Six
English teams are part of plans for a breakaway European Super League but
how could a new competition really affect the Premier League, the Champions
League and the Euros?
The Premier League's 'Big Six' - Manchester United, Manchester City,
Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham - are all founding members of the
new midweek competition designed to rival the UEFA Champions League, along
with AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real
Madrid.
Details about the format have emerged but despite the European Super
League's insistence that "preserving the strength of domestic leagues is a
key principle," there could be seismic ramifications for football.
What will PL clubs discuss in crisis
talks?
The 14 Premier League clubs who have no involvement in the Super League
proposals will hold talks with Premier League CEO Richard Masters on
Tuesday.
"This is a highly significant conference call," said Bryan Swanson, Sky
Sports News' chief reporter.
"The six clubs involved in breakaway proposals are not included. This will
be a very visible moment of how divided the Premier League clubs have become
- those for a new European competition, and those who disagree with it.
"Masters will listen very carefully to the strength of feeling and,
collectively, decide what happens next."
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish said on Monday Night Football: "Of
course we want them back to the table. They are massive brands, very
successful. We need them in our league and we have to find a way of
understanding the issues but equally we have to be strong. Hopefully we can
find a resolution."
The backlash and the legalities:
'High-stakes game of negotiation'
The Premier League clubs who have signed up to these controversial plans
were dubbed the 'Shameless Six' rather than the Big Six on Monday's back
pages.
The plans have prompted widespread condemnation from governing bodies to
governments and royalty, players to pundits and fans.
Sky Sports' Gary Neville - speaking before the announcement but after the
plans had emerged - labelled the English clubs involved a "disgrace" and
called for them to be sanctioned by the Premier League.
After the ESL's media release, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the
footballing world was "united against the disgraceful, self-serving,
proposals we have seen, fuelled purely by greed," while Prince William, who
is the current FA president, tweeted his displeasure towards the breakaway
plans, saying: "Now, more than ever, we must protect the entire football
community - from the top level to the grassroots - and the values of
competition and fairness at its core."
"Everyone in the game seems to be against these proposals; now we seem to be
getting the clubs close to them trying to put the other side of the story;
the 'positive spin'," said Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and
Tottenham insist they remain fully committed to the Premier League and the
clubs involved in the project believe signing off at least €10bn in
solidarity payments demonstrates their commitment to the wider game.
But a board member at one of the six Premier League clubs who are breaking
away has told Sky Sports News the owners were fully expecting a backlash:
"To be honest, they are not that worried about PR."
According to the board member, the owners' view is that their "primary job
is to maximise our revenues and profits. The wider good of the game is a
secondary concern".
Ceferin has vowed action - as has UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson - but a
legal storm would appear to be looming, with advice given to clubs that it
would be a breach of EU and UK competition law to deny a new entrant into
the market.
"It's a high-stakes game of negotiation now," sports lawyer Daniel Geey told
Sky Sports News.
"UEFA and FIFA might be coming out and saying we won't allow players to play
in our competitions but that is a very strong position for them to use to
try and get everyone round the table.
"I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that this ESL is going to
necessarily happen. I haven't got a crystal ball but a letter of intent is
not definitive. While this is obviously a lot more significant, with public
statements on club websites, resignations, resignations from the European
Club Association and strong words from Ceferin, things are very terse but
that doesn't mean they can't be pulled back from the brink."
What would it mean for Premier League if
it did happen?
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and
Tottenham say they remain fully committed to the Premier League.
But the board member at one of the breakaway clubs said: "If the clubs were
allowed to stay in the Premier League, they would focus on midweek Super
League games and it is a real possibility that they would field weakened
teams for domestic games at the weekend."
What about the race for Europe? Who would qualify? What about promotion and
relegation?
It is too soon to assess the immediate impact as clubs, technically, have
yet to formally request anything with the Football Association and Premier
League.
But it is worth remembering that The FA can veto any significant changes to
promotion and relegation involving the Premier League - by using its 'golden
share' - given the impact on the rest of the football pyramid.
What about the Champions League and Europa
League? Are they meaningless now?
Chelsea and Manchester City have reached the semi-finals of the Champions
League, while Manchester United and Arsenal are in the last four of the
Europa League - but UEFA chief Ceferin has called for players from all 12
breakaway clubs to be banned from all UEFA competitions "as soon as
possible".
Asked whether UEFA could hold the Champions League without the 12 clubs,
Ceferin said: "Yes, of course. In Europe there are many good clubs...we will
do it with or without them".
UEFA has announced its own new Champions League proposals post-2024, with
the format including no more groups and each team will play 10 different
opponents, home and away.
Executive committee member Jesper Moller, who is also the head of the Danish
Football Association, told national broadcaster DR: "There will be an
extraordinary executive committee meeting on Friday. I have an expectation
that the 12 clubs will be thrown out [of the Champions League].
"The clubs are going out, and I expect that to happen on Friday, and then
you have to see how to finish the Champions League."
Ceferin has said it is still unclear whether the proposed breakaway clubs
will be involved in the remainder of this season's Champions League and
Europa League competition. Further talks will be held on Tuesday following
UEFA's Congress.
"Ceferin was very careful with his words on Monday," said Swanson. "He's a
lawyer and won't commit to too much during an existing competition. The fact
legal talks will continue this week shows they are exploring a range of
options."
Will it affect the Euros?
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.
That means 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.
Ceferin's warning that players from breakaway clubs should be banned from
all UEFA competitions "as soon as possible" brings their participation at
Euro 2020 into the spotlight.
On whether UEFA could stop players from competing in Euro 2020, he said:
"We're still assessing the situation with our legal team. It's a bit too
early. We will take all the sanctions that we can… "
But world players' union FIFPRO said in a statement that they would
"vigorously oppose measures by either side that would impede the rights of
players, such as exclusion from their national teams".
The board insider at a breakaway club told Sky Sports News that owners
involved want "less football, not more football" and would be secretly
delighted about the prospect of their players being banned from the Euros
and World Cup: "They don't like giving their playing assets away to
countries for very little financial reward."
As far as the logistics of this summer's tournament are concerned, UEFA on
Monday pushed back a decision on Euro 2020 host cities until Friday. Ceferin
has admitted issues need resolving over three host cities that "might be
excluded".
Will it mean more mega-money transfers?
Founding clubs will receive an amount of €3.5 billion; divided by the 15
founding clubs, that is around €233m (£200m) each.
But each club's share cannot be spent on new signings and must only be used
to support infrastructure plans and offset COVID-19 impact.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said the UK Government would "do
whatever it takes to protect our national game" and hinted at a potential
attempt to block signings from abroad through work permit regulation.
"We are examining every option, from governance reform, to competition law,
to the mechanisms that allow football to take place, like work permits and
policing arrangements and taxation," he told MPs.
What could it mean for Celtic and Rangers?
Sky Sports' Charles Paterson believes an ESL would appeal to Rangers and
Celtic.
"There have been constant intermittent rumblings from the Old Firm about a
potential move to England or to an "Atlantic League"; indeed recent reports
in December suggested that Celtic's majority shareholder Dermot Desmond had
turned down the chance to push ahead with plans for the latter. Whilst the
grand ideas have never come to pass, they have also never been truly been
buried.
"The massive, growing financial gulf between Rangers and Celtic and the rest
of Scotland in some ways mirrors the chasm being created at the top of
European football. The Old Firm have for some time been banging their heads
against a financial glass ceiling; as they dominate in their own land, their
ability to compete abroad is hampered by the limited revenues generated in
the Scottish Premiership and the increasing difficulty of qualification for
the Champions League group stages.
"Celtic's outgoing chief executive Peter Lawwell sits on the ECA board and
was part of an emergency call on Sunday evening. It is understood he and
Celtic, like many of those clubs left out of the ESL's party, are strongly
against the breakaway.
"Yet bluntly, it must be asked: would the Old Firm jump at the chance of
competing in a European Super League if they were invited? Almost certainly,
considering the potential riches on offer and their duty to their
shareholders."
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