Following fierce protests from the entire footballing community, all six English teams have withdrawn from the proposed European Super League (ESL).
Only 48 hours after the initial announcement of its formation, the proposed league featuring the world’s wealthiest clubs looks to be on its last legs. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham have all decided to abandon the ESL following massive public outrage in the UK at the league’s formation.
The initial spark was ignited by Chelsea, which announced that it was drawing up the legal paperwork required to get out of the agreement. However, it was Manchester City that first pulled out of the entire affair, no doubt driven by the overwhelmingly negative public response. Even the team’s coach, Pep Guardiola, said the league “is not a sport if success is guaranteed.” The remaining four sides quickly followed suit, with Arsenal being the first to publicly apologize to its fans in a post on social media.
In a recently released statement, the ESL said: “Despite the announced departure of the English clubs, forced to take such decisions due to the pressure put on them, we are convinced our proposal is fully aligned with European law and regulations. The European Super League is convinced that the current status quo of European football needs to change.”
The Super League will “consider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project” as the six remaining teams (Italy’s AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, and Spain’s Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Real Madrid) have yet to issue an official statement regarding the situation.
One of the idea’s staunchest backers, Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, remains unfazed despite the setback. In an interview with “La Repubblica,” he said that the remaining clubs will “press ahead” with the project, which still had “a 100% chance of being a success.”
What do you think, dear readers? Will the ESL somehow manage to survive, or have true football fans won an essential battle in a war for preserving the beautiful game as we know it? Write us your thoughts or place a bet on one of the betting sites from our list; we’d love to hear from you.
