This article is about a general explanation to the term for a pan-European association football club backing alternative to the UEFA competitions and its historical proposals. For the 2021 planned tournament, see european Super League Proposals for a European Super League in association football dwell of recurring attempts by individual teams or consortiums of association football clubs to advocate for the creation of an extra tier of european football outside of the traditional footballing pyramids of each national football affiliation.
Starting in 1968 with a theoretical proposal by then UEFA general secretary Hans Bangerter to replace the european Champions Cup and the Cup Winners ‘ Cup for a singular pan-continental championship, [ 1 ] different outlines have been proposed in legal terms in respective occasions since the late 1980s, with unlike variations of structure, eligibility and rival. Any proposals have traditionally been objected to by UEFA –despite its executives ‘ affair in favor of that– and FIFA american samoa well as the home associations for being regarded potentially elitist. Discussions about the electric potential for a sole european league gained pull in the 1970s but drew legal traction alone in the recently of the be ten. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] The constitution of the G-14 in 1998 and the ascent of the European Club Forum ( ECF ), an UEFA job power composed by 102 clubs in 2002, both merged for constituting the European Club Association six years late, [ 4 ] brought the corporate bargain world power of Europe ‘s biggest teams to obtain more income from the alliance, and combined with initial suggestions of a breakaway league concessions were earned. [ 4 ] There were subsequently recurring discussions, led for the most region by then- Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez since 2009. In April 2021, twelve clubs formally announced that they would be forming the european Super League to start in August of the same class. In response, FIFA and all six continental confederations, including UEFA, rejected the constitution of a breakaway league, and received far-flung condemnation from each national association, fans, clubs, players, and consociate organisations. Following the recoil, the six English clubs announced their secession from the competition, resulting in the plan becoming dormant, and starting a legal dispute between the Super League and UEFA to be taken up by the Court of Justice of the European Union .
definition [edit ]
In a rigid sense, the term “ Super League ” may refer to a US-style shut league, without a system of promotion and relegation. In a broader smell, it can besides mean any kind of tier arrangement in european football, where submission is offered not on the basis of titles, as it was done until 1997–99, but on the footing of good enough results and gross. In this regard, the Champions League was defined by UEFA vice president of the united states Zbigniew Boniek in 2021 as an “ open Super League ” in terms of tax income and participating clubs. In association football, the term “ Super League ” was introduced in late 1980s by european mass media [ 5 ] because the aim format of that tournament was the same as that used in league championships, contrasted with the format of the seasonal european competitions, based entirely on smasher phases since mid 1950s. [ 6 ]
backdrop [edit ]
Beginnings [edit ]
The first gear theoretical idea of a sole pan-European Football Championship for clubs, dubbed “ european Football League Championship ” was from the UEFA cosmopolitan repository Hans Bangerter, who proposed a rival with a format based in a group and hard stages in 1968 that would finally replace the european Champions Cup and the Cup Winners ‘ Cup. [ 1 ] Despite that project was a bangle at the fourth dimension, in that year UEFA approved expand the baseball club ‘ access to its competitions creating a third gear seasonal worker tournament : the UEFA Cup, which inauguration temper took place three years latter. [ 7 ] Since 1971 to 1991, there were three seasonal european competitions, entirely based on hard rounds ( double-legged single-elimination tournament ), whose access was based on three distinctions ( title holders not included ) :
- The European Champions Cup, reserved only to the league champions.
- The Cup Winners’ Cup, reserved generally to the national association cup winners.
- The UEFA Cup, which was reserved to the a maximum of the four best-placed teams of the best competing leagues, according the confederation coefficient score, not qualified in either of the other two competitions and the league cup winners in the countries which held.
Although the european Champions Cup was seen as the most esteemed, as its entitle holders were paired with their south american counterparts in the Intercontinental Cup for the inter-club earth title, and the UEFA Cup was the tournament that gained the most commercial gross and the highest television receiver share, [ 8 ] the general level of the three competitions was even. [ 9 ] Additionally, the european Champions Cup winners faced with the Cup Winners ‘ Cup winners for the then-two-legged UEFA Super Cup. [ 10 ] Unlike the Champions League and the UEFA Cup, the Cup Winners ‘ Cup did not take into account the clubs ‘ results in the national league tournaments, so it finally allowed the participation of clubs from the second division championships, if they won the title in the national association cups, and even those that evening reached the final in that competitions if the cup achiever besides won the league title and entered the Champions League. [ 11 ]
Georges UEFA presidency ( 1983–1990 ) [edit ]
In 1987 then Milan AC owner Silvio Berlusconi, Real Madrid president Ramón Mendoza and Glasgow Rangers secretary Campbell Ogilvie retained the european Champions Cup format “ disused ” [ 3 ] and proposed to UEFA, led by its president of the united states Jacques Georges, create a newly rival with a single round-robin format –dubbed “ Super League ” [ 5 ] – that would result more attractive for external television broadcasters, would be able to allow the contestant teams to earn more income, [ 12 ] and would give them more possibilities to progressing through it [ 13 ] for “ economical and management guarantees ”. [ 14 ] It would run twin to the then three european competitions since the 1991–92 season. [ 15 ] In 1990, Mendoza formally presented the project to the confederation and, according an article published by Scotland on Sunday, UEFA was match with it after reach a manage with Bayern Munich, Madrid and Milan, among early clubs ; [ 16 ] but the alliance rejected that plan in 1991 and, after punish in economic terms Berlusconi and Mendoza and announced sporting sanctions sine die for both clubs, reformed the rival introducing a group stage in that season, increasing the overall number of matches, [ 17 ] and rebranding it as Champions League in 1992 for commercial and media purposes. [ 13 ] Despite that reform, the dissolutions of Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia angstrom long as the separation of Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1993 drastically affected the sporting level in all these countries, [ 18 ] increasing significantly the number of clubs involved in international competitions –representing up to 22 of its former constituent states –, [ 19 ] although all of them with a lower sporting degree than that shown by eastern european golf club until beginning 1990s, [ 17 ] which meant that their play-offs against teams from more brawny championships generated lesser expectation between fans and media, [ 18 ] and audiences for the UEFA competitions were, as consequence, significantly decreasing. [ 17 ]
Johansson UEFA presidency ( 1990–2007 ) [edit ]
Under the presidency of Lennart Johansson ( 1990–2007 ), the UEFA transformed the european competitions towards a two-tier system :
- In 1991–92, a late eight-team group stage replaced quarterfinals and semifinals.
- In 1992–93, the UEFA Champions League was set up, with a centralized broadcasting regime, branding, and prize allocation.
- In 1993–94, semifinals after the group stage were added.
- In 1994–95, the Champions League format was wholly revised, with a 16-team group stage in the Autumn, and knockout rounds in the Spring.
- In 1997–98, the Champions League format was expanded to 24 clubs, with entry allowed to eight league runners-up (for the first time), which up to then qualified for the UEFA Cup.
- The Cup Winners’ Cup was abolished with the last competition held in 1998–99.
- In 1999–2000, the Champions League format was expanded to 32 clubs and two successive group stages, with entry now possible to 15 league runners-up, six third-placed, three fourth-placed. Special entry to the UEFA Cup knockout rounds was given to group stage losers as a consolation ticket.
On 1993, Johansson proposed, unsuccessfully, to merge all three seasonal competitions in a unique championship which the better teams in the celibate would be involved. Three years late, clubs as Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester United secretly planned, to replace the Champions League, a “ Super League ” with 36 “ outstanding ” clubs split in three groups and a play-off stage for the title at the end of the season [ 20 ] and a second competition for other 96 teams, called “ ProCup ”, to replace the Cup Winners ‘ Cup and the UEFA Cup. Both plan tournaments, based in the north american sports system, would be sponsored by italian corporation Media Partners, [ 21 ] but that plan was abandoned after FIFA, UEFA and its consort national associations announced sanctions against all involved clubs in it. [ 20 ] In 1995, the continuity of the Cup Winners ‘ Cup began to be formally discussed by the associations towards UEFA, [ 11 ] due the competition ‘s level, prestige and general interest ( including among the strongest clubs in fiscal terms which benefited from the Bosman regnant ) [ 11 ] decreased importantly compared to the other two confederation competitions, chiefly during the decade, a period in which the particularity of its qualification system was frequent [ 22 ] and was consequently not considered attractive for sponsorship, frankincense affecting the prestige of the domestic cups. [ 22 ] This and the Super League project led the transformation of the Champions League between 1997 and 1999 from a hard contest restricted to league champions to a multi-phase system open to non-champions was influenced by the menace of a extremely league ; a advocacy group not recognised by UEFA nor FIFA named G-14, formed by the then-first 14 clubs in the continent in terms of official titles won and its potential international fanbase, had been set up in 1998, and threatened to form a break-away league if their demands were not met. As reaction UEFA created the european Club Football 2000, a undertaking pull led by then UEFA general repository Gerhard Aigner and renamed in 2002 as european Club Forum ( ECF ), that reuned 102 clubs from the continent including 11 elected clubs according their UEFA coefficient score. [ 4 ] All those clubs to have won five of more official external titles were ECF ‘s permanent members and gain representation in the alliance ‘s Competitions Organising Committee. [ 23 ] That same class, Media Partners badly investigated the idea of a close european Super League. The plan died after UEFA moved to expand the Champions League and decided the Cup Winners ‘ Cup would be absorbed by the UEFA Cup in club to better adapt clubs that were considering defecting in order to join the proposed Super League [ 24 ] in an attempt to redesign of confederation competitions, in 1999. [ 25 ] By the year 2000, the Champions League gathered the best-placed teams of the most compete leagues –to a maximum of four according each area ‘s coefficient score –, which the most potent leagues of the continent ( english, french, german, italian and spanish ) would gradually benefit the most, [ 26 ] while the remaining competition, the UEFA Cup, was fought by the next-best-placed league teams and the national cup winners. [ 22 ] Since then, the consecutive restructure of the Champions League format, which resulted in eliminate clubs from its group stage being reallocated into the UEFA Cup ( that reassignment was limited to the competition ‘s qualifying rounds since 1994–95 season “ as compensation ”, [ 22 ] “ for add extra pastime [ to the UEFA Cup ] and [ because ] the excrete clubs frequently offer good respect ”, [ 27 ] was strongly criticized by batch media and fans ), [ 26 ] and established a considerable difference between both competitions at sporting flat, fiscal income and media visibility in favor of the Champions League, in addition to constitute, de facto, a first and second class in the UEFA zone. [ 28 ] besides, a summer competition, the UEFA Intertoto Cup ( 1995–2008 ), provided access to the UEFA Cup to the following will teams of each nation ( by league position ) not qualified .
Platini UEFA presidency ( 2007–2015 ) [edit ]
In 2007, Michel Platini was elected president of UEFA with the back of many of the nations with the lowest UEFA coefficient, to whom he promised a fair access list and respective reforms to tackle the influence of big money. Platini tried to curtail the determine of the G-14 lobby group, which had to open up and merge with ECF to became the European Club Association in 2008. [ 29 ] Nonetheless, the two-tier structure was not basically altered by the reforms :
- In 2003–04, the Champions League second group stage is replaced by a double-legged Round of 16.
- In 2009–10, the Champions League access list is wholly revised, with 3 third-placed gaining direct entry; on the other hand, to make sure that a broader number of leagues could be represented in the group stage, a “Champions Path” is created.
- That same season, the UEFA Cup was rebranded for resolve its sporting and economic crisis as consequence of be during the 21st century until then mediaticly overshadowed by the Champions League, as Europa League,[30] with a centralized broadcasting regime, a proper brand identity and prize allocation. Since then, 48 clubs will take part in the group stage. Also, since the 2014–15 season, the competition winner will qualify for the following season’s Champions League.
- The UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations is agreed to in 2009 and is implemented beginning in 2011–12.
- In 2015–16, Europa League title holders are given a direct berth in the Champions League group stage.
Čeferin UEFA presidency ( 2016–present ) [edit ]
In 2016, Aleksander Čeferin became President of UEFA. besides, in that year, the confederation again discussed the possibility of creating a close league containing the 16 best clubs in european football from the highest graded national leagues. These 16 clubs would have been divided into two groups of eight teams each. After 56 games in each group under the round-robin tournament system, the teams finishing in places 1–4 would qualify for the quarter-finals. That plan was last rejected and UEFA, in order to avoid the creation of a Super League, made changes to the structure of the Champions League for the trade cycle 2018–21 : [ 31 ]
- Since 2018–19, upon pressure from the bigger clubs, four League fourth-placed and a 4th third-placed are given direct access to the group stage, reducing to six the number of berths granted through the qualifying rounds.
- Since 2021–22, a new competition called the UEFA Europa Conference League was created to give the teams of the leagues with the lowest coefficient score with a proper competition to allow more media attention and to facilitate the commercialization of TV rights to the 2021–2024 confederation’s competitions cycle with a “stronger” Europa League group stage reducing from 48 to 32 the number of participating clubs.[32] Similar to the former UEFA Intertoto Cup, its winner will qualify to the Europa League the next season.[33] The tournament has also a centralized broadcasting regime, brand identity and prize allocation. UEFA has been criticised by having created the competition for political purposes and gaining support of the lowest confederation ranked leagues, which their teams take part in it, against the 2021 European Super League project. Also, it was criticised by its complicated qualification system, for being regarded by the mass media, as well a group of football personnel and fans as a “consolation trophy” for the teams qualified in the third position in the Europa League group stage and for its minor income compared with the offered by the other two seasonal confederation competitions.[34] However, UEFA consider the competition as “reflect” of an all-inclusive European football, in contrast of a, at the time, a close “elitist” Super League.[34]
Since 2018, discussions to wholly reshape the UEFA club competitions were held, culminating in the european Super League break-away attack ( The Super League ) a few days before the concluding vote. Although the break-away was averted, the reform last voted on includes many of the proposals made by the wealthiest. Beginning in 2024, the group stages for each of the three competitions would be replaced by singular leagues of 36 clubs each facing 10 others in a swiss system. The crown 8 would be qualified for the Round of 16, while the adjacent 16 ( 9th to 24th ) would be qualified for the playoff circle.
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As of the 2021–22 season, there are three european competitions composed each of a 32-team group stage and a knockout system that includes the delegating of some eliminated clubs to the contiguous lower tournament and the reservation of the winning team to the immediate higher tier the consecutive season, [ 35 ] creating for first gear a three-tier pyramidal structure in the european competitions. [ 36 ]
history [edit ]
Legal proposals of a Super League were voiced since at least the late 1980s, by respective clubhouse presidents and key actors .
Florentino Pérez ( 2009 ) [edit ]
In July 2009, Real Madrid ‘s Florentino Pérez championed the estimate. He criticised the current Champions League, saying : “ We have to agree a newfangled european Super League which guarantees that the best always play the best – something that does not happen in the Champions League. ” [ 37 ] Perez stated that he would push for a break-away rival featuring Europe ‘s traditional powerhouses if UEFA did n’t do more to ensure these teams played each other per annum. [ 38 ] Under Perez ‘s plan, the continent ‘s best teams would remain separate of their respective national systems, but would be guaranteed the opportunity to play each other at the decision of the even league temper. [ 38 ]
versatile opinions [edit ]
In August 2009, Arsenal director Arsène Wenger predicted a super league would become reality within ten-spot years time due to tax income pressure on the continent ‘s elite teams. [ 39 ] In February 2012, Clarence Seedorf besides predicted the origin of the competition, and gave it his back. [ 40 ] In April 2013, Scotland coach Gordon Strachan said that he believes the Old Firm club of Celtic and Rangers would join a future new 38-club two-division european super league. [ 41 ]
Stephen M. Ross ( 2016 ) [edit ]
In 2016, representatives from Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United were seen leaving a meet with Stephen M. Ross ‘ representatives that discussed the proposition of a european super league. [ 42 ]
2018 leaks [edit ]
In November 2018, Football Leaks claimed that there had been clandestine talks about the creation of a raw continental club rival, the European Super League, which would begin play in 2021. [ 43 ] In October 2020, it was revealed that Liverpool and Manchester United were spearheading the project Big Picture, a plan to revolutionise the finances and structure of English football from the top down ; [ 44 ] [ 45 ] [ 46 ] the plan was voted down by at least 14 Premier League clubs during an hand brake meet. [ 47 ]
2021 european Super League [edit ]
In October 2020, Sky Sports claimed that FIFA was proposing a successor for the UEFA Champions League called the European Premier League involving up to 18 teams in a round-robin tournament system and post-league playoff -style smasher tournament with no relegation similar to major league sports competitions in the United States. [ 48 ] English Premier League clubs american samoa well as clubs from Spain, Italy, France, and Germany were invited. Barcelona accepted the proposal for it to join the Super League the day before its president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned. [ 49 ] On 21 January 2021, FIFA and all six of football ‘s continental confederations ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA ) issued a instruction rejecting the formation of any breakaway european Super League ; any club or musician involved in such a league would be banned from any competitions organised by FIFA or any of the six confederations. [ 50 ] The proposal however remained under discussion by clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool ; the proposal document indicated that such a league would start in the 2022–23 season, with 15 members who compete directly in the inaugural seasons, including six Premier League clubs, and each club would be paid up to £310 million to join followed by up to £213 million per season, and other five clubs would be access based in their results in the own league competitions. [ 51 ] On 18 April 2021, an official press turn [ 52 ] announced the formation of the league. Twelve clubs, including english clubs ( Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur ), italian club ( Inter Milan, Juventus, and Milan ), and spanish clubs ( Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, and Real Madrid ), were named as founding members, with a 20-team league being envisioned. The New York Times reported that each team would earn over $ 400 million ( £290M ) for entering the competition. [ 53 ] The reports generated negative chemical reaction from UEFA and the football associations and first-tier football leagues of England, Italy, and Spain, who issued a joint argument stating that they would not allow the Super League to proceed. UEFA besides reiterated that any clubs involved in a Super League would be banned from all other domestic, european, and worldly concern competitions, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams. [ 54 ] [ 55 ] [ 56 ] French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson besides expressed opposition to the plan. [ 57 ] [ 58 ] [ 59 ] Fans besides expressed enemy. [ 60 ] [ 61 ] Amidst far-flung opposition, participating teams began to withdraw from the Super League and it suspended its operations three days after being formally announced. [ 62 ]
reception and legal issues [edit ]
The estimate of the first-officially announce Super League has been criticised by fans and critics for its perceive elitism and potentially lay waste to effect on domestic leagues, the UEFA Champions League, and smaller clubs ; it is viewed in some quarters as simply a “ power grab ” by bigger clubs for more money and control over football. [ 63 ] [ 64 ] Germany and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos criticised the plans in 2020, saying “ the gap between the big clubs and little will expand even more. Everything does not constantly have to be faster, with more and more money. ” [ 65 ] Kroos ‘ long-time Germany teammate and former Bayern Munich football player Philipp Lahm wishes to see a “ cosmopolitan ” line-up to a potential Super League, think : “ But barely as players from Istanbul, Warsaw and Bratislava get their nip in the Euros, would it not be better to include teams from Bruges, Saint Petersburg, Athens, Copenhagen and Prague in a European league ? ” [ 66 ]
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At the Financial Times ‘ commercial enterprise of Football acme in February 2021, Simon Green, the head of BT Sport, the UEFA Champions League rights holder in the UK, cautioned that a Super League “ would n’t be deserving a much as the existing leagues and Champions League are at the consequence. ” [ 67 ] Paul Widdop, a senior lector in sports business at Manchester Metropolitan University, criticised the intervention of the british government, stating that while the incumbent government pursues a neo-liberalist agenda with every other diligence, it seeks socialist reform only in football. [ 68 ] Michael Cox argued in The Athletic that the European Super League would help restore completive balance in european football due to the widening gap between big, rich clubs and smaller, poorer clubs in domestic leagues, and this inequality would lone increase as time goes on without a Super League. [ 69 ] The announcement of the Super League in 2021 pull widespread enemy from fans, players, other clubs, FIFA, UEFA and national governments. [ 70 ] The Super League announced it was suspending its operations three days after being officially announced. [ 71 ] Some analysts stated that the british politics intervention, which some such as Alex Webb arguing that a diminished Premier League due to the Super League could hurt Britain ‘s soft baron as well, [ 72 ] led to a domino effect by causing the English Big Six to withdraw after the Football Association threatened to ban participating clubs from domestic football, [ 73 ] and causing all but three clubs ( Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid ) to withdraw and the undertaking could not proceed and had to be put on standby. [ 74 ] Nonetheless, Pérez stated that none of the initiation clubs had formally left the association, [ 75 ] even as they were sanctioned by UEFA and signed Commitment Declaration to pay €100 million if they were ever to join an unauthorized rival, [ 76 ] as they were tied to binding contracts, [ 77 ] and vowed to work with the governing bodies to make some shape of the Super League employment, whilst blaming the english clubs of losing their boldness in face of opposition and the footballing authorities for acting unjustifiably aggressively. [ 78 ] On 31 May, the Super League filed a ailment to the Court of Justice of the European Union ( CJEU ) against UEFA and FIFA for their proposals to stop the organization of the contest. [ 79 ] On June 7, the swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police notified the spanish precautionary measurement, which had earlier issued an injunction against UEFA and FIFA, and referred a cuestión preliminar ( english : preliminary question ) to the CJEU on whether UEFA and FIFA have violated articles 101 and 102 of the TFEU, [ 80 ] to both governing bodies, ruling them to not execute sanctions against clubs silent active in the project ; [ 81 ] UEFA had opened disciplinary proceedings against Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid, which were threatened to be excluded from all UEFA competitions, in order to sanction them [ 82 ] but these measures were stayed until farther notice by UEFA ‘s Appeals Body as a result of the rulings from the spanish commercial court and swiss authorities. [ 83 ]