The “Big Six” of the Premier League have all officially withdrawn from consideration for membership in any future European Super League.
On Friday, Arsenal became the final team from the 2021 original Super League to officially announce their membership.
In a statement, the Gunners declared that they will continue to compete in UEFA events in spite of a verdict by the European Court of Justice that has at least raised the prospect of a club-led competition being introduced to challenge the Champions League.
Since the verdict on Thursday, Liverpool has not made any official comments. However, the PA news agency has learned that, ever since the Reds’ exit from the Super League two years ago, the Spirit of Shankly (SoS), a recognised supporters’ trust, has been the primary source of legal consent regarding the problem of entering new tournaments.
According to the SoS’s announcement from Thursday, Liverpool’s standing hasn’t altered since 2021. In remarks released on Thursday, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Tottenham all reaffirmed their support for UEFA competitions.
In response to protests from fans, pressure from the British government, and resistance from FIFA and UEFA, the English clubs withdrew one by one, and the initial Super League concept collapsed in less than 72 hours.
The original project’s sponsor, A22, released information on upcoming “open and meritocratic” men’s and women’s competitions.
John Hahn, the founder of A22, told PA that the concepts of relegation and promotion were consistent with domestic competitions across UEFA’s 55 member countries, despite UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin mocking the suggestions and calling the format “even more closed” than the one proposed in 2021.
Principal backers of the 2021 initiative, Real Madrid and Barcelona, are on board. Two of the other twelve teams, Juventus and AC Milan, have not yet responded, but Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid, both in Spain, have fiercely opposed it.
Italian champions Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, stated that his team was prepared to begin discussions over the new endeavour. Napoli was excluded from the project for 2021.
During a press conference on Thursday that included officials from all the major stakeholder groups—clubs, leagues, players, and fans—Ceferin declared that “football was not for sale.”
Although the verdict on Thursday gives clubs more control, rather than bringing about a revolution, it might serve as a short-term trigger for additional reforms in their favour.
