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      Premier League Big Six agree to multi-million pound fines over European Super League farce

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      THE Premier League’s Big Six have agreed to multi-million pound fines from Uefa – as a condition of being allowed back into European football.Uefa chiefs confirmed they had agreed “reintegration measures” with the nine clubs – including Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs, City and United – who recanted their attempts to lead the rebel breakaway.
      Nine of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ have been punished by Uefa for their role in the European Super League farceCredit: Reuters
      As a condition of the deal, the nine – completed by AC Milan, Inter and Atletico Madrid – will share a slap on the wrist £13m “goodwill” payment to be ploughed into youth and grassroots football, including in the UK.
      But all nine, who Uefa said had “acknowledged their mistake”, also agreed to give up five per cent of the money they would have received from Uefa for their next European campaign.
      And they agreed they would face massive fines of £87m if they joined any future breakaway, or £43.5m if they merely committed to any such new league.
      It is still an escape for the Prem six.
      Manchester City and Chelsea are both likely to earn at least £110m from their exertions this season, with Champions League qualification worth a minimum £60m before they even kick a ball.
      It means the Prem clubs could hand back up to £6m each, with teams in the Europa League losing an extra £1.5m.
      Uefa said the agreement had been made “in the spirit of reconciliation”, with President Aleksander Ceferin noting the swift apologies from the English teams in particular.
      He said: “I said at the Uefa Congress two weeks ago that it takes a strong organisation to admit making a mistake especially in these days of trial by social media.
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      “These clubs have done just that.
      “In accepting their commitments and willingness to repair the disruption they caused, Uefa wants to put this chapter behind it and move forward in a positive spirit.”
      Ceferin, however, promised swift and decisive punishment for the three rebels – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus – who are refusing to give up on their Super League dream.
      The trio face two YEAR bans from Europe after being referred to Uefa’s disciplinary beaks.
      Ceferin added: “These nine clubs recognised their mistakes quickly and have taken action to demonstrate their contrition and future commitment to European football.
      “The same cannot be said for the clubs that remain involved in the so-called ‘Super League’ and Uefa will deal with those clubs subsequently.”
      Champions League final chaos for Chelsea and Man City fans as Turkey added to UK travel red list More

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      Aston Villa offer to host Champions League final between Chelsea and Man City with fears over coronavirus ravaged Turkey

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      ASTON VILLA has offered to stage this season’s all-English Champions’ League cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City in Birmingham.The former European champions contacted the FA and Uefa proposing a dramatic switch of venue from Covid-19 hotspot Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium, to Villa Park, now the final has become an all-English affair.
      Aston Villa have made a staggering offer to UefaCredit: Getty
      They have offered to host the all-English Champions League final instead of IstanbulCredit: AFP
      However Uefa has confirmed in an official statement the final WILL go ahead as planned in Istanbul on May 29.
      Villa chiefs believe it makes no sense for up to 10,000 English fans of Chelsea and City to risk making the 3,000-mile plus round trip to Turkey, where the virus is rife and the nation remains in lockdown. 
      The Midlands club, who lifted the European Cup in 1982, stepped in to offer Villa Park as an safer, alternative venue, once Chelsea confirmed their place in the final by beating Real Madrid to set up an all English final with City.
      There are currently no travel restrictions in place between England and Turkey but anyone travelling back to the UK will be subject to quarantine rules when they return.
      Meanwhile UEFA insist the Turkish lockdown will have no impact on the final taking place as planned.
      A Uefa statement said: “The Uefa Champions League final will take place in Istanbul on May 29 with a limited number of spectators and we are assured the temporary lockdown which is in force until May 17 should not have any impact on the match.
      “Uefa continues to work closely with the Turkish Football Federation and the local and national authorities to stage the match safely.
      “Detailed information regarding the capacity for the match, travel and ticketing details will be communicated publicly by the end of the week.”
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      However Villa are keen to host the final and their offer to Uefa stands.
      Although Villa Park does not meet current Uefa standards to stage the final, it is understood the club was willing to carry out some speedy upgrades to the press facilities and TV positions.
      Villa felt Birmingham was ideally suited to stage the final as there is enough hotel accomodation in the area to host such a major event, and house all of the Uefa officials, delegates and sponsors who attend the final. 
      Chelsea and Man City fans are set to get 4,000 tickets each for the eagerly anticipated final but more fans may be tempted to travel to experience the atmosphere around the occasion.
      SunSport understands Uefa are not in favour of such a late switch unless the Turkish Government was to inform them it could no longer stage the final for safety reasons.
      Turkey is currently Europe’s Covid capital with the highest number of infections in Europe.
      The UK Government has yet to decide about whether Turkey will remain open for business within the UK’s permitted Travel Corridor, with a decision on potential future travel restrictions to and from Turkey expected to be reviewed next week.   
      Just seven players have managed to score a hat-tricks of CL hat-tricks
      Commons Culture Committee chair Julian Knight did back the idea of switching the game to England.
      He said: “Given our world leading vaccine programme and also the fact that we have been showing through the pilots that we are seemingly very capable of holding events in this country, then of course I would support the idea of the final being moved to Wembley.
      “Although international travel is very unlikely to the event, it would at least give a better experience for our fans to have the game in this country and hopefully there would be an opportunity to run the Champions League final as an additional pilot to allow fans into the ground.’
      The Tory MP added: “It Is also about a Covid-secure environment for the players and the support staff.
      “The most Covid-secure environment would be to have it in the country of origin of the two teams rather than make them travel.
      “It would seem to be much safer and more sensible to have it here.”
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      Man City and Chelsea fans set to land 4,000 tickets as Uefa confirm Champions League final WILL be held in Istanbul

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      MANCHESTER CITY and Chelsea fans are set to get 4,000 tickets each for the Champions League Final.Uefa have confirmed it will go ahead in Istanbul despite Turkey’s Covid crisis.
      Fans will be allowed in to the Ataturk stadium in Istanbul for the Champions League finalCredit: Getty
      Authorities in Ankara have confirmed to Uefa they are happy to host Manchester City and Chelsea, who beat Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid respectively to reach the biggest game in club football, at the Ataturk on the last Saturday of May.
      Uefa said: “The UEFA Champions League final will take place in Istanbul on May 29 with a limited number of spectators.
      “We are assured the temporary lockdown which is in force until May 17 should not have any impact on the match.
      “UEFA continues to work closely with the Turkish Football Federation and the local and national authorities to stage the match safely.”
      The Turkish Government told Uefa last month they were planning for 50 per cent of the 2005 Final venue’s 76,000 capacity, meaning up to 38,000 fans.
      Latest discussions with Uefa, though, are for a crowd of 25,000, with up to 4,000 supporters of each finalist included.
      There are currently no travel restrictions for UK citizens travelling to Turkey, although they are subject to quarantine rules on their return.
      Euro chiefs added: “Detailed information regarding the capacity for the match, travel and ticketing details will be communicated publicly by the end of the week.”
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      Just seven players have managed to score a hat-tricks of CL hat-tricks

      Riyad Mahrez’s double saw City beat Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on aggregate on Tuesday night to reach the final.
      And Chelsea host Real Madrid in the other semi on Wednesday night.
      Uefa have already confirmed a crowd of 9,500, including 2,000 tickets to each club, for the Europa League Final in Gdansk on May 26.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
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      Premier League clubs set to take back crown as top European nation for first time in nine years after recent dominance

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      ENGLISH football is poised to reclaim the title of best in Europe – after NINE years.And if either Chelsea or Arsenal beat their Spanish opponents this week, England will be confirmed in top spot – even if all four remaining Prem clubs go out at the semi-final stage.
      Premier League clubs are on course to reclaim top spot in the European tableCredit: Getty
      The exploits of the Prem’s Euro battlers have seen England’s five-year Uefa coefficient score rise to 98.283 points.
      Two points are earned for every win and one for each draw in European competition, divided between the number of teams who have qualified – seven in the case of England – to provide an average score for each country.
      England started the season in second place behind Spain, who have been top of the Euro table since 2012.
      But while English clubs have accrued 22.071 points so far, Spain have gathered just 18.642, for a total of 96.997.
      With only Real Madrid and Villarreal left of LaLiga’s initial seven sides, Spain’s maximum possible final total is 98.711.
      England will be assured of topping that if Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United pick up just three draws, or a win and a draw, in their combined eight matches across both legs of the semi-finals.
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      But a win for either Chelsea against Real on Tuesday, or the Gunners against Unai Emery’s side on Thursday, will ensure England cannot be overtaken.
      The Prem last stood on top of the pile after Chelsea’s Champions League triumph in 2012.
      English football was at the head of the standings from the end of the 2007-08 season – when Chelsea met United in the Moscow Champions League final – for five years.
      But Spain then took over, with England actually falling below Germany and into third place in 2015-16 and then again the following campaign.
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      What happens now the European Super League has collapsed More

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      European Super League plotters face Champions League BAN next season as Uefa chief compares them to ‘flat-Earthers’

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      EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE clubs could face a Champions League ban next season.And Uefa chief Alexander Ceferin even compared the breakaway rebels to ‘flat-Eathers’ for their outdated views their plot could still succeed.
      Alexander Ceferin promised to punish the rebel clubs who attempted their European Super League breakawayCredit: AP
      A week on from the bombshell announcement from the 12 European clubs hoping to form a new franchise-style competition, the Slovenian is determined to ensure they are punished.
      On Tuesday, the six Premier League rebels all withdrew their intention to join the ESL, the brainchild of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
      And that is likely to see the English clubs’ sanctions more lenient than other ringleaders Real, Barcelona and Juventus – who are so out of touch with reality it is like they believe the Earth is not round, according to Ceferin.
      He threatened to suspend the clubs from Europe’s elite club competition and told the Mail on Sunday: “Let’s see. Everyone has to take consequences for what they did and we cannot pretend nothing happened.
      “You cannot do something like that and just say, ‘I’ve been punished because everybody hates me’.
      “They don’t have problems because of anyone else but themselves. It’s not OK what they did and we will see in next few days what we have to do.
      “But for me it’s a clear difference between the English clubs and the other six. They pulled out first, they admitted they made a mistake. You have to have some greatness to say, ‘I was wrong’.”
      Ceferin continued: “For me there are three groups of this 12 – the English six, who went out first, then the other three [Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Inter] after them and then the ones who feel that Earth is flat and they think the Super League still exists.
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      “And there is a big difference between those. But everyone will be held responsible. In what way, we will see.
      “I don’t want to say disciplinary process but it has to be clear that everyone has to be held responsible in a different way.
      “Is it disciplinary? Is it the decision of the executive committee? We will see. It’s too early to say.”
      Perez is convinced the ESL will still go ahead in some format – especially because he claims the clubs are legally bound by the contracts they signed.
      Ceferin, who was driving to Nyon to implement reforms to the Champions League when the news broke, previously stated how he felt betrayed by the owners involved in the plot – especially the father of his godchild and Juve chief Andrea Agnelli.

      The Uefa president hailed the unified response of pundits, fans and politicians in England to help stamp out the rebellion plans within 48 hours.
      He said: “Look, honestly speaking I was completely impressed by the reaction of the fans, the whole football community and not just the football community but I would say society. I have never seen this.
      “Uefa did its part, the clubs that stood with us did their part. And of course, the UK Government out of all did the big part. But by far the biggest part was done by fans.
      “Absolutely I was impressed by the reaction of UK Government. I had a phone conversation with Prime Minister Johnson and State Secretary Dowden many times in these 48 crazy hours.
      “They were on the right side of history at the right time. And this is impressive.”
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      Florentino Perez was the man driving the ESL and insists his plans are ‘still alive’Credit: EPA

      Real Madrid chief Perez insists European Super League still alive More

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      What is the Europa Conference League and does the Carabao Cup winner qualify for it?

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      UEFA will be starting a new European competition from next season – the Europa Conference League.Here’s all you need to know about the tournament, which will see one English team take part.
      Tottenham are one of the teams who could end up in the Europa Conference LeagueCredit: Getty
      What is the Europa Conference League?
      The Europa Conference League is Uefa’s new third tier European competition.
      The idea is theoretically to give more clubs from more countries the chance to play European football.
      Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said: “The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before.
      “There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages.”
      Like the Champions League and Europa League, the competition will consist of a group and knockout stage.

      Which English teams qualify for the Europa Conference League?
      England has been granted one Europa Conference League place.
      That will go to the Carabao Cup winner, should they not finish in the top 6.
      If a top 6 side wins the Carabao Cup, the Conference League spot will go to the team finishing seventh in the Premier League.
      All other Premier League European spots are unchanged, with the top 4 entering the Champions League and fifth and sixth being granted Europa League spots.
      Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin says the Europa Conference League will give more clubs than ever before the chance to play in EuropeCredit: EPA
      Which other teams qualify for the Europa Conference League?
      The 2021-22 European season will involve a slimmed down Europa League with more teams entering the Conference League.
      Just 57 teams will compete in the Europa League compared to 184 in the Europa Conference League.
      While the champions of every country will get the chance to qualify for the Champions League, all other teams from countries ranked below 15th in the Uefa Coefficients will enter the Europa Conference League rather than the Europa League.
      Teams eliminated from the Champions League preliminary round and first qualifying rounds will also go to the Conference League, as well as those eliminated from the Europa League third qualifying round, play-off round and third place finishers in the group stage.

      How will the Europa League change?
      The Europa League group stage will be reduced to 32 teams from the current 48.
      Group winners will now advance to the last 16 of the tournament while runners-up will have to play a preliminary knockout stage against the third placed Champions League teams.
      Does the winner of the Europa Conference League qualify for any other tournaments?
      The Europa Conference League winner will qualify for the following season’s Europa League. More

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      Uefa hail Boris Johnson for helping save European football by leading ‘revolution’ against European Super League

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      UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin has hailed PM Boris Johnson for helping save European football by leading the national ‘revolution’.Johnson’s dramatic intervention and promises to bring in laws to block the Super League breakaway cut off the legs of the ‘dirty dozen’ plotters.
      Aleksander Ceferin has praised the British governmentCredit: EPA
      Boris Johnson was dead against the Super LeagueCredit: AFP
      And now Ceferin has spoken of the debt Uefa owes to the PM and the British government.
      Ceferin said: “Boris Johnson is aware that football fans are from the working class.
      “They live hard, and they spend the last money to watch football matches, which is their passion, relaxation, which is part of European culture, part of history. 
      “It seemed to me the reaction was very logical – he cared what happened to football, because that would affect the people, of course.”
      Ceferin added: “In England there are so many fans and they love their club immensely.
      “If the fans get angry, it is a kind of revolution. 
      “And no country can afford that. 
      “I find it very responsible from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to take a sharp stand on the side of the fans, not only because of the culture and love of football, but also because it ensures order in the country.
      “We were in contact and I also spoke to his cabinet. They responded excellently.

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      “I must say I was impressed by their effectiveness. 
      “They immediately said they were available to us for anything to release a very sharp statement.
      “And that reaction from the British government helped us all a lot.”
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      UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin attacks Big Six English clubs for wanting to join European Super League More

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      Wembley set to land two or three Euro 2020 matches as Dublin and Bilbao miss out

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      WEMBLEY is expected to be awarded two or three extra Euro 2020 matches when Uefa chiefs make their final decisions on the event this morning.On Monday Uefa put off their last call on what to do about the tournament’s games scheduled for Dublin and Bilbao as they took on the Super League rebels.
      Wembley is set to welcome some more Euro 2020 games in the summerCredit: PA
      But Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has set today’s emergency meeting of the ruling executive committee as his final deadline.
      Both Dublin and Bilbao were unable to meet the guarantee that fans will be allowed into stadiums to watch games.
      It is anticipated two of the matches due to be played at the Aviva will be moved to Wembley.
      But with the FA’s firm stance in backing Uefa against the Super League wannabes having been gratefully received in Nyon, Gareth Southgate’s England could also play their last-16 game at Wembley — if they can win their group.
      At least one of the Dublin matches — Sweden’s game with Slovakia on June 18 — is likely to be moved to St Petersburg in Russia.
      The Bilbao games will all stay in Spain but be switched to Seville.
      It has been confirmed that Rome will stage all its matches, including the tournament opener on June 11.
      But doubts remain over Munich, with Uefa hoping to get agreement from German authorities before the final decision is made.
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      England boast the most-valuable squad of all Euro 2020 nations
      England are already scheduled to play their three group games against Croatia, Scotland and Czech Republic at the national stadium.
      It will be the first set of major tournament games the Three Lions have played at Wembley since Euro 96.
      Southgate’s men are currently joint favourites for Euro 2020 along with world champions France.
      Belgium, Germany, Spain and Portugal shortly follow the two front-runners in what promises to be a hotly contested competition.
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