Six
English teams are expected to be part of plans for a breakaway European
Super League, but what do we know so far?
What has happened?
A group of 12 of Europe's biggest clubs have signed up to a proposal to
start a breakaway European Super League, according to Sky News.
The proposal involves the clubs forming their own competition to rival the
UEFA Champions League.
Which clubs are involved?
The Premier League's big-six clubs - Manchester United, Manchester City,
Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham - are all involved.
Sky Sports News has contacted the six Premier League clubs for comment;
Manchester United and Tottenham declined to give a response regarding the
proposals.
The other clubs reported to have signed up for the proposal are Real Madrid,
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.
German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are not included and nor
are French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
What have the clubs said so far?
The clubs are yet to comment but a statement is expected at 9.30pm on
Sunday.
What has the reaction been?
The plans have prompted widespread condemnation, with Sky Sports pundit Gary
Neville labelling the English clubs involved a "disgrace" and calling for
them to be sanctioned by the Premier League.
Governing bodies and leagues across Europe are viewing the proposal as an
attempted power-grab.
The Premier League released a statement saying a super league would
"destroy" the premise of open competition.
"Fans of any club in England and across Europe can currently dream that
their team may climb to the top and play against the best," said the
statement.
"We believe that the concept of a European Super League would destroy this
dream."
UEFA were similarly critical in a joint-statement with the English Football
Association, the Premier League, the Spanish FA, La Liga, the Italian FA and
Serie A and threatened to ban participating clubs from their domestic
competitions.
"We will consider all measures available to us, at all levels, both judicial
and sporting in order to prevent this happening. Football is based on open
competitions and sporting merit; it cannot be any other way.
"The clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at
domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the
opportunity to represent their national teams."
Even Prime Minister Boris Johnson has had his say, tweeting: "Plans for a
European Super League would be very damaging for football and we support
football authorities in taking action. They would strike at the heart of the
domestic game, and will concern fans across the country.
"The clubs involved must answer to their fans and the wider footballing
community before taking any further steps."
How realistic is this?
This does feel significant, both for the future of English and European
football.
We have been here before - namely Project Big Picture - but what feels
different this time is the level of planning and what may or may not have
been signed.
The furious reaction from the Premier League, UEFA and other European
leagues signifies just how much this threatens the integrity of domestic and
European leagues.
Clubs would need the approval of the associations, who govern the domestic
competitions, to join an unsanctioned breakaway league.
"I cannot envisage any scenario where such permission would be granted,"
said Premier League chief executive Richard Masters in a memo to all 20
Premier League clubs.
Potentially huge. Under Premier League rule L.9, which all 20 clubs sign up
to, clubs must obtain 'prior written approval of the Board' if they wish to
enter to anything other than the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, FA
Community Shield, Carabao Cup or any other competition sanctioned by the
county association.
Any player whose club agrees to join an unsanctioned competition risks not
playing in any UEFA or FIFA competition, including the European
Championships and World Cup.
In January, FIFA had said that a breakaway league would not be recognised
and that "any club or player involved in such a competition would as a
consequence not be allowed to participate in any competition organised by
FIFA or their respective confederation."
What would the format be?
Those involved in the proposed breakaway may point to this being a mere
'extra' midweek fixture, though with an already-packed schedule, it is not
as simple or straightforward as that.
The total number of teams involved and the exact format remains unclear, but
it is widely considered that this is direct rival to the Champions League.
How would the league be financed?
About $5billion has been committed to this new project by the American bank
JP Morgan.
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