MUMBAI: Talk about short-lived delusions of grandeur. Within 48 hours of its public unveiling, the grand plans for a breakaway European Super League (ESL) hatched, created and designed by the grubby men who run 12 of the richest clubs of Europe, and bankrolled to the tune of $5.5 billion (€4 billion) by JP Morgan, lay in tatters.
Late on Tuesday, the six English clubs that made up half the “dirty dozen”, had separately announced they were dissociating from the ESL. The rogue league had collapsed before a ball had been kicked as it were, leaving the remaining three Spanish and three Italian clubs who had signed on to the ESL stranded.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham at different times on Tuesday bailed out on the ESL proposal amid an escalating backlash from their supporters and warnings from the British government that legislation could be introduced to thwart it.
On Wednesday, it was the turn of Italian Serie A side Inter Milan and LaLiga club Atletico Madrid to see the writing on the wall and announce their intention to walk away from the fast disintegrating ESL.
Without the six richest clubs from the Premier League, the world’s richest football league, the remaining “founding members of the now unviable ESL – Real Madrid and Barcelona from Spain’s LaLiga, and and Juventus and AC Milan from Italy’s Serie A – have no recourse left but to go back to their incensed fans and “seek forgiveness with folded hands”.
The biggest losers from the sorry saga are of course its chief architects – Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, confirmed Sunday as the president of the now “non-league”, and Andrea Agnelli, Juventus president and scion of the billionaire Agnelli family, who had been named vice-president of the ESL.
Agnelli in particular has to be considered the central figure in this tawdry tale – someone who will be remembered as arguably the most self-serving character in a dark football history full of them.
Agnelli was chairman of the European Club Association (ECA) – a body which represents 232 football clubs. Last Friday, acting seemingly on their behalf, Agnelli, who was also a member of UEFA’s influential executive committee, agreed to all of the discussed Champions League reforms (which were made public on Monday). And on Sunday came the announcement of the ESL plan and his resignation from the ECA. Fittingly, on Tuesday it was Agnelli in particular who faced the most derision for the ESL fiasco.
The Perez and Agnelli-led ESL rump remained publicly defiant Tuesday though, releasing a statement that blamed “pressure” being applied for forcing out the English clubs and insisting the proposal could yet be revived in some form. Like all good megalomaniacs, the duo remain delusional in the face of ground realities.
For the record, the statement issued by the ESL rump reads:
Coming back to the Premier League clubs, they heeded the appeals from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin to remain part of the Champions League.
“I said yesterday (Monday) that it is admirable to admit a mistake and these clubs made a big mistake,” he said. “But they are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game.
“The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together.”
Liverpool, which is owned by the Boston Red Sox investment group, eventually issued a statement thanking those inside and outside the club for “valuable contributions” before making the decision to stick within existing structures.
Manchester United, the club owned by the American Glazer family and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, stated: “We have listened carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders.
“We remain committed to working with others across the football community to come up with sustainable solutions to the long-term challenges facing the game.”
Arsenal, owned by Stan Kroenke, who also has the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams in his portfolio, stated: “It was never our intention to cause such distress, however, when the invitation to join the Super League came, while knowing there were no guarantees, we did not want to be left behind to ensure we protected Arsenal and its future.
“As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologize for it.
“We know it will take time to restore your faith in what we are trying to achieve here at Arsenal but let us be clear that the decision to be part of the Super League was driven by our desire to protect Arsenal, the club you love, and to support the game you love through greater solidarity and financial stability.”
Tottenham also gave a detailed explanation for why it signed up before backing away. “We regret the anxiety and upset caused by the ESL proposal,” chairman Daniel Levy said. “We felt it was important that our club participated in the development of a possible new structure that sought to better ensure financial fair play and financial sustainability whilst delivering significantly increased support for the wider football pyramid.
“We believe that we should never stand still and that the sport should constantly review competitions and governance to ensure the game we all love continues to evolve and excite fans around the world.”
Chelsea, which is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, said it only joined the Super League group last week. “We have now had time to consider the matter fully and have decided that our continued participation in these plans would not be in the best interests of the club, our supporters or the wider football community,” Chelsea said in a statement hours after its game against Brighton had been delayed by fan protests outside its Stamford Bridge stadium.
The Premier League threatened to sanction the six rebel clubs and Prime Minister Boris Johnson considered introducing laws to stop them forming a new European competition he called a “cartel”.
The Premier League had threatened the six clubs with expulsion if they tried to go it alone in Europe. The other 14 clubs met Tuesday and “unanimously and vigorously” rejected the Super League plans.
Britain’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said out-of-touch owners “completely misjudged the strength of feeling from fans, players and the whole country.”
The government is exploring adopting the 50-plus-1 rule from Germany that gives fans the majority of voting rights, nominally to protect clubs from being controlled by private investors.
“Our fan-led review will still happen and I remain convinced of the need for reform,” Dowden said. “We must make sure this never happens again.”
Everton decried the “preposterous arrogance” of Super League clubs. Everton’s nine titles are the fourth most by a team in the history of the English top division, and the club from Merseyside was considered part of the country’s elite in the 1980s and early 1990s.
“The backlash is understandable and deserved – and has to be listened to,” Everton’s board of directors said in a statement. “This preposterous arrogance is not wanted anywhere in football outside of the clubs that have drafted this plan.”
Manchester United chairman Woodward steps down in wake of ESL fiasco
While Perez and Agnelli remain ensconced in their positions, the same has not been the case for Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. The club announced Woodward’s resignation Tuesday and stated he would step down at the end of the year.
According to Goal, Woodward, along with Manchester United owner Joel Glazer, was also among the driving forces behind the ESL.
While announcing his resignation, Woodward stated: “I am extremely proud to have served United and it has been an honour to work for the world’s greatest football club for the past 16 years. The club is well positioned for the future and it will be difficult to walk away at the end of the year.
“I will treasure the memories from my time at Old Trafford, during a period when we won the Europa League, the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. I am proud of the regeneration of the club’s culture and our return to the Manchester United way of playing.
“We have invested more than £1 billion in the squad during my time here and I am particularly delighted with the progress the players have made under the astute leadership of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his coaching team in the last two years.
“I am sure that with the changes we have made on-field and to the coaching and football staff in recent years this great club will soon be lifting silverware again. It deserves to.
“I desperately wanted the club to win the Premier League during my tenure and I am certain the foundations are in place for us to win it back for our passionate fans.
“Our world-famous academy is flourishing again, with 34 players progressing into the first team since 2013, and it has been a pleasure to watch talents such as Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Axel Tuanzebe flourish in the first team environment.
“In the years to come the club’s production line of young talent will continue to push established first team players for their places. That competition bodes well for the future.
“We have also established Manchester United women and their progress is further evidence of the demand for success at this great club.
“The last 16 months have brought so many unique challenges and the club’s work in the community and around the world during the Covid-19 pandemic has been heroic. The financial impact on football clubs has been severe, but United have been one of the most robust and resilient in the face of extraordinary financial pressures.
“I would like to thank United’s passionate fans for their support during the good and bad times. I know this has been a challenging period in our history, but your support for the team has never, ever been in doubt.
“Finally, it has been a pleasure to work with so many magnificent, talented and hard-working people.”
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