Six Premier League clubs – Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City – have signed up to a new European Super League.
The breakaway tournament would see the establishment of a ‘closed league’, without the threat of relegation for the 12 founding members.
The dozen teams – which also include Spanish sides Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, as well as Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan from Italy – have come in for scathing criticism across world football.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the reaction of some of the other 14 Premier League sides.
Everton
Football. The people's game.https://t.co/iYMTDXTsos pic.twitter.com/0Uk9oZRAI2
— Everton (@Everton) April 20, 2021
Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals issued a statement from the club’s board, hitting out at the “preposterous arrogance” of those involved.
“Everton is saddened and disappointed to see proposals of a breakaway league pushed forward by six clubs,” a club statement read.
“Six clubs acting entirely in their own interests. Six clubs tarnishing the reputation of our league and the game. Six clubs choosing to disrespect every other club with whom they sit around the Premier League table.
“Six clubs taking for granted and even betraying the majority of football supporters across our country and beyond.
“At this time of national and international crisis – and a defining period for our game – clubs should be working together collaboratively with the ideals of our game and its supporters uppermost.
“Instead, these clubs have been secretly conspiring to break away from a football pyramid that has served them so well.
“And in that Pyramid Everton salutes every club, be it Leicester City, Accrington Stanley, Gillingham, Lincoln City, Morecambe, Southend United, Notts County and the rest who have, with their very being, enriched the lives of their supporters throughout the game’s history. And vice versa.
“The self-proclaimed ‘Super Six’ appear intent on disenfranchising supporters across the game – including their own – by putting the very structure that underpins the game we love under threat.
“The backlash is understandable and deserved – and has to be listened to. This preposterous arrogance is not wanted anywhere in football outside of the clubs that have drafted this plan.
“On behalf of everyone associated with Everton, we respectfully ask that the proposals are immediately withdrawn and that the private meetings and subversive practises that have brought our beautiful game to possibly its lowest ever position in terms of trust end now.
“Finally we would ask the owners, chairmen, and board members of the six clubs to remember the privileged position they hold – not only as custodians of their clubs but also custodians of the game. The responsibility they carry should be taken seriously.
“We urge them all to consider what they wish their legacy to be.”
Leeds
FULL TIME: #LUFC hold Super League side Merseyside Reds to a 1-1 draw after late Llorente equaliser
— Leeds United (@LUFC) April 19, 2021
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani also spoke out against a move which would “kill dreams of players and fans”.
Radrizzani posted on Twitter: “Absolutely against the sporting spirit, the dream of millions of fans to conquer the champions on the field, with planning, vision, work.
“Kill dreams of players and fans. The teams are fans and we are custodians of the club.”
Aston Villa
Villa chief executive Christian Purslow branded the Super League a “grotesque concept”.
“These proposals do away with sporting merit,” he said on BBC Radio Four.
“It would enable a small number of clubs to be in this competition come what may and, for millions of people in football, that goes against everything the sport means and stands for.
“The idea is that the uncertainty that comes with sport, that makes it so compelling, that we all love, is actually damaging to the business model of these huge clubs.
“So the scheme is designed to take away that uncertainty, to give predictability to their businesses so that, if they’re badly managed or have a poor year, they’re still in the premier tournament.
“Does that sound like sport or football to you? To me it sounds a grotesque concept.”
Crystal Palace
Steve Parish shared his views on the Super League during @SkySportsPL's MNF last night.#CPFC | https://t.co/utMcYSDkhbpic.twitter.com/7mMu6UNIOT
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) April 20, 2021
Eagles chairman Steve Parish feels a united front of opposition could help bring a positive collective approach for change.
“We all know it’s been brewing for a long time, don’t we? From the leaking of Project Big Picture, you know, the constant things that we deal with in the Premier League really, which are the attempts to load the dice,” Parish told Sky Sports.
“We might look back on this though and think that this is actually quite a good day for football, because what we have seen is people massively overplaying their hand, in my view.
“I don’t know what day they thought that anybody would react well to this or it would all be OK, but you know to unite Sadiq Khan, Boris Johnson, Emmanuelle Macron, Jurgen Klopp, every football fan in the country, you guys (Sky), every chairman other than the top six, every chief exec together on a Sunday afternoon is quite some talent.
“I’m really, really encouraged by the outpouring from everybody and I think we may actually get into a very good place I hope after this.
“I’m a fan. This is my club I have supported since I was four years old.
“I’m involved in football because I think that there’s a dream, as naive as I might be, that one day we might play in Europe.
“What is the point for all of us if that dream is taken away?”
Fulham
Fulham owner and chairman Shahid Khan denounced proposals.
Khan, who also owns NFL franchise the Jacksonville Jaguars, said in statement on the Cottagers website: “I join with the entirety of Fulham Football Club, and 13 fellow Premier League clubs, in denouncing the proposed European Super League.
“The concept will not serve the game or our most important stakeholders – the generations of football fans here in England and throughout Europe who have been as loyal to their domestic leagues, and the opportunities they offer, as they are faithful to their favourite team.”
Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion are totally opposed to plans for a breakaway European Super League as it would destroy the dreams of clubs at every level of the domestic game.#BHAFC 🔵⚪
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 20, 2021
Brighton, fighting to stay in the Premier League, expressed their dismay at the proposals of a “closed-shop for all but the largest clubs”.
A club statement read: “Brighton & Hove Albion are totally opposed to plans for a breakaway European Super League as it would destroy the dreams of clubs at every level of the domestic game.
“These plans are the latest in an alarming and growing list of clandestine attempts from a small group of clubs whose actions would be wiping out close to 150 years of football’s tradition, competition, and sporting progress through merit.
“The ups and downs of football – promotion, relegation, winning titles and cups, challenging for, or missing out, on a European place – are all part and parcel of the drama, jeopardy, joy and heartbreak that makes our game the most watched and most loved in the world.
“These key attributes create significant value from which we feed a financial support structure which helps to sustain football at every level in our country and well beyond. By contrast, a European Super League would concentrate value for the benefit of a small number of clubs.
“The efforts to create a closed-shop for all but the largest clubs demonstrate a clear lack of respect for the contributions of all clubs within the domestic leagues in this country and across Europe.
“Plans for a European Super League also totally disregard fans, the lifeblood of our sport at professional levels, and fly in the face of the views and wishes of the overwhelming majority of football supporters of all clubs.
“These clubs, like Brighton & Hove Albion, invest heavily to support their own dreams, and those of their fans, to play at the highest level they can, and to help create a sense of pride in their own clubs across the country.
“Off the pitch, we remain custodians of our clubs on behalf of past, present and future generations of fans and the communities we all represent. This is a responsibility we believe we must all take very seriously.
“It has been hugely encouraging to see universal opposition and widespread condemnation from across the game from various football authorities, fans, players, commentators, pundits and media, and all-party opposition in government.
“We will continue to work with those groups, including the UK Government and MPs of all political parties, football’s governing bodies and all of our colleagues across football to oppose and defeat these plans.
“Ultimately, we are committed to a thriving domestic league and pyramid with the ultimate reward of European competition for achievements and success on the field. We remain open to a transparent, calm and rationale dialogue with all clubs to achieve this.”
Burnley
American owners ALK Capital completed their takeover of Burnley in December 2020.
Clarets chairman Alan Pace issued an open letter to the club’s fans in which he called for the appointment of an independent regulator to “protect English football with legislation”.
The letter, published on the Burnley website, read: “Dear supporters, A breakaway Super League should never have happened, but this is about much more than club self-interest and is an example of how the governance of football in this country and throughout Europe needs to be reformed.
“The six Premier League clubs taking this step have turned their back on our moral duty as custodians of the game to protect English football and, the spirit of the sport, at all costs. Weak governance has led us to this point.
“Therefore, today I am calling on Boris Johnson and Oliver Dowden to follow their welcome intervention and now appoint an independent regulator to protect English football with legislation.
“As a former financier, I understand the commercial considerations for these clubs and can appreciate their frustration at being the largest revenue drivers for the UEFA Champions League, without receiving the same levels of influence and reward.
“However, this is a move which does not treat fans or the game’s history with the respect it deserves and is not the solution.
“We need to ensure that football is protected. The game is bigger than all of us, and its future cannot be compromised by self-interest. The contempt the proposals have received was inevitable.
“It is truly a shame that it has come to this. We are the greatest league in the world and we can do more to bring people together and set the path forward for all and not just the few.
“We have a responsibility to all that have come before us and all those who will follow in the wider game.
“While we too at Burnley have ambitious plans to grow the club’s revenues, those plans have always been on the back of performance, both on and off the pitch, and not artificial protectionism.
“As my business partners and I have now been working and living in Burnley for several months and are in the process of moving permanently to the area, I would greatly encourage my fellow chairmen to walk the streets around their local communities and get to know them personally, rather than creating more distance between themselves and fans.
“This is also why I invite No10, the Government and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to now legislate.
“Ultimately, we need a strong regulator in the style of OFTEL or OFCOM to protect and build the interests of English football. It’s time to do things differently!
“Over the coming days, I will be working hard alongside my fellow club owners and governing bodies to fight these proposals and find a solution to improved football governance in this country.
“I welcome initial noises coming from the UK Government and encourage them to provide strong leadership on these proposals, given their seismic impact on the UK’s cultural landscape. Yours, in Football, Alan Pace.”
West Ham
West Ham United vehemently opposes the proposal for a Super League.
— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 20, 2021
West Ham, currently challenging for a place in the Champions League, said they were “vehemently opposed” to the plans.
“These proposals are an attack on sporting integrity, undermine competition, and ignore those supporters, and those of the thousands of clubs and millions of players, from the Premier League to Sunday League, who can aspire to reach the top of the game just like our 150-plus homegrown Academy of Football graduates who came from grassroots and were developed into first-team players,” a statement read.
Leicester
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers, whose side are also on course for a top-four finish, said the plans were a demonstration of business overtaking sport.
“There has been a line drawn in the sand with all of this,” he said. “It has moved across from what looks very much like a purely business proposal.
“All the merits of teams and rewards in sport, it looks like from the outside that isn’t really taken into the ideas going forward.”
Leicester, who won the 2015–16 Premier League title, added their voice of disapproval to the breakaway plans.
A club statement read: “Competitive integrity and merit-based achievement are fundamental principles of the sport which, if compromised, will cause irreparable damage to the game, to the clubs whose legitimate aspirations underpin the entire football pyramid and to the communities those clubs serve.
“As custodians of our respective clubs, it falls to us to uphold football’s values, the solidarity and unity that protect the future of the sport and to ensure its commercial successes help strengthen its foundations throughout the pyramid and into the grassroots game.
“Football clubs exist for their supporters, whose passion and devotion are not simply a response to the game, but a fundamental and indispensable part of it.
“Their contribution is fed by their right to dream – a right we share a collective responsibility to protect.”
West Brom
West Bromwich Albion Football Club.
Just the 143 years of history behind us 💙 pic.twitter.com/RWnYMggsMM
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) April 20, 2021
The Baggies said they are “wholly opposed” to the proposal.
A statement added: “As a founder member of The Football League in 1888, the club believes in the principles of fair competition; in allowing all fans to dream that this year could be their year, and with that, the knowledge that poor performance may bring the consequences of relegation.
“A closed league is not one that any club outside of the so-called ‘Big Six’ can endorse, and one it is apparent no genuine football fan – even if they follow one of those six teams – can support.
“We stand alongside all clubs, players and supporters who believe in open competition, and understand that the future of English football is dependent on our collective strength to oppose these divisive and selfish plans.”
