Uefa is threatening to ban players of clubs in the newly proposed European Super League from playing in Euro 2020 as well as the World Cup and Champions League, as president Aleksander Ceferin hit out at those behind the breakaway competition in an explosive press conference today, calling Manchester United executive Ed Woodward a “snake”.
United are one of the ringleaders in a new plot among Europe’s major clubs to breakaway from Uefa’s Champions League and form a new Super League which would see the founding members rewarded with protected rights to play in the competition every year, effectively concentrating the sport’s power and money to a select few and undermining the notion of fair and open competition.
Plans were announced last night as United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham put their names to the highly controversial proposal. They were joined by three clubs from Italy – AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus – and three clubs from Spain – Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid – in announcing their position as founders of a new breakaway competition.
The backlash has been fierce, with leagues, football associations, governments, pundits and players all condemning the manoeuvre, its effects on football’s long-standing competitive pyramid and the owners’ brazen disregard for the cultural, social and sporting history of the clubs they purport to represent. The government have also responded forcefully and have announced a fan-led review into football governance.
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Follow all the latest below as we will bring breaking news, reaction and analysis through the day on this seismic story for European football.
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