The 12 European Super League clubs were hurriedly assembled but were hurriedly disapproved by world football body and other soccer buffs.
The 12 clubs currently involved included six from the Premier League (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham) plus three each from Italy and Spain.
The Spanish and Italian clubs were AC Milan, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan.
Chelsea and Manchester City withdrew from Super League on Tuesday evening, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham following shortly afterwards; Super League says it will “reconsider” proposals; UEFA president says English clubs are “back in the fold”
The European Super League appears to have collapsed after all six of the Premier League sides that agreed to join reversed their decision on Tuesday night.
News broke ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League fixture at home to Brighton that the club was preparing to withdraw from the new competition. Blues fans had gathered outside Stamford Bridge to protest against the Super League.
Shortly afterwards, Manchester City became the first Premier League side to publicly confirm they were pulling out of the breakaway competition, with a statement reading: “Manchester City Football Club can confirm that it has formally enacted the procedures to withdraw from the group developing plans for a European Super League.”
Later on Tuesday evening, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham announced they were also backing out of the plans.
However, the breakaway news was not favourably received by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Infantino said football’s global governing body “strongly disapproves” of plans for a breakaway European Super League.
Infantino has warned that the clubs involved “must live with the consequences of their choice”.
United Kingdom Boris Johnson underlined his opposition to the proposed European Super League, saying that it was wrong that historic clubs were being turned into “international brands and commodities”.
The Prime Minister told a Downing Street news conference: “Football was invented and codified in this county.
“It is one of the great glories of this country’s cultural heritage. These clubs, these names, originate from famous towns and cities in our country.
“I don’t think that it is right that they should be somehow dislocated from their home towns, home cities, taken and turned into international brands and commodities that just circulate the planet propelled by the billions of banks without any reference to fans and to those who have loved them all their lives,” Johnson said.
”The European Super League project is dead,” its founder Andrea Agnelli has admitted.
The plans, which have thrown the world of football into tumult, would have involved 20 clubs playing in a midweek League – with the founding 12, and three others yet to join, permanent members of the competition and not subject to possible relegation.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said there was ‘less and less’ interest in the current Champions League format.
