These are incredible images, which alone testify to the excitement generated across the Channel by the Super League project, in which six English clubs were initially to participate.
Anger is brewing in London and hundreds of supporters from different clubs gathered on Tuesday evening outside Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, ahead of the Premier League match between the Blues and Brighton, to express their anger at the project.
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Understand everything about the European football revolution project
"RIP (rest in peace), Football 1863-2021", "Created by the poor, stolen by the rich" or "Roman (Abramovich, the Russian owner of Chelsea), make the right decision", the slogans on the many signs testified to the violence of the rejection of this semi-closed competition, presented Sunday by 12 European clubs including 6 English.
Chelsea fans stopping traffic to protest the Super League pic.twitter.com/lkzAnt1wlh
- Martha Kelner (@marthakelner) April 20, 2021
In addition to Chelsea, the two Manchester, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal support this project, with three Spanish and three Italian teams.
A project with uncertain life expectancy: the Blues, as well as Manchester City, would be on the verge of withdrawing their participation, according to several British media, including the BBC.
The Times added that FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid could do the same.
When Blues fans heard the latest news (or rumors), they literally went into exultation.
The news report of Chelsea's withdrawal from the European Super League has reached the fans outside Stamford Bridge who were protesting đ„ pic.twitter.com/231CXhM5Fy
- đđ đ đđđđ đ (@TheEuropeanLad) April 20, 2021
In the meantime, in London, nearly a thousand football fans have put aside their rivalries for an evening to unite against a project which, according to them, distorts their sport.
âManchester City are in my blood, my uncle played for City and everyone in my family is City fan.
But I don't want us to be part of this elite, I would still prefer to see us in League Two (D4), âsaid Zac Bookbinder, 16, who came to demonstrate with friends.
Petr Cech goes to contact
The project, which foresees that 15 of the 20 places in the new competition would be reserved automatically for founding teams every year, has drawn the joint wrath of practically everyone.
From the political world to the ancient glories of English football, no one seemed to want to defend the idea.
Some players or coaches active in the clubs concerned, who have distanced themselves from the proposed concept in daring to tackle their management head-on. âIt raises a lot of questions. My personal opinion is that I do not like it and I hope that it will not be done, for example assured James Milner, midfielder of Liverpool, Monday evening, after a match in Leeds (1- 1). âIt's not sport when there is no relationship between effort and reward. It is not sport if success is guaranteed or if losing is irrelevant, âsaid Pep Guardiola, Manchester City coach.
At Stamford Bridge, protesters, in a good spirit, blocked traffic outside the main entrance to the stadium, even preventing the Chelsea bus from entering.
Former club goalkeeper and current technical director Petr Cech even had to come out to ask the protesters to please let him through and tried to chat with them.
There is something amazing about the images.
đ”đŁ "I know, give everybody time."
Petr Cech speaks to the protesting Chelsea fans outside Stamford Bridge ... @ AbsoluteChelsea |
#CHEBRI pic.twitter.com/oP4jyxzzZ5
- The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) April 20, 2021
But in the crowd, the slogans "We em ***** the Super League", "We want our Chelsea back" were repeated in the heart, and the cars passing in front of the stadium honked in support of the demonstrators, resulting in a conversation at cross purposes.
The decision to join the Super League "would ruin years of history" of the club, lamented Danny Bedford, 48, a Blues fan. "I find it a bad joke and just the latest find to extract money from the fans by ruining 116 years of history for the Chelsea Football Club", said this security officer. âThey literally tear out the hearts of football and its supporters. Chelsea is the heart and soul of this community. Businesses depend on supporters who come every week to spend thousands and thousands of pounds, all so that the bigwigs behind a desk send all that waltz, âhe added.
