The Premier League could be in line for a major shake-up after five of England’s biggest clubs met for secret talks over a breakaway European Super League.
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United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, City chief executive Ferran Soriano, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck and Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre were pictured on the paper’s back page after reportedly leaving a meeting at a luxury London hotel.
The internet was awash with the story, cited here in the Daily Mail (who’ve since updated it), that representatives from the Premier League’s Big 5 met to discuss a breakaway European Super League this morning.
A spokesman said: “We are constantly reviewing the formats of our competitions in consultations with stakeholders and also with the ECA (European Club Association)”.
The European Club Association – which represents more than 200 teams – is in discussions with Uefa about the future of the competition, with no unified position expected until the latter months of 2016.
Such a move would mean the end of the Champions League and pose a huge threat to both the Premier League and Uefa, which governs European football.
The ICC is a pre-season tournament that is played over a number of venues across the world. Other clubs are variously sponsored by vehicle manufacturers (Manchester United – Chevrolet), airlines, (Arsenal – Fly Emirates, Manchester City – Etihad), insurance companies, and gambling companies.
The dust had barely settled on another exhilarating night of Premier League action when the foundations of English football were given another worrying jolt.
Thanks to Uefa’s huge television deal with BT, a British victor of the Champions League could now hope to earn around £100m, so failing to qualify is a serious dent on the balance sheet.
The clubs who fail to make the Champions League cut stand to miss out on a large chunk of revenue, and are said to see the proposed “Super League” as a way to safeguard against the losses risked by a poor domestic season.
Chelsea are also believed to be reluctant to leave the Premier League.
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Three Premier League teams reached the top 30 for the first time this year, Leicester City (24), Crystal Palace (28) and West Bromwich Albion (29), and with Leicester’s continued success at the top of the table, many expect them to break the top 20 next season.
