The European Super League collapsed on Wednesday as eight of the 12 founding members from England, Italy and Spain abandoned the breakaway project under massive pressure from fans, politicians, soccer officials and even the British royals.
Founder and Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli says he was reluctantly calling time on the new league after six English clubs withdrew on Tuesday, with Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid following suit and AC Milan indicating they would too.
“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 in a statement.
No regrets
Agnelli said he still believed in the merits of the Super League despite the overwhelming criticism and had no regrets about how the breakaway had been conducted.
“I remain convinced of the beauty of that project. It’s a grand idea,” Agnelli said, adding that it would have been the best competition in the world.
Juventus itself stopped short of saying the league was dead but said it recognised there were limited chances of the project being completed in the form originally conceived.
The Italian club said in a statement that it was aware certain clubs intended to leave but they had yet to complete the necessary procedures under the Super League agreement.
The Super League argued it would increase revenue for the top clubs in Europe and allow them to distribute more money to the rest of the game.
However, the sport’s governing bodies, other teams and fan organisations said the league would only boost the power and wealth of elite clubs, and that the partially closed structure went against European football’s long-standing model.
Celebrations
Players, fans, pundits and politicians celebrated the U-turns of the English Premier League teams on Tuesday that left the league in tatters and pushed other founding members to jump ship. Manchester City were the first to back out of the venture, before Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea announced they were following suit.
“This is the right result for football fans, clubs, and communities across the country. We must continue to protect our cherished national game,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
Fans had gathered in large numbers ooutside Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium ahead of their Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion to protest against the breakaway league.
They ended up chanting, “We saved football!” after reports filtered through that Chelsea were abandoning the project.
Apologies
Liverpool’s principal owner John Henry apologised in a video on the club’s website and social media.
“It goes without saying but should be said that the project put forward was never going to stand without the support of the fans,” he said.
“I alone am responsible for the unnecessary negativity brought forward over the past couple of days.”
A statement released by the Arsenal board said: “We made a mistake and we apologise for it.”
Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer also apologised. “In seeking to create a more stable foundation for the game, we failed to show enough respect for its deep-rooted traditions — promotion, relegation, the pyramid — and for that we are sorry,” Glazer wrote in an open letter to the fans.
Amid celebrations over the collapse of the project, anger remained.
“They were going to sell the souls of our major football institutions,” said Liverpool great Graeme Souness. “I don’t know how these clubs will manage to get back on-side.”
