Nine breakaway European Super League clubs formally re-commit to UEFA - (2022)

Categories: Football | Published by: AC

10/05/2021

Updated: 17/05/2022

Nine of the twelve clubs that broke away to form the European Super League have formally renounced their association to it, have re-committed themselves to working with Europe's top footballing body UEFA.

The nine clubs under question are English teams Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, Italian sides AC Milan and Inter Milan and Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid.

The nine teams have also agreed to punitive measures from UEFA that involve a 5 per cent reduction in prize money from their next season in Europe and redistribution of the penalty among other participating clubs.

On top of that, each club could face fines up to €100 million (£87 million) if they attempt to break away again.

The nine clubs will also commit a sum amounting to €15m (£13m) for what UEFA called a ‘gesture of goodwill' to benefit the sport at the child, youth and grassroots level.

The other three sides, viz. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus have stood their ground and decided to defend their plans for a European Super League.

The three clubs have issued a joint statement vowing to “persevere in the pursuit of adequate solutions” following the fallout from the European Super League in the face of what they perceive as threats from UEFA – the three are set to face “appropriate action” with UEFA determined to move against them on disciplinary grounds.

Denouncing the “intolerable pressure' put on them by the UEFA, the three clubs are now planning to seek damages from any club that walks away from the ESL project.

The holdouts say that they will refuse to let the Super League die, adding that that they would bring down legal action and financial penalties on their former partners and press for a broader argument against UEFA’s influence over club soccer in the European court system.

UEFA has hinted that it would treat repentant clubs in a more lenient fashion than those that refused to toe their line.

The premier European footballing body warned that those refusing to back down, will face the risked of extreme penalties that include a two-year ban from the Champions League, Europe’s most high-profile and richest competition.

In the face of great fan outrage and official anger, the idea of ESL started to wobble even before the formal announcement of its creation.

Manchester City became the first club to officially announce its intention to withdraw less than 48 hours after the league was launched.

City's withdrawal had a cascading effect as all the other five teams released official statements announcing their plans to withdraw from the breakaway league.