Nine of 12 Super League clubs recommit to UEFA and admit project was a mistake
European football’s governing body, UEFA, says nine of the 12 founding clubs that formed the ill-fated breakaway Super League competition have recommitted to UEFA club and national team competitions.
In a Friday press release, UEFA states that Arsenal, AC Milan, Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, have acknowledged and accepted that “the Super League project was a mistake and apologize to fans, national associations, national leagues, fellow European clubs and UEFA.”
UEFA has levied financial penalties at the nine. Collectively, the teams will donate 15 million euros ($18.25M) to charities and will forgo five percent of the revenues they would have received from competitions. UEFA says the clubs have agreed to be fined up to 100 million euros ($121.7M) should they breach their UEFA commitments.
READ: The European Super League was three years in making. It took 48 hours to unravel
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said in the release: “These clubs recognized their mistakes quickly and have taken action to demonstrate their contrition … the same cannot be said for the clubs that remain involved in the so-called ‘Super League’ and UEFA will deal with those clubs subsequently.”
The remaining three founding clubs of the Super League, Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid, remain in dispute with UEFA.
Earlier on Friday, Manchester United executive co-chairman and director Joel Glazer wrote a letter to the fans’ forum reiterating his “sincere apology for the mistakes that were made” in signing up for the Super League.
“In particular, I want to acknowledge the need for change,” he added. “With deeper consultation with you as our main fan representative body across a range of important issues, including the competitions we play in.
“We want to work together to come up with an ambitious package of measures which will transform our relationship with fans and strengthen the club for the long-term. In this spirit, we will reach out to members of the forum to schedule a meeting in which I shall participate as soon as possible after the final game of the season.”
