Improved plans for a contentious European Super League have been announced after a top court ruled that obstructing clubs from joining a breakaway league was against the law.
The ESL proposal is basically for a league format that will see 64 men's clubs and 32 women's clubs compete.
The competition is expected to rival the present tournaments overseen by the European football governing body, UEFA.
Several clubs have revealed their stance following the announcement by the top European court.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid amongst others, have all come out to reiterate their initial stance.
These clubs appear to be against the introduction of the European Super League, particularly due to the interest of their fanbase.
Those behind the ESL brought a case forward and they claimed that UEFA and FIFA were going against competition rules by threatening to sanction clubs that joined the breakaway league.
On Thursday, December 21, 2023, the European Court of Justice put out a judgment against the governing bodies but emphasized that the decision doesn't guarantee the introduction of a breakaway league.
However, this ruling has given room for new proposals to be put forward, empowering football clubs with the power to create and manage football competitions.
The ESL is an initiative proposed by A22 - and they look to introduce an annual promotion and relegation system with no permanent clubs.
An intriguing development for the fans is the fact that organizers of the ESL claim that the 12th-men will be able to watch live games for free on a new digital stream platform.
This will help bring more eyes to the game, as fans will be able to see their teams strut their stuff from whatever location they are.
No prize money has been announced but in a statement released by the ECA, they said: “To be absolutely clear, the judgment in no way whatsoever supports or endorses any form of Super League project.”
The European Clubs Association indicate that “Football is a social contract and not a legal contract”, and as such they stand against entities aiming to downplay “the very foundations and basic principles of European football.”
The Football Supporters Association following the ruling by the ECA also expressed emphatically that “there is no place for an ill-conceived breakaway super league”.
The European Super League brouhaha started in April 2021 when news began to surface regarding a plan by 12 European powerhouse clubs - including Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona had agreed to join the breakaway league.
There were several agitations and calls from fans following the decision, indicating that this initiative must not see the light of day.
Subsequently, many of these clubs began to pull out of the breakaway move, stressing the need to prioritize the interest of their fans, and as such within 72 hours these moves collapsed.
Meanwhile, the European Super League is expected to be hierarchical, with 3 different leagues - namely; Gold League and Star League consisting of 16 teams.
Additionally, there would be a Blue League, the bottom division, housing 32 teams with relegation and promotion to occur across these leagues.
Teams that finish amongst the top 8 of each league go into the knockout rounds, with quarter-finals and semi-finals to be played across two legs on neutral venues.
The bottom 20 teams in the Blue League would be relegated, with the best-performing clubs from the domestic leagues in Europe to come in as replacements.
Clubs that progress into the final of the Gold and Blue Leagues would be promoted to the Star League and Gold League, while teams that finish bottom of the Star and Gold Leagues would be relegated down a division.
The coming days, weeks, months, and years will provide us with more insight into what is to come with the European Super League - whether it will become a reality or not.
The ESL proposal is basically for a league format that will see 64 men's clubs and 32 women's clubs compete.
The competition is expected to rival the present tournaments overseen by the European football governing body, UEFA.
Several clubs have revealed their stance following the announcement by the top European court.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid amongst others, have all come out to reiterate their initial stance.
These clubs appear to be against the introduction of the European Super League, particularly due to the interest of their fanbase.
Those behind the ESL brought a case forward and they claimed that UEFA and FIFA were going against competition rules by threatening to sanction clubs that joined the breakaway league.
On Thursday, December 21, 2023, the European Court of Justice put out a judgment against the governing bodies but emphasized that the decision doesn't guarantee the introduction of a breakaway league.
However, this ruling has given room for new proposals to be put forward, empowering football clubs with the power to create and manage football competitions.
The ESL is an initiative proposed by A22 - and they look to introduce an annual promotion and relegation system with no permanent clubs.
An intriguing development for the fans is the fact that organizers of the ESL claim that the 12th-men will be able to watch live games for free on a new digital stream platform.
This will help bring more eyes to the game, as fans will be able to see their teams strut their stuff from whatever location they are.
No prize money has been announced but in a statement released by the ECA, they said: “To be absolutely clear, the judgment in no way whatsoever supports or endorses any form of Super League project.”
The European Clubs Association indicate that “Football is a social contract and not a legal contract”, and as such they stand against entities aiming to downplay “the very foundations and basic principles of European football.”
The Football Supporters Association following the ruling by the ECA also expressed emphatically that “there is no place for an ill-conceived breakaway super league”.
The European Super League brouhaha started in April 2021 when news began to surface regarding a plan by 12 European powerhouse clubs - including Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona had agreed to join the breakaway league.
There were several agitations and calls from fans following the decision, indicating that this initiative must not see the light of day.
Subsequently, many of these clubs began to pull out of the breakaway move, stressing the need to prioritize the interest of their fans, and as such within 72 hours these moves collapsed.
Meanwhile, the European Super League is expected to be hierarchical, with 3 different leagues - namely; Gold League and Star League consisting of 16 teams.
Additionally, there would be a Blue League, the bottom division, housing 32 teams with relegation and promotion to occur across these leagues.
Teams that finish amongst the top 8 of each league go into the knockout rounds, with quarter-finals and semi-finals to be played across two legs on neutral venues.
The bottom 20 teams in the Blue League would be relegated, with the best-performing clubs from the domestic leagues in Europe to come in as replacements.
Clubs that progress into the final of the Gold and Blue Leagues would be promoted to the Star League and Gold League, while teams that finish bottom of the Star and Gold Leagues would be relegated down a division.
The coming days, weeks, months, and years will provide us with more insight into what is to come with the European Super League - whether it will become a reality or not.