Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, City’s chief executive Ferran Soriano and Liverpool’s Ian Ayre were all snapped by the Sun leaving the Dorchester Hotel.
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The meeting was organized by the company owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross which runs a preseason competition in the United States for leading clubs.
But should English clubs pursue the new format?
The formation of such a tournament would effectively spell the end of the Champions League and greatly reduce the attractiveness of the Premier League. It has always been the pinnacle of club football, but shorn of the presence of two dozen of Europe’s top clubs it would be hard to take it seriously.
The plans would see the top clubs from across Europe form their own breakaway League to replace the Champions League, thus eliminating the risk of not qualifying.
While the former would be a massive shake-up for European football, the latter would cause a seismic shift never before seen in the game.
Manchester City were reportedly among five Premier League clubs who attended a London meeting about a reputed new European Super League.
Of course this could simply an attempt to force UEFA to alter their Champions League entrance criteria.
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Ross, 75, is a real estate mogul with a net worth of £4.8billion and appears to be spearheading the European Club Association (ECA)’s proposal of a closed shop European club competition.
