LeicestershireLive brings you the latest Leicester City news as fresh European Super League proposals emerge
Premier League supporters across the country have slammed the European Super League for proposing a new multi-divisional competition today.
In their first attempt to launch the ESL in April 2021, six Premier League clubs joined as many teams from the continent in an attempt to create the biggest shake-up in the game’s history. Along with AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea had all signed up.
However, the reaction of stakeholders, fans, leagues, and governing bodies caused the majority of the clubs to withdraw. Only Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus were still in the running.
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A new attempt will be made to create an ESL, with the assistance of a company called A22. A22 CEO Bernd Reichart claims that as part of their operation, he gathered feedback from 50 clubs in order for them to discuss the project in a more palatable manner than the one presented in 2021.
The latest proposal, presented by Reichart via the German newspaper Die Welt, would feature between 60 and 80 teams in a “multi-divisional” competition, with clubs guaranteed a minimum of 14 matches. The competition was governed by ten principles, including a greater emphasis on financial sustainability, meritocracy, and fan experience.
“The foundations of European football are in danger of collapsing,” Reichart wrote. It’s time to make a change. Football clubs bear the majority of the entrepreneurial risk. When important decisions are at stake, however, they are all too often forced to watch helplessly as the sporting and financial foundations crumble around them.
“Our talks have also made it clear that clubs often find it impossible to speak out publicly against a system that uses the threat of sanctions to thwart the opposition. Our discussion was open, honest, and constructive, yielding clear ideas about what changes are required and how they could be implemented. There’s a lot to do, and we’ll keep talking.”
“We are collectively committed to the Premier League and recognize our responsibility to support it,” says Rule 9 of the Premier League Owners’ Charter. We will not create new competition formats that are not in accordance with the Premier League Rules.”
Leicester City’s stance is said to be the same as it was when the ESL has first proposed a few years ago. “Leicester City Football Club has joined 13 of its Premier League colleagues in opposition to a European Super League and to reaffirm our commitment to the long-standing and successful structure of domestic football,” the club said in a statement released in 2021.
“Competitive integrity and merit-based achievement are fundamental principles of the sport which, if compromised, will cause irreparable damage to the game, to the clubs whose legitimate aspirations underpin the entire football pyramid, and to the communities those clubs serve. As custodians of our respective clubs, it is our responsibility to uphold football’s values, the solidarity, and unity that safeguard the sport’s future and to ensure that the sport’s commercial successes help strengthen its foundations throughout the pyramid and into the grassroots game.
“Football clubs exist for their fans, whose passion and devotion are not just a reaction to the game, but a fundamental and necessary component of it. Their contribution is fueled by their right to dream, which we all share the responsibility to protect. Leicester City fully supports the Premier League’s stance on this issue and is heartened by the way football fans, the government, and regulators have banded together to combat this threat to the game’s future.”
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