European Super League: Barca, Real Madrid and Juventus hit back at UEFA
May 08, 2021
Madrid [Spain], May 8 : Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus -- the three remaining founding clubs of the European Super League -- on Saturday hit back at UEFA over the collapse of the project.
This statement from the three clubs comes a day after UEFA released its statement saying 9 of the 12 founding clubs of the European Super League have confirmed their commitment to UEFA.
The body however also said that these clubs face financial penalties. The three remaining clubs -- Real Madrid, Juventus, and Barcelone -- had refused to get reintegrated to UEFA and as a result, they face further punishment.
"The founding clubs have suffered, and continue to suffer, unacceptable third-party pressures, threats, and offenses to abandon the project and therefore desist from their right and duty to provide solutions to the football ecosystem via concrete proposals and constructive dialogue," Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus said in a joint statement.
"This is intolerable under the rule of law and Tribunals have already ruled in favour of the Super League proposal, ordering FIFA and UEFA to, either directly or through their affiliated bodies, refrain from taking any action which may hinder this initiative in any way while court proceedings are pending," they added.
Further in the statement, the three clubs said: "Furthermore, we reiterate to FIFA, UEFA and all football stakeholders, as we have done on several occasions since the announcement of the Super League, our commitment and determination to discuss, with respect and without intolerable pressure and in accordance with the rule of law, the most appropriate solutions for the sustainability of the whole football family."
UEFA had also confirmed that the nine clubs had committed to and they will participate in any UEFA Club Competitions each season for which that club qualifies on "sporting merit" and will "terminate their involvement in the company established to form and operate the Super League and cease any existing related legal actions".
The clubs will face EUR100 million fines if they attempt to play in another unauthorised tournament such as the Super League.
The announcement to form a breakaway European Super League made by 12 founding clubs including Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, was met with widespread criticism. As a result, all the six Premier League clubs, involved in the proposed European Super League, withdrew from the competition.
