NNBA|BA Page 5 GGOLF|OLF Page 7 Adebayo’s Veteran Cink jumper rolls to 4-shot propels Heat win in RBC to victory Heritage Tuesday, April 20, 2021 FOOTBALL Ramadan 8, 1442 AH No room for error GULF TIMES for Al Sadd as they take on Al Wehdat SPORT Page 2 SPOTLIGHT UEFA blasts ‘disgraceful’ Super League, could ban players from World Cup Europe’s soccer governing body in battle for control JP Morgan confirms it will finance the project with $4.2bn grant UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin addresses media representatives during a press conference in Montreux yesterday. standing tradition in European lan join the trio from Italy along football, the founding clubs argue with Juventus. Qatari-owned it will create a more sustainable Paris St-Germain and Europe- fi nancial model. an champions Bayern Munich, “The formation of the Super which is majority-owned by the League comes at a time when the fans, have not signed up, mean- global pandemic has accelerated ing France and Germany are not This combination of file pictures shows the logos of the European football clubs which are part of the breakaway Super League launched yesterday. the instability in the existing Eu- represented. ropean football economic model,” The Super League said they Reuters competitions,” he added. cians across Europe who say it en- (soccer’s world governing body) CHAMPIONS LEAGUE the clubs said. In the past, breaka- aimed to have 15 founding mem- Manchester The US investment bank JP trenches the wealth and power of FIFA and the six (continental) The UEFA meeting was origi- way threats have led to compro- bers and a 20-team league with Morgan is fi nancing the new a small elite of clubs. federations, the players... in teams nally scheduled to confi rm plans mises between UEFA and the big fi ve other clubs qualifying each league, which includes clubs such The breakaway clubs – six from that might play in the closed to expand the Champions League clubs in the Champions League, season and would start playing as uropean soccer’s govern- as Real Madrid and Manchester the English Premier League plus league will be banned from play- from 32 to 36 teams and create over the format and revenue dis- “soon as is practicable”. ing body UEFA yester- United and is a rival to UEFA’s es- three each from Spain and Italy ing in the World Cup and Euros.... more group stage games before tribution. Fans of clubs involved have day said clubs and play- tablished Champions League, Eu- – will be guaranteed places in “We’re still assessing with our the knockout rounds – a move This is the fi rst time the united in condemnation as have ers joining a proposed rope’s elite club competition. the new competition in contrast legal team but we will take all the designed to appease the top clubs. wealthiest clubs have gone be- major European domestic leagues Ebreakaway Super League could JP Morgan is providing a 3.5bn to the Champions League, which sanctions that we can.” Ceferin said the new format would yond threats and taken the step of and football federations. French be banned from all of its compe- euro ($4.21bn) grant to the found- requires teams to qualify via their FIFA had warned in January start from the 2024/25 season but creating a new league. President Emmanuel Macron, titions and the World Cup as it ing clubs to spend on infrastruc- domestic leagues. that any breakaway league would it has been overshadowed by the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned a “disgraceful and ture and recovery from the impact UEFA chief Ceferin said the Su- not be recognised by them and Super League announcement. He FOUNDING MEMBERS and Italian Prime Minister Mario self-serving proposal”. of the Covid-19 pandemic. per League went against the core that players taking part could be also stressed that UEFA distrib- As well as Manchester United, Draghi have also voiced concerns. Addressing an emergency The bitter battle for control of of the European football pyramid banned from the World Cup. utes close to 90% of its revenues owned by the American Glaz- “We are going to look at eve- meeting the day after 12 of Eu- the game in Europe and its multi- in which all clubs can dream to FIFA issued a statement on back to all levels of the game. er family, US-owned Premier rything that we can do with the rope’s top clubs announced the billion dollar revenues entered a play in the Champions League. Sunday noting its “disapproval” “So whoever thinks Super League clubs Liverpool and Arse- football authorities to make sure breakaway, UEFA president Ale- new phase with a letter sent by “UEFA and the football world of a “closed European breakaway League is about money and UEFA nal, Abu-Dhabi backed Manches- that this doesn’t go ahead in the ksander Ceferin upped the ante, the 12 clubs to UEFA yesterday in stand united against the disgrace- league”. Bans or other sanctions is about money as well is not right. ter City, Russian-owned Chelsea, way that it’s currently being pro- describing the Super League plan which they said they would take ful and self-serving proposal we could open the way for compli- Super League is only about mon- and Tottenham Hotspur, who posed,” Johnson said in a pooled as a “spit in the face” of all football legal steps in unnamed courts to have seen in the last 24 hours cated legal battles. ey, money of the dozen, I don’t sacked their manager Jose Mour- interview. lovers. protect their interests as they set for a select few clubs in Europe The Super League letter urged want to call them dirty dozen, but inho yesterday, have signed up to British broadcaster BT Sport, “My opinion is that as soon as up the league. motivated by greed. We are all FIFA and UEFA to agree to talks UEFA is about developing foot- the plans. which pays hundreds of mil- possible they (the clubs) have to The breakaway has been criti- united against this nonsense of a and said they wanted the breaka- ball.” Barcelona and Atletico Madrid lions of pounds a year to show the be banned from all our competi- cised by soccer authorities, fan project,” he added. way league to exist alongside cur- While guaranteed spots in the join Real Madrid from Spain, Champions League, said the game tions and the players from all our organisations and several politi- “As previously announced by rent European club competitions. Super League go against long- while AC Milan and Inter Mi- needed to be protected. BOTTOMLINE UK minister says will act to stop Super League Reuters clubs including both Manchester nisms that allow football to take does not strike me that the gov- all lashed out against the move, Spanish clubs including the small proposed by 12 European soccer London United and City, Chelsea, Liv- place. Put simply, we will be re- ernment should be providing part of a battle for control of the ones: “We don’t want it to aff ect clubs, saying he shared fans con- erpool, Arsenal and Tottenham viewing everything the govern- that support in the face of this game its multi-billion dollar rev- (Spanish soccer), and if it does, cerns about the idea. Hotspur. ment does to support these clubs proposal,” he said. enues. we want it to aff ect (it) in a good “Now, more than ever, we ritain will do everything Prime Minister Boris Johnson to play... We will do what ever Other measures could include “The Spanish government way.” Spain’s football league, La must protect the entire football possible to block a Super was quick to object to the plans it takes to protect our national reviewing policing support for does not support the initiative Liga, and a host of its other clubs community – from the top level League proposed by 12 on Sunday evening and Dowden game.” games and visas for players. to create a soccer Super League have added their name to a long to the grassroots – and the val- BEuropean soccer clubs, said the government would act to Asked whether the govern- Meanwhile, The Spanish gov- promoted by various European list of institutions rejecting the ues of competition and fairness sports minister Oliver Dowden block the project even if football ment measures under consid- ernment yesterday came out clubs, including the Spanish idea of a European Super League. at its core,” the prince, Queen said yesterday, adding he would authorities could not. eration included a windfall tax on against the formation of a break- ones,” the government said in a Spanish media company Elizabeth’s grandson, wrote on review government support for “Be in no doubt, if they can’t breakaway clubs, Dowden said he away Super League by 12 clubs statement after Sports Minister Mediapro said they would not Twitter. clubs and would not rule out act, we will,” he told parliament. was looking at all options. including its own Real Madrid Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes break their UEFA broadcasting “I share the concerns of fans windfall taxes. “We will put everything on the “In essence we’re looking at and Barcelona, and its sports held talks with UEFA and other contracts running until 2024 to about the proposed Super League Dowden said he had met with table to prevent this from hap- ‘what does the government do minister said any changes to associations, as well as the rebel broadcast the breakaway games.