James Gordon
Just 48 hours after its creation, the breakaway collapsed (Photo: Getty).
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham have joined Manchester City and Chelsea to begin the process of leaving Europe’s controversial Super League.
Just 48 hours after the Premier League’s Big Six announced their intention to form a separate league with six clubs from Spain and Italy, the proposal has been shelved.
Fans, players, politicians and clubs were united in their condemnation and rejection of the plan for a closed Super League in which no founding member could be relegated, with only five places open to other clubs.
Fans flocked to Stamford Bridge to show their opposition to Super League (Photo: Getty)
With plans now in full swing, all six Premier League clubs have confirmed they will begin the departure process, with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid expected to follow.
Chelsea began to distance themselves and shortly before Tuesday night’s draw with Brighton, reports emerged that he would be leaving the Super League, with Manchester City receiving official confirmation shortly afterwards.
The other four Premier League teams – Arsenal, Liverpool, United and Spurs – have also issued statements confirming that they will terminate their Super League contracts.
United Reads statement: Manchester United will not participate in the European Super League. We have listened carefully to feedback from our fans, the UK Government and other key stakeholders.
Plus: Manchester United FC
We remain committed to working with others in the football community to develop sustainable solutions to the long-term challenges facing the sport.
Liverpool’s statement was equally succinct and read as follows: Liverpool Football Club can confirm that its involvement in plans to create a European Super League has ended.
Over the past few days, the Club has received feedback from a number of key stakeholders, both internal and external, and we would like to thank them for their valuable input.
If you want to watch this video, you should enable JavaScript and consider switching to a
browser that supports
HTML5
videos.
Although neither Liverpool nor United have named names – they have already confirmed Ed Woodward will step down as chairman – Spurs boss Daniel Levy has done his best to explain the club’s thinking ahead of Tottenham’s decision.
He said: We regret the turmoil and frustration that the ESL proposal has caused. We felt it was important for our club to be involved in the development of a possible new structure that would ensure greater financial fairness and financial sustainability, whilst significantly increasing support for the wider football pyramid.
We believe that we must never stand still and that the sport must constantly rethink competition and management to ensure that the game we all love continues to evolve and captivate fans around the world. We would like to thank all the supporters who gave their considered opinions.
North London rivals Arsenal have also issued a lengthy explanation of their decision to withdraw from the Super League. In it, he apologised to fans for his decision but, like Spurs, insisted on the need for action and reform.
The last few days have shown us once again how deep the feelings of our fans around the world are for this great club and the game we love. We didn’t need to be reminded of that, but the reaction of the fans in recent days has given us time to think further and think deeply, the Arsenal board said in a statement.
It was never our intention to cause so much pain, but when the invitation came to take part in Super League and we knew there were no guarantees, we didn’t want to sit back and make sure Arsenal and their future were protected.
After listening to you and the entire football community over the past few days, we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, for which we apologize.
We know it will take time to restore your confidence in what we are trying to achieve here at Arsenal, but let’s be clear: the decision to join 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.
Stability is essential for the game to thrive, and we will continue our efforts to provide the security needed to move forward. The system needs to be repaired. We need to work together to find solutions that protect the future of the game and harness the extraordinary power of football to keep us enthralled.
Finally, we know that the end of this incredibly difficult year has been very unsettling for all of us. Our goal is always to make the right decisions for this great football club, to protect it for the future and to move us forward. We did not make the right decision here, which we fully accept. We heard you.
MORE: Gary Neville is hoping Manchester United have to pay a £100m fine to Florentino Perez to leave the European Super League.
MORE: Ed Woodward releases Manchester United resignation letter but ignores Super League controversy
Follow Metro Sport on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
More stories like this can be found on our sports page.
frequently asked questions
Which 6 clubs are in the Super League?
Football
Which teams have joined the European Super League?
Football News Europe C…
Who are the big six in the Premier League?
Football, Big Six Points, subtraction…
Related Tags:
Feedback,european super league teamseuropean super league websiteeuropean super league cancelledeuropean super league twittereuropean super league withdrawaleuropean super league collapse,People also search for,Privacy settings,How Search works,european super league teams,european super league website,european super league cancelled,european super league twitter,european super league withdrawal,european super league collapse,what is european super league controversy,european super league perez
James Gordon
