Six English football clubs are said to be pulling out of controversial plans to launch a new European Super League after widespread outrage and threats by the Prime Minister of legislative action.
Manchester City became the first country to confirm its withdrawal from the proposed competition. Chelsea also reportedly planned to step down Tuesday night.
Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham announced their planned withdrawals late Tuesday.
The intended exit of the clubs comes quickly after proposals for the new league became known on Sunday evening, which triggered a wave of criticism from both the football community and politicians.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously warned that he was ready to enact laws to block the new league plans and accused breakaway football clubs of “forming some kind of cartel”.
On Tuesday evening, he welcomed reports of Chelsea and Manchester City departures and urged other clubs to “follow their lead”.
Union leader Sir Keir Starmer also urged other clubs to follow suit on Twitter.
The decision by Chelsea and Manchester City – if confirmed – is absolutely the right one and I recommend them for it.
I hope that the other clubs involved in the European Super League will follow their lead.
– Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 20, 2021
Tom Greatrex, vice chairman of the Football Supporters’ Association, previously told the PA news agency: “It’s a spectacular misjudgment (by the clubs involved).
“If this was an attempt to gain leverage, I believe they underestimated the collective will of those who love football, play football and are committed to football, mistakenly believing that financial interests could override this. “
In a statement released before most clubs announced their intention to withdraw from the new league, the FA welcomed the news that some clubs were withdrawing their support, stressing that “the game was unanimously a closed league has refused “. .
It was said that the suggestions might have shared our game; but has united us all ”.
Statement from The @FA: pic.twitter.com/nkxYvAL9yP
– FA Spokesperson (@ FA Spokesperson) April 20, 2021
The FA statement continues: “We would particularly like to thank the fans for their influential and clear voice during this time, which fulfills the guiding principles of football. It’s a powerful reminder that the game is and always will be for fans. “
The Duke of Cambridge had previously held discussions on the matter with the FA Chairman of the Board, Mark Bullingham.
Next up is William, the FA president, who tweeted how he shared “fan concerns” about the proposals.
On Tuesday, there was anger in the football community about the actions of the so-called Big Six English Clubs. The Prime Minister told football authorities that he was ready to “drop a bomb of the law” if necessary.
In a morning conference call with the FA and the Premier League, he had indicated that the government could act to ensure that they do not violate competition laws when they impose sanctions on the clubs involved.
Later at a press conference on Downing Street, he said he was determined to prevent historic clubs from being “driven” out of their cities and went from billionaire owners to “international brands and merchandise” without fans saying anything.
Premier League clubs that were part of the planned European Super League (PA Graphics)
According to the plan presented over the weekend, the six English clubs would have joined six leading Spanish and Italian clubs to host an alternative competition to the European Champions League.
The proposal drew particular anger as there would be no relegation from the Super League regardless of how well the clubs do on the field, despite the fact that five of the top performing teams from outside the league would be invited to participate each year.
As a result, the clubs involved should be excluded from the Premier League, as it was proposed that their players would not be allowed to represent their countries at the World Cup or the European Championship.