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Many of the richest football clubs in Europe have agreed to be part of one Super League getaway competition that would mean the biggest transformation of the game in decades.
As many as 12 clubs have joined a plan, backed by $ 6 billion in JPMorgan debt financing, to launch a new tournament that would replace the Champions League, currently the continent’s leading annual club competition.
According to people who know the discussions, among those who are ready to join the pro-independence contest are Real Madrid and FC Barcelona; Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea; and the Italian, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan. These clubs declined or did not respond to any requests for comment.
The new league, according to documents seen by the FT, would involve 20 clubs with 15 “permanent” members, meaning they could not be relegated and should not qualify thanks to strong performances in national league competitions.
The founding members would be awarded between 100 and 350 euros each and would continue to play in their national competitions, such as the English Premier League and the Spanish League. With projected revenues of € 4 billion for competition through media sales and sponsorship, clubs would receive a fixed payment of € 264 million a year. JPMorgan declined to comment.
Among the clubs that have not yet signed up are Frenchman Paris Saint-Germain and German Bayern Munich, among the richest in Europe, according to people close to the discussions.
A statement on the Superliga is designed to headline an alternative plan for a radical transformation of the Champions League, led by Uefa, the governing body of European football.
On Monday, at the annual Uefa conference, a radical new format must be approved for their competition, which includes 100 more matches each season and more ties that generate money among the best teams.
The move comes after the European Club Association, a body representing the interests of more than 200 leading teams led by Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, met last week to discuss proposed reforms to the tournaments. clubs on the continent.
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The ECA agreed to allow Uefa to continue with the proposed format changes, but it did widespread discontent with the plan, as the leading clubs wanted to have more guarantees over a new joint venture that would control all media and sponsorship rights for European club competitions.
Attempts by Uefa to contact Agnelli this weekend to find out if Juventus had agreed to join the Superliga have failed, according to people close to the talks. However, other power runners have been reported, such as the head of the League, Javier Tebas, who is among the football officials who want to block the rupture plan.
Leading clubs, which have suffered a sharp pandemic revenue deficit, are interested in the new competition, which they believe will guarantee the revenue of European matches every season. It could also include aspects of cost control, such as possible salary caps and spending caps.
The competition would resemble the structure of “closed” American sports leagues, where franchise owners enjoy reliable profits and with the team’s valuation constantly increasing over time.
But the plan breaks with the pyramid structure of the European game, where even the smallest teams, through strong performances on the pitch, can win the biggest trophies.
Uefa declined to comment.
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