While some rival executives have literally been laughing at this “shambolic” Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, elements of it are by their own design.
The two English sides might have found it much more difficult to get to Bilbao had Juventus and Manchester City dropped down from the Champions League in the way those outside the top 16 used to, but this was one of the subjects discussed in the major negotiations between 2019 and 2021 that ultimately led to the Super League crisis.
