London, April 21: The Super League collapsed before a ball was kicked in the European breakaway competition after being abandoned by the six English clubs, all three Italian clubs besides Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham throughout Tuesday evening deserted the proposal to launch a largely-closed midweek competition amid an escalating backlash from their supporters and warnings from the British government that legislation could be introduced to thwart it.
Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus have also all dropped out of the league, leaving the new competition essentially extinct before it even started.
The Super League project was overseen by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, who also signed up Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in Spain, and Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan from Italy.
The rival for the UEFA-run Champions League became unviable without the six clubs from the world’s richest league.
The remaining fledgling Super League organization was defiant, blaming “pressure” being applied for forcing out the English clubs and insisting the proposal complied with the law and could yet be revived in some form.
“Given the current circumstances,” the Super League said in a statement, “we shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project, always having in mind our goals of offering fans the best experience possible while enhancing solidarity payments for the entire football community.”
The English clubs heeded the appeals from UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin to remain part of the Champions League, which has a qualification criteria based on a team’s performance in the domestic league.
“I said yesterday that it is admirable to admit a mistake and these clubs made a big mistake,” he said. “But they are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game. “The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together.”
As it became clear Chelsea and City were quitting the Super League on Tuesday evening, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and his teammates posted a message advocating staying within the open European competitions.
Liverpool, which is owned by the Boston Red Sox investment group, eventually issued a statement thanking those inside and outside the club for “valuable contributions” before making the decision to stick within existing structures.
“We have listened carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders,” said Manchester United owned by the American Glazer family and listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
“We remain committed to working with others across the football community to come up with sustainable solutions to the long-term challenges facing the game.”
“It was never our intention to cause such distress, however, when the invitation to join the Super League came, while knowing there were no guarantees, we did not want to be left behind to ensure we protected Arsenal and its future,” the north London club said.
“As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologize for it.”
Tottenham also gave a detailed explanation for why it signed up before backing away. “We regret the anxiety and upset caused by the ESL proposal,” chairman Daniel Levy said.
Chelsea, which is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, said it only joined the Super League group last week. “We have now had time to consider the matter fully and have decided that our continued participation in these plans would not be in the best interests of the club, our supporters or the wider football community,”
The Premier League threatened to sanction the six rebel clubs and Prime Minister Boris Johnson considered introducing laws to stop them forming a new European competition he called a “cartel.”
AC Milan signaled it was leaving a few hours after Atlético and Inter Milan made their announcements.
“The voices and the concerns of fans around the world have clearly been expressed about the Super League, and AC Milan must be sensitive to the voice of those who love this wonderful sport,” the Italian club said.
Juventus followed moments later, but didn’t completely abandon plans for a future Super League.
“While Juventus remains convinced of the soundness of the project’s sport, commercial and legal premises, it believes that at present there are limited chances that the project be completed in the form originally conceived,” the club said.
Atlético said the decision was made after its board of directors met on Wednesday.
The Spanish club said it “decided to formally communicate the Super League and the rest of the founding clubs its decision not to formalize its participation in the project.”
“For the club, harmony is essential for everyone involved in the (Atlético) family, especially our fans,” it said.
Inter said the club was committed to delivering the best soccer experience for fans because “innovation and inclusion have been part of our DNA since our foundation.”
“Our commitment with all stakeholders to improve the football industry will never change,” the Italian club said. (AP)
