Prince William criticises ‘damaging’ European Super League plans

Prince William criticises ‘damaging’ European Super League plans
By The Athletic Staff
Apr 19, 2021

The Duke of Cambridge has said a breakaway European Super League will ‘damage’ football.

On Sunday, 12 European clubs announced that they will be forming a Super League.

The teams, who made a joint statement to confirm plans of forming a new European Super League, consist of the following clubs: AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.

The announcement has been met with widespread criticism and on Monday Prince William, who is the president of the Football Association, said that he shares “the concerns of fans” over the controversial proposals.

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What has Prince William said?

Writing on the official Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Twitter account, William said: “Now, more than ever, we must protect the entire football community – from the top level to the grassroots – and the values of competition and fairness at its core.

“I share the concerns of fans about the proposed Super League and the damage it risks causing to the game we love."

How will the Super League work?

The clubs say that 15 founding clubs — the 12 who have reached the agreement plus three who they expect to join — will be joined by five other teams who qualify each season.

They say the games will be played in midweek, starting in August, with teams playing home and away fixtures in two groups of ten, with the top three in each group automatically qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Teams finishing fourth and fifth will then compete in a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final positions. A two-leg knockout format will be used to reach the final at the end of May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue.

The clubs said that a women's league will also be launched “as soon as practicable” after the start of the men's competition, but provided no further details.

And what has the reaction been?

The reaction has been overwhelmingly negative.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said players who participate in the proposed European Super League will be banned from representing their countries in the World Cup and the European Championship.

Ceferin also said he would look for players to be banned from UEFA competitions “as soon as possible”.

A number of fan groups have meanwhile protested the decision.

(Photo: Jack Hill – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

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