Boris Johnson has criticized the Premier League clubs who plan to form a breakthrough European Super League and claim that the plans would be “very harmful” to football.
News of the potential breakaway competition broke out on Sunday with Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, all in favor of the idea, and Manchester City were also rumored to be interested.
The plans have received widespread criticism, with Prime Minister Johnson the latest expressing his concerns.
The clubs involved must respond to their fans and the wider football community before taking further steps. (2/2)
– Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 18, 2021
“Plans for a European Super League would be very detrimental to football and we support the football authorities to take action. They would strike at the heart of the domestic game and will affect fans across the country,” reads a statement on his Twitter account.
“The clubs involved must respond to their fans and the wider football community before taking further steps.”
The Premier League itself, along with the FSA and several supporter groups, has also released statements condemning the proposed Super League. In addition, UEFA has warned that all clubs participating in a splinter league will receive severe sanctions.
Perez is one of the architects of the Super League | Soccrates Images / Getty Images
Not only would they be excluded from the Champions League, they could also be started from their domestic divisions. In addition, players from the breakaway clubs would be prevented from representing their countries at the international level.
The plans, which are the brainchild of Florentino Perez and Glazer, would see England’s big six alongside Spain’s big three, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Serie A sides Milan, Inter and Juventus are also said to support the plans.
These teams will be joined by another five founders, with another five places to be won for teams that qualify annually. Both Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are said to have rejected the plans in a somewhat surprising move.
