European "Super League": what it would be like and who would oppose it 2:45
(CNN) -
Soccer fans, politicians and governing bodies rallied after 12 of the sport's biggest teams announced their plans to break away from European competitions and form their own 'Super League', a move that involves an existential threat to the world's most popular sport.
Here is a summary of what you need to know about the plans for this 'Super League', and why they are important.
What is the European Super League?
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It is potentially the biggest shock ever in European club football.
On Sunday, 12 of the largest - and richest - soccer clubs in the world announced their intention to launch a European Super League (ESL).
If completed, the league would have 20 clubs, including 15 founding teams, which would be permanent members.
Five other clubs would qualify annually based on their achievements in the previous season.
It is unclear if those five clubs would be relegated from the ESL regardless of their results.
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What teams are part of the European Super League?
Among the clubs involved are the traditional 'big six' of the Premier League: Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
These are part of the founding members.
Spanish giants Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are also from the founding group, along with Italians AC Milan and Inter Milan, as well as Juventus.
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Bayern Munich, the 2020 Champions League winner, is not part of the project, while Borussia Dortmund president Hans-Joachim Watzke confirmed that the club was against the creation of the ESL.
Both Bayern and Dortmund are represented on the board of directors of the European Club Association and, according to Watzke, the two Bundesliga teams support the new Champions League format, which was announced on Monday.
Paris Saint-Germain is also not included, and The Guardian reports that their reluctance "could be due to the strict financial regulations proposed in the new competition, which would be similar to UEFA's financial fair play."
Because right now?
Timing may be key to understanding the announcement, as UEFA today unveiled details of the expanded Champions League format, which includes more football matches on an already congested fixture list.
Soccer writers and analysts have speculated that the curiously timed statement of the ESL plans could be a tactical salvo in negotiations with UEFA, used as a negotiating tool to discuss a bigger piece of the pie for major clubs. Europeans.
From a fan point of view, the timing is horrible and amounts to homeowners exploiting a system weakened by the pandemic.
Both grassroots football and the larger pyramids of the game in European national leagues are experiencing a money drain and are threatened by the absence of fans for more than a year.
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The owners of the world's biggest clubs have long clamored for a larger share of football's television revenue and other financial rewards, while the increasingly undeniable importance of money in the game has irritated the more traditional fans.
In recent decades, multi-million dollar acquisitions of various teams, such as Manchester City and Chelsea, have widened the gap between the haves and the have-nots, and it is very rare for a team that does not belong to the small group of elites. win a league trophy.
This disparity sparked 'super league' rumors for years, with some suggesting that the clubs involved could be persuaded to shelve the plans if a financial compromise is reached.
But Sunday's announcement is by far the closest soccer has ever come to such a drastic breakdown.
How much money is at stake?
JP Morgan confirmed to CNN on Monday that it will fund the new European Super League, but declined to comment further on the nature of the deal.
The official statement from the 12 founding clubs said: "The founding clubs will receive an amount of 3,500 million euros (4,210 million dollars) exclusively to support their investment plans in infrastructure and to offset the impact of the covid-19 pandemic." .
“The new annual tournament will provide significantly greater economic growth and support for European football… and (solidarity payments) are expected to exceed 10 billion euros ($ 12 billion) during the clubs' initial commitment period. ».
When it would start?
In the statement, the current clubs involved outlined plans to start the competition in August 2021.
All clubs in the new ESL format would compete against each other in the middle of the week, in both home and away matches, similar to the current Champions League knockout format.
Details released so far have not included a broadcaster supporting the competition, but the development has similarities to the establishment of the Premier League, which was key to BSkyB becoming the dominant soccer broadcaster in the UK.
With the growth of powerful tech giants and popular streaming services like Apple TV +, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, the new ESL competition could offer a similar opportunity for such platforms to enter the European sports market, while increasing the huge financial streaming deals that have continued to grow over the past decades, forming the foundation of the gaming wealth.
What has been the reaction?
Criticism against ESL has been widespread.
"FIFA can only express its disapproval of a 'closed and divided European league' outside the structures of international football and that does not respect the aforementioned principles," said the highest body of this sport in a statement.
A previous statement from FIFA, in January, had stated that "any club or player that participates in a competition of this type may not, consequently, participate in any competition organized by FIFA or its respective confederation."
That would mean that many of the best players in the world would not be able to play for their country, leaving the next World Cup without stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne and many more.
UEFA - which oversees all of European football - along with the governing bodies of England, Spain and Italy and the major leagues of those three countries, signed a joint statement.
“We want to reiterate that we - UEFA, the English FA, RFEF, FIGC, the Premier League, LaLiga, Lega Serie A, but also FIFA and all our member associations - will remain united in our efforts to stop this cynical project , which is based on the self-interest of a few clubs at a time when society needs solidarity more than ever, ”says the statement.
“We will study all the measures within our reach, at all levels, both judicial and sporting, to prevent this from happening.
Soccer is based on open competitions and sporting merit;
it cannot be otherwise, "he adds.
The Premier League declared: “Fans of any club in England and across Europe can dream today that their team can rise to the top and play against the best.
We believe that the concept of a European Super League would destroy this dream.
The Football Association of England said: "It is clear that this would be detrimental to English and European football at all levels and will attack the principles of open competition and sporting merit that are fundamental to competitive sport."
On ESL's plans, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'They would strike at the heart of national football and concern fans across the country.
The clubs involved must be accountable to their fans and the wider football community before taking any further steps.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement, according to Reuters: “The President of the Republic welcomes the position of French clubs in refusing to participate in a European Football Super League project that threatens the principle of solidarity and merit. sports."
CNN's Rob Picheta contributed to this report.
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