9 Super League Teams Settle, but 3 Refuse Deal

Most clubs promise to not break away again, but holdouts keep idea alive
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted May 7, 2021 5:05 PM CDT
9 Super League Teams Settle, but 3 Refuse Deal
Chelsea fans protest against the briefly formed league in London last month.   (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)

Nine of the 12 soccer teams that failed in their effort to form a breakaway Super League have accepted their punishment, leaving three clubs awaiting sanctions that could include being prohibited from playing in the Champions League. UEFA, European soccer's governing body, announced the humbling of the nine teams, saying they "acknowledge and accept that the Super League project was a mistake and apologize to fans, national associations, national leagues, fellow European clubs and UEFA," the New York Times reports. The teams promise to not do this again. The nine clubs, per CNN, are Arsenal, AC Milan, Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur. Those teams must donate a total of $18.25 million to charities and will forfeit 5% of the revenue they would have collected from matches next season.

Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid are not only refusing to apologize, they're refusing to give up on the Super League. They're in turn talking about legal action against UEFA and their partners in the failed league. The Super League fell apart 48 hours after it was announced, after an outcry from fans and politicians. Fans of clubs with American owners called for them to sell their teams. Paul Glazer, whose family also owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, promised to give fans a greater say in the running of Manchester United. He made the promise in a letter to a 200,000-member fan group that he'd refused to engage with until now, per the AP. UEFA's president said the nine teams realized their mistakes quickly, per the Athletic, adding that the same cannot be said" for the three holdouts. "UEFA will deal with those clubs subsequently," he said. (A fan protest caused a Manchester United match to be postponed.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X