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Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will begin the process of withdrawing the European Super League proposal, the clubs confirmed on Tuesday.
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The reversal is a stunning reversal for English Premier League clubs following Sunday’s announcement that they were among the 12 biggest football teams in Europe planning to withdraw from the UEFA Champions League.
Man City were the first of the clubs to announce, making a brief statement: “Manchester City Football Club can confirm that they have formally enacted procedures to withdraw from the group developing plans for a European Super League.”
In their statement, Arsenal “apologized” to their supporters, adding: “We never intended to cause such distress, but when the invitation to join the Super League came, knowing that there were no guarantees, we didn’t want to be left behind to make sure we protected Arsenal and their future. “
Liverpool have said their involvement in the two-day-old project “has been cut short” while Manchester United have said they are withdrawing from the deal. In a statement, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said: “We regret the anguish and upheaval caused by ESL’s proposal.”
Chelsea, the first team to make a decision, announced their withdrawal on Tuesday night.
In a report Out on Tuesday evening, the Super League said: “We are reconsidering the appropriate steps, in order to reshape the project” despite the exits of the English teams.
“Despite the announced departure of the English clubs, forced to take such decisions due to the pressure exerted on them, we are convinced that our proposal is fully aligned with European laws and regulations as demonstrated today by a decision of justice to protect the Super League from the third party actions, “one reads.
Following the announcement of Manchester City’s exit, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: “I am delighted to welcome [Manchester City] return to the European football family. They showed great intelligence listening to the many voices – especially their fans.
“It takes courage to admit a mistake but I never doubted that they had the ability and the common sense to make that decision. The city is a real asset to the game and I am delighted to be working with them for a better future for Europe. Thu. “
1:45
Craig Burley thanks football fans around the world for their role in pressuring clubs to withdraw from the Super League.
The 12 clubs announced – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus – had insisted that ESL would provide more support financial football. pyramid with a planned amount of 10 billion euros in solidarity payments to non-participating clubs to be spread over an initial period of 23 years.
Super League organizers, led by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, had said they hoped to add three more founding members before they kick off their competition “as soon as possible”.
Perez, who was scheduled to appear on the Spanish radio show “El Larguero” on Cadena SER on Tuesday night, skipped the interview instead to attend meetings relating to the proposed league, according to the show’s host, Manu Carreno.
Ahead of their scoreless draw with Brighton on Tuesday, a group of Chelsea players visited President Bruce Buck to say they were against the proposed league, sources told ESPN’s James Olley.
Several hundred fans gathered outside Stamford Bridge hours before kick-off to voice their opposition to the club’s plan to enter the new competition.
Technical and performance director Petr Cech was seen on camera begging supporters to let the team bus enter the ground as supporters blocked their access to the stadium.
News then filtered through as the Blues were drafting documents to reverse their decision to join, prompting cheers and chants of “We saved the football” from supporters who had been moved about 300 yards from the point. main entrance to the stadium.
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said his side were distracted by the outpouring of anger over the breakaway plan.
“I have been affected so I think the players have been affected. We are not talking about anything other than Super League before the game,” Tuchel said after the Brighton game. “No one has asked about the game before. That’s the way it is. You have to accept the distraction.”
Earlier today, the other 14 Premier League clubs gathered to discuss the crisis with the Football Association.
The Premier League issued a statement on Tuesday saying it “strongly and unanimously rejected” the plans and considered taking action to hold all six clubs to account.
Meanwhile, in Spain, Barcelona’s participation in a new league would be conditional on La Liga club members voting in favor of the proposal, according to ESPN Deportes and Spanish media.
Catalan television channel TV3 reported that the contract signed by Barca president Joan Laporta with the other 11 founding member clubs included a clause allowing the club to withdraw from the deal if its members were not ‘agreement.
The report adds that Laporta met with Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman on Tuesday to explain the club’s position in the Super League and arranged to meet with club captains Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto on Wednesday.
Barcelona were not immediately available for comment.
Unlike the Champions League competition, where teams must qualify through their national league, the founding teams of the Super League would guarantee each year a place in the new competition.
UEFA has warned that it could impose sanctions on clubs and players who participate in the separatist competition. The news of the Super League has also prompted statements of concern from public figures such as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis.
UEFA voted on changes to the Champions League format on Monday, expanding it from 32 teams to 36 with the revamped tournament, which is set to start at the start of the 2024-25 season.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino told the 12 separatist European Super League clubs on Tuesday that they cannot be “half in, half” in the established football system and have to face reality of their decision.
A number of high-profile players under contract at these six Premier League clubs had expressed concern that UEFA threatened to ban them from playing for their country in international tournaments, including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. .
Reuters contributed to this report.
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