A group of English, Spanish and Italian clubs will leave the UEFA-run Champions League structure.
MONTREUX, Switzerland — The deceptions, distrust and divisions in European soccer erupted in public on Monday between teams and even within the clubs breaking away to form a Super League that could leave them and their players outcasts in the global game. Condemnation of the 12 rebels clubs from England, Spain and Italy even came from Prince William, who followed the British government in railing against moves to split from longstanding structures to play in a largely closed competition rather than Europe’s existing UEFA-run Champions League. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin turned on club leaders he called “snakes” and “liars,” singling out Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and Manchester United vice chairman Ed Woodward for betraying him for reneging on a pledge to stick within existing structures by backing a revamp of the Champions League only last Friday. Ceferin threatened players from the Super League clubs with being banned from the European Championship and next year’s World Cup. “They will not be able to represent their national teams at any matches,” Ceferin warned earlier. “UEFA and the footballing world stand united against the disgraceful self-serving proposal we have seen in the last 24 hours from a select few clubs in Europe that are fueled purely by greed above all else.” The strident rhetoric from Ceferin was followed on Monday by criticism of the Super League even by Liverpool Manager Jürgen Klopp despite owner John Henry securing the six-time European champion’s participation in the new competition. “I don’t think it’s a great idea,” he said after Liverpool was held by Leeds to 1-1. It’s a result that puts Liverpool two points from the four Champions League qualification places, showing just why Henry would want the team he has owned since 2010 in a Super League where the spot is locked in. Three of the 12 rebels – Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid – are scheduled to play in the Champions League semifinals next week. Two more, Manchester United and Arsenal, are in the Europa League semifinals. Ceferin said he wants to boot them out as “as soon as possible” from UEFA competitions, but that will require “legal assessments” that will begin on Tuesday morning. Ceferin led a meeting of UEFA’s executive committee on Monday only hours after the 12 clubs announced the Super League project that threatens to split the historic structure of European soccer.
