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      Man Utd legend Neville wins football ambassador award after ‘helping overturn European Super League shambles’

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      GARY NEVILLE has won a global football ambassador gong after helping put the brakes on plans for a European Super League. The Manchester United legend was honoured for his ‘impact’ on the game off the pitch with a prize that has previously been awarded to Sir Bobby Charlton. 
      Gary Neville is the winner of the Football Business Award’s 2021 Global Ambassador Prize
      The Sky Sports pundit is being honoured for his football campaigning workCredit: Sky Sports
      Football Business Awards organisers say Neville is being recognised for creating ‘change within his communities for the wider business of football and for the engagement and representation of fans within the game.’
      The Sky Sports pundit shared a post on Twitter with his 4.7million followers stating he was ‘honoured’ to win the prize. 
      Neville, 46, was an outspoken opponent of plans for a breakaway league in Europe which involved six of the Prem’s biggest sides. 
      Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Man City initially joined six other European sides in the scheme earlier this year. 
      However, all six clubs withdrew from the project following a backlash from fans, MPs and pundits. 
      The Old Trafford hero would later go on to launch a campaign calling for the introduction of an independent regulator to prevent plans for a breakaway happening in secret. 

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      And the petition backing the call has received more than 142,800 signatures to date with Neville and Gary Lineker among the high profile figures plugging it on social media.
      The Football Business Awards are have been celebrated by clubs in the Premier League, the Scottish Prem and the EFL  
      Past recipients of their Global Ambassador prize include West Ham legend Sir Trevor Brooking and Arsenal hero Tony Adams. 
      Past recipients of the award won by Neville include Manchester United and England legend Sir Bobby CharltonCredit: Getty
      Simon Burton, co-founder of the awards, said: “The last year has shown how important football is to so many people. 
      “The way in which the football clubs and the businesses that support them have risen to the challenge of the pandemic proves this is no ordinary business. 
      “It is at the heart of communities everywhere and we are honoured to celebrate these outstanding achievements and initiatives.”
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      Prem clubs slam ‘toothless’ punishments for Super League plotters despite proposed £25m fines and 30-point deductions

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      PREMIER LEAGUE clubs are at odds over a set of proposals to prevent a fresh European Super League breakaway bid.Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City joined six European counterparts in attempting to form the new competition earlier in the year.
      Fan protests helped dispel the European Super League plot earlier this yearCredit: Reuters
      But major fan protests and revulsion by their fellow English clubs led to a swift U-turn.
      The six then agreed to each pay a £25million fine and take a 30-point deduction if they attempted to revive the plot.
      The issue is set to take centre stage at a shareholders’ meeting between the 20 Prem teams on Wednesday.
      With next season’s fixture list, formulated around the Qatar World Cup, one of many items on the agenda, it will be the first in-person get together in London since the pandemic struck.
      The biggest issue of contention is likely to be the planned ‘Owners Charter’, described as ‘toothless’ by some clubs.
      Clubs finally received the revised nine-point document on Thursday, despite asking for updates since the original proposals were rejected at the summer meeting.

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      The Charter was supposed to be a way of ring-fencing the current structure of the game, with teams facing sanctions for involvement in any future breakaway proposals.
      But there is anger among the clubs, some arguing the lack of any defined punishments is unacceptable while others are furious at what they consider a flawed process.
      Despite the frustrations, club bosses recognise that they will have little option other than to sign up to the proposals at the meeting, aware that anything else would leave them open to charges of seeking to reopen the Super League issue.
      Yet there is genuine unhappiness that the questions and arguments raised by clubs earlier in the year have not been properly or adequately addressed.

      It is understood the Charter will see the clubs seal their commitment to the football pyramid, with entry to other tournaments and competitions having to be earned on the field.
      That is an attempt to bind all the clubs – including the Big Six – into a position where any negotiations about a self-elected elite would be a breach of regulations and open them up to significant punishments.
      But all the Big Six, badly burned by the furious fan reaction to April’s attempted putsch, insist they are now committed to the Prem and have no interest in any Super League concept.
      And other clubs argue that by failing to nail down exactly what punishments could apply to any potential rebels, the League is failing to take advantage of the ideal opportunity to nail down the coffin on the idea for good.

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      Man Utd legend and current Ajax chief Edwin Van der Sar wants TEN group matches in 36-team Champions League revamp

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      AJAX chief Edwin van der Sar has proposed a new format for the Champions League with 36 teams and TEN group stage matches.The former Manchester United goalkeeper, 50, has been credited with coming up with the new format which Uefa will implement from 2024.
      Edwin van der Sar won the Champions League with Man Utd in 2008 after a heroic penalty shootout victory against ChelseaCredit: PA
      Uefa will do away with the eight groups of four in the current format, pitting every team against each other in a league of all 36 clubs, adding four more teams to the current 32.
      Everyone will play ten matches against different teams, which will be drawn based on their seeding, with five games will be played at home and five away.
      Where teams sit in the overall table after all ten matches are played will determine who progresses to the knockout round, with the top eight going through automatically and the next 16 competing in play-offs.
      Van der Sar was credited with proposing the model by Juventus chief Andrea Agnelli, with the Dutchman’s model offered up as an alternative to another a new system which Agnelli had previously backed.
      It was suggested that there should be four groups of eight, who would each play each other twice, meaning each team would play a total of 14 games in the group stages alone.
      Agnelli, 45, was president of the European Clubs Association until he was relieved of his duties following his involvement in the formation of the controversial European Super League last year.

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      Van der Sar’s ‘Swiss model’ has been preferred by Uefa, but the humble Ajax chief refuses to take sole credit for the idea.
      “I wasn’t the only man, you always speak to advisors and look at how we can do something new,” he said.
      “It was about playing more meaningful European matches and how can you do that without denuding the quality in the group stages.
      “A couple of guys came up with this system and I was happy to send it to Uefa and for this to be a way forward.
      “We also wanted something that would be good for clubs from mid-sized countries who may be big brands but are still coming from a small market.”
      In this new Champions League shake-up, clubs will not play each other both home and away, meaning fans get to watch their team play ten different European sides.
      It also means that every game will count right up until the last round of games, with places in the league table always at stake.
      The Dutchman has admitted that it wasn’t easy to get the idea approved, claiming: “initially there was some scepticism.”
      “But it used to be just knockouts until 30 or so years ago, and then group stages came in so this is an evolution of the system we have been playing in for a long time and trying to create more possibilities for games without creating dead games.
      “Sometimes if you win four games and have 12 points you are already done. Under the new system you really have to keep on going, to reach the top eight or the top 16.”
      The new format won’t be instated until 2024, so fans will have a while to wait before getting to experience it first hand and comparing how it stands up against the current system.
      Chelsea are the current holders of the Champions League after beating Man City 1-0 in the final last seasonCredit: Getty
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      Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus have not given up on European Super League as Premier League clubs rejoin ECA

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      EUROPE’S three Super League rebels have not given up their breakaway project.Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus will be conspicuous absentees when the Prem ‘Big Six’ return to the European Club Association ranks in Geneva on Monday.
      Barcelona chief Joan Laporta, Juve’s Andrea Agnelli (below, second left) and Real Madrid supremo Florentino Perez (bottom centre) have not given up on the European Super LeagueCredit: Getty
      Credit: Rex
      Credit: Getty
      But the trio have engaged a major PR company based in London and Brussels in an attempt to breathe life into their scheme.
      Flint have compiled a presentation document entitled: “Paving the way to the Super League; strategies for reconstruction, the restart and the triumph.”
      They have promised a “bullet proof” campaign, arguing the European model, as run by Uefa, represents an “abusive monopoly”.
      Flint are understood to have compiled a list of potentially recruitable advocates, seemingly oblivious to the backlash that saw the scheme wither and die in just 48 hours in April.
      Meanwhile, the ECA, now under the leadership of PSG’s Nasser Al-Khelaifi, will welcome back chastened Arsenal, Chelsea, the Manchester giants, Liverpool and Spurs after their dalliance with the £4.6billion scheme.
      So far, though, the English clubs have not been handed back any of their ECA committee positions. A change will be evidence they have been forgiven.

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      NO PREM-ATURE CONCLUSION
      PREMIER LEAGUE chiefs have published their curtailment rules in case of a future major disruption.
      The initial wave of the pandemic in March 2020 saw various clubs lobbying for the season to be either halted or simply voided, with the lack of any regulations bringing bitter arguments.
      But the official handbook for this season clarifies that ending the season is entirely down to the Prem board.
      While the 20 clubs would be consulted and vote on ending a season, they CANNOT call for a premature conclusion.
      Where a season is not completed 80 days after the scheduled end, the campaign will now be automatically concluded.
      Final positions will then be determined on the basis of average points per game, followed by goal difference and then the average number of goals scored, with head the head records the final arbiter.
      It ends the confusion that saw so much back-biting before Project Restart was agreed.
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      MANCHESTER UNITED have lobbied the Premier League to get permission for Cristiano Ronaldo to wear Edinson Cavani’s No7 shirt when he makes his Old Trafford return against Newcastle next weekend.
      But Galatasaray’s new Romanian signing Olimpiu Morutan had his shirt No21 picked FOR him by a poll of fans of the Turkish giants.
      Galatasaray fans chose the No21 shirt for Olimpiu MorutanCredit: Getty
      The £4million recruit from Steaua Bucharest could have had 10 or 14 but 37.3 per cent of the fans on the Socios.com app wanted him to wear the largest of the numbers.
      Quite why is beyond me…
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      European Super League future plans to be scuppered by Boris Johnson with law changes preventing football breakaway

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      UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to deliver on his plans to introduce laws to stop a breakaway European Super League in the future. Documents are being readied by Government officials that would make it legal for the FA and Premier league to bring harsh action on clubs backing the resurrection of the European Super League, according to the Telegraph.
      Arsenal fans protesting against the proposed European Super League in AugustCredit: Getty
      Protests by Manchester United fans forced their game against Liverpool in April to be postponed after some fans even forced themselves onto the pitchCredit: AP
      Chelsea were the first club whose fans publicly protested the proposed European Super LeagueCredit: Alamy
      The news of a proposed European Super League rocked the footballing world in April as six Premier League clubs announced they would be part of a breakaway competition that was provisionally set to start at the beginning of the 2022-23 season.
      And with rumours of a revival for the league, Government officials are drawing up legislation that would allow the FA and Premier League to take tough action on any club involved in such a plot.
      The news comes as there are fears that an ongoing case at the European Court of Justice could lead to Uefa being forced to drop its proposed disciplinary action against the clubs responsible.
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      An order from a Madrid court favours the clubs still involved, and with that there are rumours that the Spanish sides still keen on the plot are set to give the plans another go if they escape harsh action.
      The Premier League announced that a £25 million fine and 30 point deduction would greet any team involved in a similar plot, and the legislation set to be announced by Boris Johnson would prevent any court from being able to overturn that threat.
      Work permit rules have already been changed by the Government which stop foreign players from joining any English club involved in a Super League, but these plans are set to take a further step forward in preventing any of the ‘Big Six’ from taking part in plans of the same nature.
      Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea were all involved in the plot alongside some of the biggest clubs in Europe until all of the so called ‘Big Six’ pulled out of the plans after the backlash they received.
      Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan also backed the idea of a European Super League, but now the UK Prime Minister is working to ensure a similar plot will never happen again.

      The news backs up Boris Johnson’s claim that he would “drop a legislative bomb to stop it” from going ahead, and now he seems set to deliver on his promise.
      The Telegraph also report that Johnson is hoping his plans will gain support from the Union of European Football Associations, and boost a joint bid by the UK and Ireland to host the 2030 World Cup.
      And according to reports the Spanish clubs are still said to be in favour of the Super League, which damages a joint bid by Spain and Portugal to rival the UK and Ireland to host the 2030 World Cup.
      Boris Johnson is hoping that his plans both forever stop the possibility of a future Super League, as well as one-upping Spain and Portugal in the UK and Ireland’s joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
      The 12 original founders of the European Super League
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      La Liga chief Javier Tebas insists legal ruling in favour of remaining Super League rebels means nothing

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      LA LIGA chief Javier Tebas has dismissed the importance of the Super League latest legal ruling in favour of the three remaining rebels.The court in Madrid unsurprisingly confirmed its previous judgement that Uefa should cease and retract their threat to ban Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.
      Javier Tebas says a legal ruling in favour of the remaining Super League rebels means nothingCredit: Reuters
      Uefa are understood to be unworried by what is no more than a “house” courtroom in the Spanish capital.
      Parallels have been drawn with former Fifa boss Sepp Blatter’s tame court in his home town of Meilen, used in attempts to silence his critics a decade ago.
      Real, Barca and Juve trumpeted the ruling, claiming they now wished to work in a “constructive and co-operative manner” and claiming their project was an “open” league rather than a self-elected closed shop.
      But Tebas mocked the rebels and the court as he suggested the legal ruling was not worth the paper it was printed on.
      Tebas said: “I have read the statement, not the court order.

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      “But first of all, it’s the same judge as always – so he was always going to rule in a similar fashion.
      “If this particular judge has already made his views on the issue clear, he is not going to change his mind.
      “If he was going to change his line, it would be a bit of a joke, wouldn’t it – speaking of jokes, I think there’s a lot of them going on in that court.”
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      Footy fans to be handed ‘golden share’ to have say on major decisions affecting their teams

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      FOOTBALL fans could be handed a “golden share” in their beloved clubs to have a say in major decisions in the wake of the Super League disaster.Ministers want to hand powers to the chanting terraces, which will give supporters a say in changing club crests, location and competitions.
      The European Super League launch sparked protests back in AprilCredit: AP
      Fans will have powers to veto decisions under new proposalsCredit: PA
      The sweeping reforms including fan vetoes come in the wake of top six clubs attempts last season to break away and form a European Super League – which was squashed after an intervention from Boris Johnson.
      The fan led review will also reveal the need for a football regulator and recommend an overhaul of governance
      Former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has been leading the review – and reported her initial finding to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden yesterday.
      She warned an “independent regulator of English football” was needed after authorities failed to take advantage of the  “last chance saloon” for internal reform.
      Taking a pop at football’s running bodies she added: “It is with some sadness that I note they didn’t heed those warnings and that therefore it is time now for external assistance.”
      The new regulator would cover, financial regulation, corporate governance and ownership.
      But Ms Crouch says it should steer clear of ‘‘football issues’ like running league competitions, video technology, the national game or Wembley Stadium.
      “It is with some sadness that I note they didn’t heed those warnings and that therefore it is time now for external assistance.”Former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch
      She said plans to develop proposals to give supporters a ‘golden share’ to protect “key club heritage items of great cultural and emotional importance to fans.”
      The ex-minister said: “The most pressing of these has been the many clubs who appear to have lost the rights to their home grounds, but much evidence was also received of concerns relating to items such as club badges, location, colours and competitions.”

      Mr Dowden said he would take “bold steps” to protect the game. He said:   “We’ve seen this year with the failed European Super League proposals and Euro 2020 how central football is to our national life.  
      “I’ve been clear that now is the time to take a wide-ranging look at reform of the game. I will not hesitate to take bold steps where necessary.  
      “I am grateful to the Chair and Panel for their update on the fan led review. I look forward to receiving the final report and recommendations in the Autumn.”
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      England line up bid to host 2030 World Cup and European Super League farce could help bring it home

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      FA chief executive Mark Bullingham believes that the European Super League farce could help England secure hosting the World Cup in 2030.The 50-year-old footie supremo is hoping Uefa back England and Ireland’s submission to bring the game’s biggest competition home for the first time since 1966.
      The World Cup in 2030 could be played on British shores for the first time since 1966Credit: Getty
      And with Spain and Portugal looking to co-host the tournament, Bullingham is hoping Uefa fails to back their proposal.
      All six English clubs involved in the European Super League proposal pulled out following fan pressure.
      And they all agreed to massive fines from Uefa should they be involved in another future plot.
      Meanwhile Real Madrid and Barcelona are yet to withdraw from the hated competition.
      Uefa may have halted disciplinary proceedings into the clubs, but Bullingham is hoping their poor relations prove to be a stumbling block over a World Cup held on the Iberian Peninsula.
      England on the other hand boast good relations with Uefa following the government’s decision to allow 60,000 fans to attend the Euro 2020 semi-finals and final at Wembley.
      Uefa will back only one European bid with its 55 member-nation votes and the FA is overseeing a feasibility study about whether to throw its hat in the ring.
      Confirming England’s bid, Bullingham said: “I think we have got lots of credit from lots of different parts of football from around the world for the way in which the European Super League ended.
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      FA chief Mark Bullingham is hoping all six English clubs pulling out from the European Super League improves their chances of Uefa backing their bidCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

      “And that’s great and we were a key part of that and we’re proud of the role we played.
      “I think overall our relationship with Uefa, not just from from a Government point of view, but from an FA point of view is massively important.”
      Before adding: “We’re doing a feasibility study at the moment to ascertain what would a bid look like, what’s the governance of it and, fundamentally, can we win it?
      “I think our fundamental question is can we win it, have we got a genuine chance?
      “I think all of us would like to host a World Cup here. It would have a massive impact on everything we’re trying to achieve, from grassroots participation to impact on our own finances.
      “It would be great. But we’re only going to bid if we can win.”
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