Today, 12 major European clubs announced the launch of the breakaway Super League, headed by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
The move, which has drawn strong criticism from soccer authorities, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and French President Emmanuel Macron, aims to compete with the UEFA Champions League.
Today, Real Madrid’s official website published a consolidated statement for the 12 clubs, saying, “The (founding) clubs are: Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Spurs. ”
It continued: “3 additional clubs will be invited to join, before the inaugural season, which will begin as soon as possible.”
The statement added: “Looking to the future, the clubs are eager to discuss with UEFA and the International Federation, to discuss the best solutions for the tournament and world soccer.”
Tournament system
He continued, “The competition system consists of the participation of 20 clubs, including 15 founding clubs and 5 others, which are ranked annually based on the performance of the previous season. All clubs will continue to compete in their national leagues.”
And he added: “The season will begin in August, with the participation of clubs in two groups, each consisting of 10 teams, and the matches will be played in the home and away system, so that the top three in each group automatically qualify. for the quarterfinals, the teams ranked fourth and fifth play an additional confrontation.
It continued, “The final will be a single match, on a neutral stadium, and the women’s championship will begin after a period of beginning the men’s tournament, which will contribute to the advancement and development of women’s soccer.”
The statement continued, “This tournament will represent a significant economic development each year, which will help support European soccer … and the rewards will be far greater than those of the European Union tournaments, where profits are expected to exceed €10 billion.”
He added: “With the confirmation that certain financial standards will be set, setting a ceiling for club spending … and the founding clubs will receive an amount of 3.5 billion euros, to compensate for what happened during the outbreak.”
For his part, Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid, said, “We will help soccer at all levels, to take its rightful place in the world … Soccer is the only sport with more than 4 billion fans, and our responsibility as the big clubs is to meet the desires of the fans. ”
Andrea Agnelli, president of Juventus and vice president of the Super League, said, “The founding clubs have billions of fans around the world, and we have come together at this crucial time to change the European competition, giving the sport we love a foundation for the future. sustainability, increase solidarity, and provide matches for fans and players. Of high quality, they will ignite their passion for soccer. “
