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      Bruno Fernandes WILL sign new Man Utd deal and stay at Old Trafford… but only if Paul Pogba does the same

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      BRUNO FERNANDES will commit himself to Manchester United — but only if Paul Pogba does the same.Fernandes sees Pogba’s future as key if United are going to make up the gap to Manchester City in the Premier League.
      Bruno Fernandes will stay at Manchester United if Paul Pogba commits his futureCredit: Reuters

      Pogba’s current deal is up in June of next year after United triggered a one-year extension back in October.
      But the club either want him on new terms or will look to sell him this summer, rather than the 28-year-old World Cup winner becoming a free agent.
      Fernandes, 26, is watching the situation carefully with the club also aiming to extend his current deal after his incredible impact at Old Trafford since signing in a £55million deal from Sporting Lisbon in January of last year.
      SunSport revealed on March 10 how the club had approached Fernandes over a new double-your-money five-year contract worth £200,000 a week.
      But he did not want to enter talks until he saw the club’s ambition in the transfer market this summer, with Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho targets.
      Now he wants assurances over Pogba’s future too as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer plans for an assault on the title next season.
      Pogba is more settled at United than he has been for two years with, he believes, the club is heading in the right direction.
      After finishing third last season they are set to finish runners-up this time.
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      And United are favourites to lift the Europa league after reaching a fifth Cup semi-final in two seasons.
      They still have an outside chance of winning the league this term — they are eight points off  City at the top with six games to go.
      That was the same gap City overturned to edge United out on goal difference to win their first Prem title in 2012.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

      Top 10 biggest transfer value rises of 2020 including Man Utd star Bruno Fernandes and Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka More

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      World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst hails fans for stopping hated European Super League

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      THREE Lions legend Sir Geoff Hurst last night hailed fans for their role in stopping the hated Super League, saying: “They saved football.”But the 1966 World Cup hat-trick hero warned the “Big Six” had tarnished English football around the globe.
      World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst hails fans for stopping the hated European Super LeagueCredit: Rex
      Sir Geoff told The Sun: “What these clubs tried to do was an absolute disgrace and thank God it’s been stopped.
      “The Mickey Mouse league they were trying to set up was diabolical and disgusting.
      “I haven’t spoken to a single fan, young or old, this week who backed it.
      “If it wasn’t for the fans coming out and making it clear what they thought the game would have died.
      “We had Manchester United fans standing shoulder to shoulder with Liverpool supporters. Arsenal and Spurs fans were agreeing.
      “I’ve never seen anything like it!
      “But God bless every one of them – they’ve saved football and showed they are the best fans in the world.”
      Sir Geoff, 79, said his 1966 pals would be “turning their graves” over greedy foreign owners trying to hijack our national game.
      He added: “One of the greatest things about that team back then was how we all came from different clubs, some near the top of the League, others nowhere near it.
      Chelsea fans celebrate after the club announced it would be withdrawing from the European Super LeagueCredit: Getty
      Sir Geoff said the owners of the Big Six now needed to grovel to the fans they tried to betrayCredit: Splash
      Sir Geoff said his 1966 pals would be ‘turning in their graves’ over greedy foreign owners trying to hijack our national gameCredit: AFP

      “But we still combined to become a team, create history and do something truly amazing. That’s what makes football so special.
      “I know Bobby Moore for one would be turning in his grave.
      “That League went against everything he stood for and everything believed in as a man and a footballer.
      “And I suspect the likes of Jack Charlton and Nobby Stiles, who were never afraid to voice their opinions, would be saying the same as I am today.”
      Sir Geoff said the owners of the Big Six now needed to grovel to the fans they tried to betray.
      He said: “They need to apologise to the fans and to the players who were dragged into this. I was pleased to see so many of the footballers speaking out about it.
      “Players have a lot more influence now than back in my day.
      A statement released by the European Super League claimed the tournament will ‘reshape’ and go ahead

      “They are on social media and have millions of followers.
      “Kids around the world look up to these guys and when they were coming and saying, ‘We’re not standing for this’ the owners must have realised the game was up.
      “Now they need to say sorry and start trying to put right the damage they have done to our game.
      “If they’re not willing to do that they should clear off.”
      What happens now the European Super League has collapsed More

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      Ex-England ace John Barnes resurrects his iconic World in Motion rap to raise awareness for guide dogs

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      FORMER England ace John Barnes has resurrected his iconic World in Motion rap — but changed it to raise awareness for guide dogs. The pundit, 57, says “you’ve got to walk, take steps, it can be in your own time” instead of “you’ve got to hold and give, but do it at the right time”. 
      John Barnes, 57, has re-recorded his World in Motion rap for charity
      He also advises people with sight loss to “wear your favourite socks” as part of a new charity campaign.
      Barnes famously rapped on England’s classic New Order song for the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
      And he showed he still has the skill for the Guide Dogs charity’s Walk Your Socks Off campaign.
      He raps: “You can be slow or fast, or dance about to a rhyme. 
      “Walk round your house, your garden, go there, come back. Wear your favourite socks, this will keep you on track. Support me if you can, ’cause I’m your Guide Dogs man. And what you’re looking at is the master plan. We support sight loss, this is our sock. I’m walking my socks off, I know I can’t go wrong.”
      In 1990 Barnes improvised the original rap and was sozzled while recording the video for it.
      He said: “I was p***ed. We were all drunk and just did it. It’s not a hard thing to do, is it?”

      The England legend is raising awareness for guide dogsCredit: Paul Tonge – The Sun
      John Barnes raps: ‘You’ve got to walk, take steps, it can be in your own time’
      In the 1990 clip he rapped: ‘You’ve got to hold and give, but do it at the right time’
      In the new campaign he also advises people with sight loss to ‘wear your favourite socks’
      In 1990 Barnes improvised the original rap and was sozzled while recording the video
      Barnes in action at the 1990 World Cup in ItalyCredit: Alamy

      It was only decided he would rap on the day it was made in the studio. 
      He recalled: “There was Paul Gascoigne, Chris Waddle and Peter Beardsley, all these Geordies, so there was just no chance of them three doing it.
      “So it was between me and Des Walker. Des and I had a rap-off. Des was rubbish. I’ve been rapping since I was 17 years old.”
      John Barnes rap More

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      All SIX Premier league ‘giants’ pull out of European Super League as Liverpool, Man Utd and Spurs finally quit

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      ALL six English clubs have now quit the hated European Super League in a massive victory for fan power.Chelsea were the first to break ranks after fans gathered outside their Stamford Bridge ground to voice their anger, with Manchester City following soon after.
      A large number of Chelsea fans gathered at Stamford Bridge to voice their anger
      One Chelsea fan spoke for the nation with the simple message: ‘We want our cold nights in Stoke’Credit: AFP
      There was jubilation when fans heard the decision had been taken to quit
      Then Spurs, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal all announced they were quitting the project hours later.
      Meanwhile the Premier League held a crisis meeting without the ‘Big Six’, where the remaining 14 clubs “unanimously and vigorously rejected the plans” for the rebel eague.
      Fan power across the football world has pushed the loathed European Super League to the brink of collapse as reports from Italy said Inter Milan have joined the six English clubs in abandoning the project.
      Late last night the European Super League confirmed the plans had been suspended.
      The league is now considering the “most appropriate steps to reshape the project, always having in mind our goals of offering fans the best experience possible”, it said in a statement.
      THEY THINK IT’S ALL OVER
      Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was reportedly left “shaken” by the fury directed at the Premier League’s rebels.
      He told supporters the club “regret the anxiety and upset caused by the ESL proposal.”
      In a statement, he added: “We felt it was important that our club participated in the development of a possible new structure that sought to better ensure financial fair play and financial sustainability whilst delivering significantly increased support for the wider football pyramid.“We believe that we should never stand still and that the sport should constantly review competitions and governance to ensure the game we all love continues to evolve and excite fans around the world.“We should like to thank all those supporters who presented their considered opinions.”

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      Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal also apologised for the “distress” caused by the plan and told fans “we have heard you” as the club also confirmed it was quitting.
      “The last few days have shown us yet again the depth of feeling our supporters around the world have for this great club and the game we love,” the board said in a statement.
      “We needed no reminding of this but the response from supporters in recent days has given us time for further reflection and deep thought.
      “As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologise for it.”
      Banners and scarves were tied to the fences around Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium in protest against the European Super LeagueCredit: Getty
      Protesters hung banners in ManchesterCredit: PA
      Chelsea’s technical director Petr Cech begged fans to disperse as blue smoke grenades filled the airCredit: PA
      Manchester United said it will not be participating in the European Super League after listening “carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders”.
      Liverpool also issued a statement confirming its “involvement in proposed plans to form a European Super League has been discontinued”.
      The club said in recent days it had received “valuable contributions” on the issue.
      None of the clubs involved appears to have anticipated the level of anger from supporters across the country and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was reportedly “blindsided” by the fans’ response.
      The Blues said having had “time to consider the matter fully and have decided that our continued participation in these plans would not be in the best interests of the Club, our supporters or the wider football community”.

      The proposed European Super League appeared to unite football fans in fury immediately after it was announced on Sunday night.
      At one stage the Prime Minister even proposed using a new law to block the move.
      He praised Chelsea and Man City for their “absolutely right decision” and called on the four remaining English clubs to “follow their lead”.
      Mr Johnson had earlier branded the ESL a cartel saying its “not right” to rob British fans of their football – saying “be in no doubt that we don’t support it”.
      Massive protests by Chelsea supporters outside Stamford Bridge last night delayed their game against Brighton.
      Marcus Rashford tweeted out a poignant image of Sir Matt Busby’s famous words: ‘Football is nothing without fans’
      The game was delayed for 15 minutes after protesting fans descended on the stadium and blocked the team buses.
      Chelsea legend Petr Cech begged fans let the bus through but his pleas fell on deaf ears with some furious supporters screaming he was a “traitor”.
      A huge roar went up when it was announced that Chelsea were quitting just before kick-off.
      Brighton players including Danny Welbeck also warmed up in protest tops.
      One delighted protester, Paul Greeves, 29, said: “I love this club, but the way they’ve acted has been a joke.
      “This protest really shows what fan power can do. We’re united as one club. All fans have come together and it’s great to see.
      “I can’t believe we have managed to force these clubs to act. It is unheard of in this day and age. Usually they are just all about the money.”
      Sources claimed Chelsea and Man City had been reluctant to sign up in the first place.
      With public fury clear, broadcasters including Amazon Prime, Sky and BT hastily distanced themselves from the Super League project.
      The Sun Says
      THE howl of rage was deafening. And it has worked.
      Grasping billionaires will not be allowed to destroy our national sport.Fans — backed by a robust Tory ­Government, by Prince William, by every sane voice in the land — united in uproar, either abandoning the “big six” clubs they have supported all their lives or protesting outside their stadiums.
      Slowly but surely managers and players, blindsided like everyone else at the weekend, began to rise up. This cold-blooded coup by a megarich cartel has been a direct attack on them too.
      Even potential TV broadcasters of the “European Super League” turned their guns on it. We don’t blame them. Who, long-term, would pay to watch a league where nothing is at stake?
      Where the same founder members effectively play out stale friendlies again and again?
      But the tycoons’ foolish misconception is a lesser point. For this has been a simple issue of right and wrong.
      Avaricious men with no connection to, or feel for, the beautiful game must not steal it from the millions of ordinary people who make it what it is.
      The clubs are listening. Chelsea, Man City, Barcelona and Atletico pulled the plug. Others were considering their options. Man United’s chief resigned.
      The huge threat from Boris Johnson’s “legislative bomb” was bad enough.
      But even soulless owners driven solely by profit baulk if they sense their plan is a financial disaster. As fans desert their clubs, buy no merchandise, cancel ­season tickets and end their TV ­subscriptions for the Prem, those greedy fools are finally realising what a shameful ­mistake they have made.
      What a hornets’ nest they stirred up trying to line their pockets by tearing the heart out of Britain’s national game.
      It must not happen. Not now. Not ever.

      Ed Woodward’s shock departure after 16 years at Old Trafford was said to have been in protest against the ESL.
      Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin this week called Woodward and his fellow rebel club leaders “snakes and liars”.
      Andrea Agnelli, president of Juventus, one of three Italian sides which were joining the ESL, also resigned.
      Barcelona president Joan Laporta last night backtracked, claiming its members will decide.
      He said: “Barcelona will not join the Super League until our socios vote for it. It’s their club, so it’s their decision.”
      There were also reports that Atletico Madrid were preparing to withdraw, leaving the fledgling project in tatters.
      Fans could also be handed powers to block teams joining any new league.
      Manchester United ace Marcus Rashford, who forced ministers into a U-turn over free school meals last year, issued a thinly-veiled warning to his club’s US owners.
      Man United chief executive Ed Woodward resignedCredit: PA
      Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola appeared to criticise the plans even before his team quitCredit: Getty
      The striker, 23, tweeted a poignant image of Red Devils hero Sir Matt Busby’s famous words: “Football is nothing without fans.”
      Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson also piled in, summoning all his fellow Premier League captains to an emergency meeting last night.
      Spurs chairman Daniel Levy had told fellow Premier League executives the breakaway plot had been driven by a desire for “more respect and for more money” from European soccer chiefs.
      But he added the backlash was “not what I wanted, or expected”.
      The ESL would have seen United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool — and 14 other top European teams sharing a £4.6billion pot in a rival to the current Champions League.
      Crowds descended on Stamford Bridge ahead of Chelsea’s match against BrightonCredit: Sebastian Frej/MB Media
      Prince William, the FA President, held talks with FA chiefsCredit: PA
      But it would be a “closed shop” with no relegation for the 12 founder members.
      The 14 Premier League clubs not involved in the breakaway competition said they “unanimously and vigorously rejected” the plans.
      Supporters have been furious since the plans for the new league were announced on Sunday and condemned the move as shameful.
      Last night they began reacting to news that their clubs are to ditch the plans after all.
      Spurs fan George Martin, 28, said: “It was a dumb idea to begin with. How dare these clubs think they can take over the game like this, it’s a disgrace.
      “I’ve supported Spurs all my life and I was close to leaving them over this, so I am glad these clubs have seen sense and decided against it.”
      Liverpool fan Ross Maietta, 72, said: “I’ve supported this great club for more than 50 years.
      “I’ve seen them win multiple European Cups but I feared after this announcement it’d be the end for me.
      Brighton players including Danny Welbeck warmed up in protest topsCredit: EPA
      Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson summoned all 20 Premier League captains to an emergency meetingCredit: Alamy
      The grandson of Bill Shankly said his grandad’s statue should be removed from Anfield if the club went ahead with its threatCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      “But we have all managed to put our differences aside and come together for this cause.
      “We say no to the Super League, now and forever. This would destroy football and I am not prepared to let that happen.”
      And Arsenal fan Luke Gilles, 46, said: “My club is badly run. It is being run into the ground and I felt as though there was nothing I could do about it.
      “This proves how much power fans have and I sincerely hope we can stick together in this and continue to fight for what is right for our clubs.”
      Aston Villa fan Craig Bradley called for the teams involved to be kicked out of the Premier League.

      Burnley fan Lorna Smith called it “a terrible idea and one that is purely motivated by greed”.
      In America, British talk show host James Corden told viewers: “Many teams were started by working-class people, dock workers, builders… they were built by and for the communities that they play in. They are not franchises.
      “Anyone can beat anyone on their day and it’s that that makes it incredible.
      “Billionaire owners took something so pure and so beautiful and they beat the love and the joy out of it. And they did it for money.”
      Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola appeared to criticise the plans even before his team quit.
      He said: “It is not a sport where success is already guaranteed, where it doesn’t matter when you lose.
      Spurs chariman Daniel Levy said the breakaway plot had been driven by a desire for ‘more respect and for more money’Credit: Mark Pain / Premium Sport

      “I would love the president of this committee to explain to the whole world why they took the decision.
      “I don’t know why these specific teams have been selected.
      “And it’s not fair if one team fights to make it to the top and then cannot qualify because success is just guaranteed for a few clubs.”
      Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher slam Man Utd and Liverpool owners over European Super League fallout More

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      Gareth Southgate fears Euro Super League will hurt his England plans with players facing BANS for playing in rebel comp

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      GARETH SOUTHGATE is concerned that a breakaway European Super League could ruin his England plans.Uefa have threatened that players from the 12 clubs who signed up to the controversial scheme will be banned from international football.
      Gareth Southgate could be without captain Harry Kane and many more at the EurosCredit: Getty
      And England boss Southgate has asked FA chiefs to update him – although it is not thought likely that any such ban would come into place until after the Euros this summer.
      Around two-thirds of Southgate’s likely 23-man squad play for the Premier League’s ‘big six’ who have all signed up for the Super League – which could see them thrown out of English football.
      That would force a series of legal battles as well as the prospect that all players from breakaway clubs would effectively be out of contract, as their current deals are ratified by the Premier League.
      They would then have to choose between signing lucrative new deals with Super League sides or opt for clubs within the existing Fifa structure, which would allow them to continue to represent their countries.
      Uefa are taking a hard-line approach to the Super League threat and president Aleksander Ceferin said yesterday: “We will take all the sanctions we can and will inform you as soon as we have a clear answer.
      “As soon as possible they have to be banned from all our competition and the players from all our competitions.
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      Here’s how England could line up if European Super League players are banned

      MORE ON SUPER LEAGUE OUTRAGE

      “The players who will play in the teams that might play in the closed league will be banned from playing in the World Cup or Euros and not be able to represent their national teams at any matches.”
      It is believed Uefa will not allow this summer’s tournament to be so badly damaged.
      Should a full breakaway occur, though, most of Southgate’s squad may have a difficult decision to make.
      And that eventuality could ruin Southgate’s plans for next year’s Qatar World Cup.
      If Southgate were robbed of ‘big six’ players, plus Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier, his team would be significantly weakened.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Leeds and Liverpool fans unite to protest European Super League More

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      Where does Jose Mourinho go after brutal sack days before cup final? Would any of Europe’s top clubs take a punt on him?

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      WHAT next then for Jose Mourinho?Surely there’s no future for him in the Premier League, whatever that is going to look like now.
      Jose Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham today just days before their Carabao Cup FinalCredit: Dan Charity / The Sun
      It remains to be seen what is in store next for the man who was once dubbed the ‘Special One’Credit: The Sun
      Nor in the European Super League, whether that even becomes a reality.
      To be sacked by Tottenham Hotspur after just 17 months in charge, and just six days before the Carabao Cup final, is a crushing humiliation for one of football’s most successful, and most egotistical, managers.
      The timing is absolutely brutal.
      Mourinho had been brought to Spurs to win trophies. Yet a week before his opportunity to lead the club to a first piece of silverware in 13 years, he is out on his ear.
      Mourinho’s powers are clearly fading and his man-management methods are out-dated.
      He was fired by Chelsea with the club citing ‘palpable discord’ between the Portuguese and the players who had won him the title just months before.
      Then he lost the dressing room following a couple of years of relative success at Manchester United.
      And now the majority of Tottenham players had clearly turned against Mourinho, too.
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      During Mourinho’s first press conference as a Premier League manager, at Chelsea back in 2004, he declared himself ‘a Special One’.
      But in what is likely to be his final pre-match press briefing in England, before Tottenham’s draw at Everton last Friday, a bewildered Mourinho found himself bombarded with questions about social-media insults from Dulux, the club’s new official paint partner.
      “Who’s Dulux?” is not exactly a classic one-liner to remember him by.
      Mourinho won seven major honours, including three Premier League titles, during two spells at Chelsea and two more trophies at United.
      But his move to Spurs always looked like being a challenge for a manager used to big spending and instant success.
      Still he managed to alienate three players who were established England internationals when he arrived at White Hart Lane — Dele Alli, Danny Rose and Harry Winks — and fell out with countless more along the way, including Gareth Bale, record signing Tanguy Ndombele and Toby Alderweireld.
      There were rumblings right from the start about tedious old-school training sessions from a group of players who worked like dogs under Mourinho’s predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, but who begrudgingly appreciated that the Argentinian’s methods worked.
      ⚽ Follow all of the latest news and live reaction to Jose Mourinho’s sacking here
      Mourinho’s habit of publicly criticising his players, individually or collectively, caused concerns throughout his Spurs reign — but many were still on board until the last couple of months.
      Tottenham led the Premier League in the middle of December with his counter-attacking style suiting the partnership of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who enjoyed an extraordinary purple patch.
      Yet he could not perform his usual trick  of short-term success, followed by a third- season meltdown.
      This time the implosion was premature even by his standards.

      Mourinho will still be an in-demand pundit — charismatic, outspoken and with a glorious, if dated, CV to back up his colourful words.
      Perhaps he will join Roy Keane and Graeme Souness again on Sky — and he would still be a compelling listen.
      Or maybe at 58, he might fancy a stab at the Portugal national job in the not-too-distant future.
      But would any of Europe’s largest clubs take a punt, whether or not they break away from football’s established order?
      It is difficult to imagine it after this.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Jose Mourinho clears out Tottenham office – including pictures from Amazon doc – as he breaks silence after sacking More

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      Angry Prem clubs set to tell Big Six rebels to QUIT as 14 teams hold emergency meeting without them

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      THE Big Six rebels face being ordered to QUIT the Premier League by their furious rivals.Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal could also be booted out of Europe this season on FRIDAY.
      The Big Six face being booted out of the Premier League this summer by furious rivalsCredit: PA
      On another dramatic day of turmoil sparked by the decision of the six to sign up to the proposed European Super League, the other 14 top-flight teams are planning their revenge.
      At a Prem meeting on Tuesday — from which the six giants have been excluded — the other teams are set to agree to demand United, Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs all leave the league at the end of the season.
      The outsiders are angry at what they called “underhanded” dealing by the Big Six, despite previous promises of unity collective agreements to back the Prem.
      Clubs are said to be “angry and dismayed” at the actions of the Six, with a call for disciplinary charges and for the League to officially confirm they will not be granted permission to join the £4.6billion scheme.

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      But expelling the rebels is one option that is being discussed by club chiefs and one exec said: “Lots of options are being explored. They have underestimated the opposition.”
      Under Prem rule B6, it would take a vote of three quarters of the 20 clubs to boot any of the Big Six out.
      With a maximum of 14 clubs backing any such call, they would fall one vote short.
      But Rule B11 gives “discretion, right and power” to the League’s Board – chief exec Richard Masters, chairman Gary Hoffman and non-exec director Kevin Beeston – to act in “sole and absolute discretion” to make “final and binding” rulings that are “not subject to appeal”.
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      That ultimate step has never previously been exercised.
      But some of the 14 Premier League clubs have already hit out at the Big Six.
      Aston Villa chief exec Christian Purslow said: “These proposals do away with sporting merit.
      “It would enable a small number of clubs to be in this competition come what may and, for millions of people in football, that goes against everything the sport means and stands for.”

      While Crystal Palace owner Steve Parish added: “This is creating a gilded elite that will not be challenged.
      “If you can imagine uniting every football fan, every chief executive, every politician, Boris Johnson, [France President Emmanuel] Macron… a whole group of people who couldn’t agree on anything suddenly coming out instantly condemning something. So, it feels like a busted flush.”
      Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani said: “Absolutely against the sporting spirit, the dream of millions of fans to conquer the champions on the field, with planning, vision, work.
      “Kill dreams of players and fans. The teams are fans and WE are custodians of the club.”

       Uefa is also ready to hand out the order of the boot for the four Prem clubs left in this season’s European competitions, as soon as Friday.
      Denmark FA chief Jesper Moller revealed: “The Super league clubs who are still in Europe must go, and I expect that to happen on Friday.
      “Then we have to find out how to finish the Champions League.”
      Furious Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, who branded plotters “snakes” who are “spitting in the face” of football fans, also threatened to ban England and overseas stars including Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann from Euro 2020.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      This is arguably the best XI of players who as it stands would play in the European Super League
      UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says any players who take part in European Super League will be banned from World Cup and Euros More

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      Greedy football club owners need to front up to fans and explain why they’re so intent on destroying English football

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      SO come on then ‘Silent Stan’ Kroenke, find a voice and explain yourself to Arsenal supporters.Tell them how you’ve run their club so badly that you can no longer qualify for elite European competition through sporting merit and have to cheat your way in  for eternity by signing up for a sealed-off Super League.
      Greedy silent owners like Arsenal’s Stan Kroenke have to start talking about the European Super LeagueCredit: Reuters
      And silent Joel Glazer and your silent brothers, the slum landlords of Old Trafford, have you got the balls to tell Manchester United fans why they were wrong to protest against your ruinous, parasitic ownership after your leading role in this sordid little coup?
      You leached off the genius of Sir Alex Ferguson and since he went, you are nothing.
      You have presided over eight years of mediocrity, without coming close to winning the Champions League or Premier League.
      And John W Henry, with your ‘This Means More’ and your ‘Unity Is Strength’ guff, let us know  why a European Super League devoid of true competitiveness and sporting jeopardy will ‘mean more’ to Liverpool — and tell us exactly what is so unifying about it.

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      You pretended to buy into the city of Liverpool’s proud, independent, defiant traditions.
      You sponged off your club’s unique folklore. Now you have trashed it and defiled it.
      No more Merseyside derbies. That’s what you’ve effectively signed up to. Nice line in Scouse ‘unity’, that.
      Instead, you just hide behind a mealy-mouthed statement on Liverpool’s official internet channels, including quotes from Glazer — who runs your club’s most bitter rivals — because you are too ashamed to talk about it yourself.
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      Will the Glazers dare to open lines of communication with Man Utd fans?Credit: AFP – Getty

      The Glazers and Henry’s Fenway Sports Group aren’t ‘rivals’. Along with Kroenke, they are shady co-conspirators seeking to impose an Americanised franchise system on elite European football.
      And silent Roman Abramovich, you started all this — the trend for foreign owners, with no feeling for their clubs and with no concept of English football’s essence.
      You bought into our game to give yourself phony respectability after making billions in the murky world of post-Soviet oil carve-ups.
      That money bought you Chelsea, which now enables you to get richer still from Super League bankrollers JP Morgan?
      Oh, and silent Joe Lewis,  the reclusive Bahamas-based  billionaire owner of Tottenham. Unlike the rest of them, you are supposedly a lifelong supporter of the club you preside over.
      Aged 84, you’re even old enough to remember the last time Spurs were champions of England —  60 years ago this week.
      How does a non-competitive league ‘mean more’ to Liverpool owner John W Henry?Credit: Reuters
      Roman Abramovich started the trend of rich foreign owners in footballCredit: AFP
      You must actually have some degree of innate understanding about the 130-year traditions of English League football which you are trampling all over.
      Tell us why you think your club, which has won nothing other than the League Cup for 30 consecutive seasons, suddenly reckons itself too good for all of that.
      And the sheikhs of Abu Dhabi, who claimed you were do-gooders motivated by the regeneration of east Manchester, tell us why you want to destroy the English football pyramid system your club knows better than any of your ‘elite’ chums.
      Apparently, you were the last of England’s ‘Big Six’ to sign up for this atrocity. You felt backed into a corner, we’re told.
      The autocratic rulers of an oil-rich Emirate being bullied by the big boys? Oh, spare us.
      Like Liverpool, you issued quotes from Glazer about the  Super League but none of your own.
      Joe Lewis should remember the last time Spurs won the league – 60 years agoCredit: Reuters
      Man City’s claims of effectively being bullied into signing up are laughableCredit: AFP
      Apart from the lying and back-stabbing there is also an astonishing element of bare-faced misplaced arrogance in all of this.
      Nottingham Forest have twice as many European Cups as Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and City combined. So, honestly, who do these grubby gangsters think they are?
      Cowards, the lot of them. Living in the shadows, operating in silence. Never accountable for their actions.
      Never caring about anything other than the next dollar. None of these craven owners will allow themselves to be put under public scrutiny.
      We’ll be lucky if we hear from any of their lickspittle dirty-working chief executives either.
      Maybe smug chancer Ivan Gazidis will explain a few things. Having ballsed up the succession to Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, he’s got his new employers, the once-mighty serial-failures of AC Milan included in this tawdry carve-up.

      Nice work if you can get it, that. Instead, it will be left to the managers to act as human shields for owners, squirming under  questioning  in TV interviews.
      Although, a prickly Jurgen Klopp showed his true colours  last night — choosing not to fully condemn a scheme which, in the words of Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin, ‘spits in the face’ of football lovers.
      Instead, he moaned about Liverpool fans taking down banners from Anfield and bristled at Leeds players wearing T-shirts telling him to ‘earn’ their place in the Champions League.
      Some ‘man of the people’ you are, Jurgen. And what of the players? Many elite footballers have worked their way up from lower leagues and appreciate the  pyramid system.
      This will not sit easily with many, even if they  can quadruple their salaries  in the Super League.
      I feared players would not speak out against their current employers? 
      This is arguably the best XI of players who as it stands would play in the European Super League
      Ander Herrera of Paris Saint-Germain — the unlikely refuseniks among this season’s four Champions League semi-finalists — was the first big star to condemn the Super League scheme yesterday.
      Several more have followed – including, significantly, Liverpool’s James Milner, who insisted: “I don’t like it and I hope it doesn’t happen.”
      Fans of ‘Big Six’ clubs are almost unanimously against the plotters who couldn’t give a stuff about the historic community links and family ties which even our grandest clubs are built upon.
      Will the slippery six be forced out of English  football before full houses  are allowed next season? Let’s hope not, as they deserve the howls of derision to ring in their ears.
      That’s if Silent Stan, the Silent Glazers, Silent Roman, the silent Sheikhs, silent Joe Lewis and smug John Henry would even dare to darken the doors of an English domestic football match again.
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