BORIS Johnson tonight railed against the European Super League as a “kind of cartel” and vowed not to shy away from taking legal action to stop it happening.
The PM told a No 10 press conference the plan for a football breakaway “offends against the basic principles of competition” and slammed owners for trying to turn their clubs into “commodities”.
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He said: “Our first step is clearly to back the football authorities in this country – the FA, the Premier League – in the steps they’re taking to counteract this initiative.
“Be in no doubt that we don’t support it. It’s not in the interests of fans, it’s not in the interests of football.
“How can it be right to have a situation in which you create a kind of cartel which stops clubs competing against each other, playing against each other, with all the hope and excitement that gives to the fans up and down the country?
“It offends against the basic principles of competition and if necessary, in order to protect that principle of competition, we will seek legislative solution but we hope that they can find a way forward themselves.”
The PM said football was “invented and codified” in Britain and is “one of the great glories of this country’s cultural heritage” that must be preserved.
Asked for his message to the owners of the breakaway teams, he added: “These clubs originate from famous town and cities in our country.
“I don’t think it right they should be somehow dislocated from their home towns, home cities, taken and turned into international brands and commodities, just circulate the planet propelled by the billions of banks without any reference to fans and those who have loved them all their lives.”
His remarks came after a Cabinet minister vowed Super League clubs will face “sanctions” from the Government if they don’t ditch plans to join the rogue competition.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the PM is determined to stop the creation of the breakaway division and urged the six English teams involved to step back from the brink.
He said ministers are looking at “a whole range of sanctions” they can trigger and insisted: “It’s not in the spirit of football, it’s not what fans want, it’s not what players want, it’s not what managers want.”
Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur have all signed up to the rogue competition.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from Spain, along with AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus from Italy, make up the remainder of the Dirty Dozen.
The proposed format is intended to replace the current Champions League, which clubs qualify for on merit based on their performance in their domestic division.
Instead, in the Super League a cartel of clubs would be guaranteed a spot every year with no threat of relegation, and almost no chance for others to join.
Other major European clubs including Bayern Munich, Paris St Germain, and Roma, have all refused to take part.
The PM hosted crisis talks with football’s governing bodies and fans’ groups today to plot a way to stop the new division in its tracks.
At the meeting he reportedly said the Government “should drop a legislative bomb to stop it” from happening.
In a statement No 10 said he had “reiterated his unwavering support for the football authorities and confirmed they have the government’s full backing to take whatever action necessary to put a stop to these plans”.
It added: “The Prime Minister confirmed the government will not stand by while a small handful of owners create a closed shop.
“He was clear that no action is off the table and the government is exploring every possibility, including legislative options, to ensure these proposals are stopped.”
No 10 wants to force the six English clubs to back down and ditch the plans before it is forced to intervene.
But if they don’t ministers are considering radical measures to clamp down on the European Super League and make it impossible to run.
They could include bringing in new laws mandating German-style fan ownership of clubs and limiting business tycoons to minority shareholders.
Officials are also looking at how they could use visa laws to ban those clubs involved from signing foreign players.
And police support for crowd-control at matches could be withdrawn.
Employment minister Mims Davies said: “I think it’s misjudged. I can see them climbing down. It feels like the right thing to do.
“The banners I’ve seen from fans today say it all, so do continue this at your peril but the government’s against you and your fans are against.”
How the European Super League would work
THE European Super League will be made up of fifteen ‘founder members’ – starting with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, United, City and Spurs from England, with Atletico and Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and PSG are likely to complete the list founders, who cannot be relegated.
Five extra teams will be invited to compete each year with a provisional kick-off from the start of the 2022-23 season.
Teams will be split into two groups of ten and play nine opponents home and away in a midweek league, with the top four from each group qualifying for end of season play-offs.
United and Liverpool will bag up to £310m up front. The other four Prem teams would each get £200m.
Total £4.6billion pot, initially backed by JP Morgan will mean a minimum £130m each year even if one of the ‘founders’ loses EVERY game.
Overall winners could earn up to £212m extra if they win every game.
Three of the English clubs involved in the breakaway are already said to be wavering after being stunned by the backlash from fans and politicians.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy asked the boss of Brighton to relay a message to a meeting of the remaining 14 Premier League clubs today that the plan was “not what I wanted, or expected”.
But the rest of England’s top teams later issued a strong statement hinting at possible bans for the defectors if they don’t back down.
And the new Super League is already facing the threat of legal action in both Britain and Europe that could kill it stone dead.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority said: “We will be carefully considering any competition concerns relating to these proposals.”
And on the continent Ireland and France called for a united EU response, including the threat of new laws, to ban the project.
Mr Williamson said today: “This Super League must be stopped because it’s just simply not fair, it’s not right.
“Football is rooted in the communities that clubs have grown up in and it’s there for the fans.
“This seems to have been dreamed up by moneymen as against football fans and that’s why the PM is so opposed to it.”
The education secretary said the Government will be “putting all our support behind the FA and UEFA” as they battle to stop the breakaway.
He insisted: “That’s the preferred option and we’d hope these clubs step back from the proposals they’ve put forward.”
But he added “if they’re not successful in doing that we won’t hesitate to take further steps to ensure this European Super League won’t go ahead”.
Pressed further, he said: “We’d look at every single option. You cannot be clearer about the Government’s commitment to ensure this doesn’t proceed. We would be willing to intervene if a solution isn’t found
“The Government reserves its position to take any action that’s required including the need to take legislation, the need to take sanctions, in order to ensure we protect football interests in this country.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
