Having been kicked into touch back in 2021, proposals for a revamped European Super League competition have been presented.
A22, the company engaged to facilitate the creation of the ESL, has been on the charm offensive over the past six months following the appointment of CEO Bernd Reichart, getting feedback 'from over 50 clubs' as part of their plans to bring about the project in a more palatable way than the one that was presented in April 2021.
The original ESL plan had 12 clubs signed up initially, including Liverpool, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona all part of the line up. The plans were met with an angry reaction from fans, leagues, governing bodies and other stakeholders and one by one the numbers of the dozen clubs committed dwindled until just three remained; Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.
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Those three clubs remain espoused to the idea of an ESL, something that the owners of the English clubs that were involved have pretty much been forced into continually rejecting moving forward, even as they continue to try and disentangle themselves legally from the initial proposals.
The latest proposals for the ESL were presented by Reichart via German newspaper Die Welt, with plans for a 'multi-divisional' competition featuring between 60 and 80 teams mooted where clubs would be guaranteed a minimum of 14 matches and the competition governed based on 10 principles that included an increased focus on financial sustainability, meritocracy and fan experience.
The competition would be based on sporting performance with no permanent members.
Reichart wrote: "The foundations of European football are in danger of collapsing. It’s time for a change. It is the clubs that bear the entrepreneurial risk in football. But when important decisions are at stake, they are too often forced to sit idly by on the sidelines 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 opposition. Our dialogue was open, honest, constructive and resulted in clear ideas about what changes are needed and how they could be implemented. There is a lot to do and we will continue our dialogue."
The ESL plan has continued to rumble on in the background despite it being rejected by the six teams from the world's biggest, most watched and most lucrative domestic competition, the Premier League.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus have been involved in an ongoing legal battle with UEFA where they have argued that European football's governing body holds a monopoly over the domestic game on the continent. Their legal action, initially lodged through a Madrid court and designed to try and clear a path for future proposals to be pushed through without punishment if they gained enough support.
In December the European Court of Justice delivered a significant blow to the prospect of the ESL being created, with a judge ruling that the current rules applied by FIFA and UEFA are compatible with EU competition law. A full judgement will arrive early this year and that will then be passed to the Madrid court to rule on.
For Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group their part in the original ESL plans was a particularly bruising affair that caused serious damage to their relationship with Reds fans, with FSG principal John W. Henry having to record a full video apology to fans in the immediate aftermath of the ESL plot being made known where he shouldered the burden for the decision.
In the wake of the ESL plans in 2021 the Reds began dialogue with supporters group Spirit of Shankly and a Supporters Board featuring SOS and a number of other fan groups was created last year, the Board having the power of consent over any plans to enter the club into any such competition in the future. The powers afforded to the Supporters Board were written into the articles of association of the football club to make them binding even if there is a change of ownership of Liverpool Football Club.
In September 2021, Liverpool reaffirmed their stance on the ESL via a statement: "Our involvement in the proposed ESL plans has been discontinued.
"We are absolutely committed to following that through and there should be no ambiguity to suggest otherwise.
"We are acting on the best legal advice and approach to appropriately end our involvement."
The ECHO has been told by club sources that the above statement remains the case and that the plan moving forward is to continue to foster a good working relationship with the Supporters Board.
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