The Slavia Prague football club is against setting up a closed European Super League and sides with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that oppose the plan.
Twelve of Europe’s top clubs – AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Internazionale, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Tottenham Hotspur – have all joined as founding clubs, a breakaway Super League, headed by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
The 12 founding members have also stepped down from the European Club Association (ECA), which was led by Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli who is seen as the architect of this plan.
Obdivuhodny postoj nemeckych a francouzskych klubu. Respekt! Podobne jako oni plne podporujeme postoj FIFA a UEFA – fotbal potrebuje solidaritu a soutezeni v ramci stavajiciho modelu evropskych soutezi klubu z 55 fotbalovych asociaci. https://t.co/ZlMoDlJyb2
— Jaroslav Tvrdik (@JaroslavTvrdik) April 19, 2021
UEFA has issued a separate statement condemning the idea and threatening domestic, European, and world bans for clubs and possibly even international team bans for players on teams in a European Super League. UEFA also thanked the Bundesliga and Serie A giants for not signing onto the idea.
The move has been condemned by fans, pundits and by most football bodies not involved.
With 15 teams in the ESL not facing qualification or relegation, critics say it will create a closed shop at the top of football.
Under the proposals, the ESL would start in August each year, with plans to launch “as soon as practicable”.
The 20-team league would be split into two groups of 10, playing each other home and away.
The top three in each group would qualify for the quarter-finals, with the teams in fourth and fifth playing a two-legged play-off for the two remaining spots.
From then on, it would have the same two-leg knockout format used in the Champions League, with a final in May at a neutral venue.
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