All we know about the European Super League so far

As mentioned in the official release, the European Super League is coming about and could begin as soon as August of this year. Here, we look at everything that we know about the proposed tournament. 

Who are the founding clubs? 

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. 

What is the format? 

• 20 participating clubs with 15 Founding Clubs and a qualifying mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based on achievements in the prior season.
• Midweek fixtures with all participating clubs continuing to compete in their respective national leagues, preserving the traditional domestic match calendar which remains at the heart of the club game.
• An August start with clubs participating in two groups of ten, playing home and away fixtures, with the top three in each group automatically qualifying for the quarter-finals. 
• Teams finishing fourth and fifth will then compete in a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final positions. A two-leg knockout format will be used to reach the final at the end of May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue.

The reason behind such a tournament? 

With the Champions League expanding through the arrival of the ‘Swiss’ tournament plan, we will already be watching more football in three years time. And considering the quality of matches provided by the historic tournament, the need for such a new league seems unnecessary. 

At this point, the monetary aspect kicks in. These participating clubs will receive £250-£300 million for participating only, and the winner of the tournament will receive £500 million. The Super League is being funded by American investment bank JP Morgan, who have pledged a sum worth $5 billion. 

What are the repercussions?

The President of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin spoke at length about the repercussions that would be in place for the dozen clubs, as well as their players should they go forth with their participation in the European Super League. 

Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City could be dumped out of the Champions League as soon as Friday due to them consenting in participating in the Super League. Whether or not PSG will win the Champions League this way is yet to be ascertained. 

Moreover, they could all be kicked out of their respective domestic leagues due to the blasphemous act of breaking away from the pyramid system owing to monetary greed. 

As for the players of these clubs, they are set to be banned from participating in UEFA and FIFA competitions, including the European Championship and the World Cup.