UEFA, the governing body of European football, has put the disciplinary procedures against Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus on hold. Earlier, there were strong claims of strict action against the three of them.
The three sides were among the 12 core participants of the infamous movement known as the European Super League, which was unveiled in April but quickly disintegrated as nine other clubs backed out.
All the Premier League clubs that are enclosed in the bracket called ‘the big 6’, pulled out of the initiative within the first 48 hours of the commencement of the league. This includes Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, Milan, Inter, and Atletico Madrid also announced their withdrawal around the same time frame.
Despite the grand fallout, it did not disintegrate entirely. Three clubs, namely Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Juventus FC, all continued to support the concept, which would hypothetically replace the UEFA Champions League. Although, they essentially wanted out from the UCL, they intended to stay and participate in their respective domestic competitions.
The Premier League clubs noticeably accepted the rightful punishment that came their way. This also included them making promises to never join such an alliance in the future. Due to their refusal to back the ideas, it was recommended that each of the three clubs would face a two-year ban from Europe’s top-tier club competition and a hefty fine along with it.
However, a statement released on Wednesday indicated that the inquiry will be subject to a ‘stay in proceedings,’ which means that the inquiry would be put on hold, if not entirely terminated.
The statement read: “Following the opening of disciplinary proceedings against FC Barcelona, Juventus FC and Real Madrid CF for a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework in connection with the so-called ‘Super League’ project, the UEFA Appeals Body has decided to stay the proceedings until further notice.”