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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Isaac Johnson

European Super League backers announce plan to relaunch tournament

The remaining entities behind the European Super League have revealed they wish to launch another attempt at a breakaway by creating a new multi-divisional competition that would comprise between 60 and 80 teams.

The sister company leading the battered charge for the project, A22 Sports Management, also told several European newspapers on Thursday that there would be no permanent members with clubs required to play a minimum of 14 matches a season.

A22 has approached more than 50 clubs for talks discussing financial problems they are facing with the Premier League dominating the monetary field. Its fresh announcement comes amid the battle between Uefa and remaining Super League members Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus over the legitimacy of the competition.

READ MORE: First court ruling on European Super League as project dealt blow

In December, The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered its first ruling on the failed breakaway of 2021, leaning in favour of opposers Uefa, who claim it and Fifa have ultimate authority on whether any new competition is approved.

The initial attempt was backed by six Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Manchester City, before they withdrew from the move amid furious backlash from supporters. Meanwhile, all three remaining clubs are experiencing cash problems with Juventus recently deducted 13 points in Serie A for financial irregularities.

The newly devised format proposal by the Super League backers this week also comes after Uefa announced last year that from 2024 the Champions League will be given a restructure with 36 teams participating in one league, with 10 group stage games played.

No details have been given over how the Super League’s newest format idea would work with these discussions seemingly very much being kept behind closed doors. Its potential legitimacy would be questioned, especially after the CJEU’s initial ruling in December.

A22 chief executive Bernd Reichart said that the company's talks with European outfits showed that “it is often impossible for clubs to raise their voices publicly against a system that uses the threat of sanctions to prevent opposition.”

Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22 Sports Management (Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)

Reichart pledged that the women’s game and domestic competitions would be supported and outlined how financial stability, the fan experience and player health was of importance, albeit again no details on this have been disclosed.

A number of high profile players, including Raphael Varane and Kevin De Bruyne, have aired their frustration and concern over the amount of games they are required to play with this only set to rise in forthcoming years.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino announced during the World Cup that the Club World Cup would be expanded into a 32-team tournament from 2025, piling yet more fixtures into the regular schedule.

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