The way things have rapidly shaped up, the European Super League may only be played by Real Madrid and Juventus, after five of the six English teams issued communications on their respective social networks and websites, announcing that they would begin the process to depart from the newly formed group. There have also been rumors that Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and AC Milan plan to leave.
Manchester City was the first club to announce its departure from the European Super League, without giving much detail, the statement read as follows. “Manchester City Football Club can confirm that it has initiated formal proceedings to relinquish its place in the group planning the creation of the European Super League.”
The other teams gradually joined Manchester City in issuing statements regarding their desire to abandon their initial Super League plans.
Liverpool stated the following. “Liverpool Football Club can confirm that our involvement in the proposed plans to form a European Super League have been suspended. In recent days the club has received statements from several shareholders inside and outside the club, and we want to thank them for their valuable contributions.
Comunicado sobre el proyecto de la Super League: https://t.co/8mCFL5uWGW pic.twitter.com/uY5bTzrOCA
— JuventusFC (@juventusfces) April 21, 2021
Manchester United published the following: “Manchester United will not participate in the European Super League. We have listened carefully to the reaction of our fans, the UK government and other shareholders. We maintain our commitments to work with others around the football community to propose sustainable solutions to the long-term challenges of the game.”
Arsenal and Tottenham issued longer releases apologizing to their fans. A partial excerpt of Arsenal’s statement reads as follows. “The last few days have once again shown us the great feeling our fans have about this great club and the game we love. It was never our intention to cause distress, however, when the Super League invitation came, despite having no guarantees, we did not want to be left behind to ensure that we protected Arsenal and its future. As a result of listening to them and the large football community in recent days, we renounced the Super League proposal. We’ve made a mistake and we apologize for it. ”
Tottenham, for its part, published the following. “We can confirm that we formally initiated the process to renounce the group that developed the Proposals of the European Super League.”
They added words from their president Daniel Levy. “We are sorry for the anxiety and annoyance caused by the European Super League proposal. We felt it was important for our club to participate in the development of a possible new structure that sought to improve financial fair play and financial sustainability, while providing greater support to the pyramid of football.”
Chelsea was the last club to issue an official statement, in which the following could be read. “As reported a few hours ago, Chelsea Football Club can confirm that formal procedures have begun to relinquish the group that develops the European Super League plans. Having joined the group this week, we have had time to consider the matter fully and have decided that our participation in these plans is not within the best interests of the club, our fans and the football community.”
With the exception of Real Madrid and Juventus, it is rumored that all the other clubs on the charter list will also soon reverse away from the European Super League, so it is possible that in the coming hours the cancellation or a restructuring of the competition may be announced. Everything seems to indicate that the UEFA Champions League will remain intact, and just like that, Super League will be gone as suddenly as it appeared.