European football risks a new identity crisis as around 60 clubs are reportedly ready to take part in a renewed bid to create a Super League.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are at the heart of the A22-led project and it is said to have won over several influential English clubs.
The proposal is to launch a three-tier competition in September 2025 or 2026 and run alongside the domestic divisions during the week, which would certainly mean the collapse of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
This new development is said to be more meritocratic than the idea that caused such a furore in 2021, with league champions potentially qualifying for the 16-club elite ‘Star League’ in a given season.
About 100 clubs have been consulted by A22 executives, 60 of which said they would like to participate, the Spanish newspaper said. Mundo Deportivo.
Organizers received a boost last year when it was found that UEFA and FIFA had acted in breach of competition law by blocking the creation of the Super League in 2021 – by none other than the European Court of Justice.
Around sixty clubs are ready to sign a renewed plan for the European Super League, a report has revealed
Several top Premier League sides are said to be interested, but it is not known who
Fans reacted furiously when the project was first proposed in 2021, with most of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ pulling out within 48 hours
A fierce backlash from fans left the £4.5 billion project effectively dead within 48 hours of its announcement and the Premier League’s ‘big six’, along with an equal number of European giants, called the ‘Dirty Dozen were mentioned.
Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22, the company that promotes the European Super League, believes it can launch the European Super League and convince continental clubs to join, leaving English sides little choice but to follow.
However, PSG and Bayern Munich are reportedly against the renewed project, although the latter could be convinced by a meritocratic structure. In June, Juventus appeared to back away from the prospect by requesting to rejoin the European Club Association, an organization led by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi that opposes the Super League.
Mundo Deportivo also claims that Manchester City are opposing it due to pressure from Boris Johnson, who initially threatened legislation to block the competition. Since he is no longer even an MP, it would be a surprise if Johnson could wield much power over the money-hungry owners of the Emirates.
Under A22’s proposal, the top division would be the ‘Star League’ and would initially include 16 heavyweights from England, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and other countries such as the Netherlands and Portugal.
That competition would be divided into two groups of eight teams, all of whom would play each other twice, before the two-legged quarter- and semi-finals and a one-match final.
In this format, the ‘Star League’ would offer a maximum of 19 matches for finalists, compared to 17 in the Champions League.
Then there would be the ‘Gold League’, another level of 16 teams, and then a ‘Blue League’ with 32 clubs, in which as many as 20 teams are relegated each season.
Bernd Reichart, head of A22, the company driving the project, believes that if they can get continental European teams on board, all Premier League opponents will follow suit.
The European Super League would take place during the week in addition to domestic matches on the weekend, ending the current continental competitions
The idea of the European Super League being meritocratic is more palatable than the more settled entity that was initially conceived.
However, if it runs alongside domestic competitions rather than replacing them, one must wonder why there is a need to tear up existing meritocratic European competitions at all.
Super League organizers believe that all 11 of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ are contractually bound to participate, alongside Inter Milan.
A22’s next step is to determine how to broadcast the competition.
Their vision is to do this through a free streaming platform called Unify, and they would make their money from advertising revenue.
Advertisers would geolocate where they want to sponsor. For example, an ad might be shown to a viewer based in Spain, but not to an English viewer if the brand only wants to engage in that market.