and forbid any clubs from entering competitions beyond those listed in Rule L9 without Premier League board permission. I cannot envisage any scenario where such permission would be granted,” said Masters.
It is rumoured that players who take part in the Super League will also be banned from playing for their national teams in all competitions including the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship.
Picture source:@skysports
