QatarTribune Qatar_Tribune Qatar’s QatarTribuneChannel qatar_tribune Younousse and Tijan shock reigning world champions TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 at Cancun PAGE 15 Battle lines drawn: Super League slammed as UEFA expands its Champions League DPA BERLIN Bayern, Dortmund, PSG, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has threatened to ban Porto, Ajax – famous clubs players from international competition after plans for a breakaway Super League not in Super League competing with the Cham- DPA ted to the Bundesliga and pions League sparked a furi- BERLIN UEFA events. ous row in European football, But Rummenigge is to Ceferin, chief of the Euro- CHAMPIONS League ti- leave at the end of the year pean football ruling body, re- tle holders Bayern Munich and wealthy six-time Eu- acted angrily on Monday to and Borussia Dortmund are ropean champions Bayern Super League plans unveiled along with Paris Saint-Ger- would be a natural choice to by a dozen top teams just main the most notable ab- join the 12 founding mem- hours before a UEFA meet- sentees among Super League bers from England, Italy and ing confirmed its own Cham- founding members. Spain for one of the three re- pions League would expand And according to a state- maining permanent spots. from 32 to 36 teams from ment from Dortmund CEO The 1997 winners Dort- 2024 onwards and include Hans-Joachim Watzke on mund with their huge fan 100 more games. Monday the Bundesliga twin base and 80,000-capacity The reform creates more giants are committed to a stadium have also been fre- group matches as teams are Champions League reform quently mentioned. to be placed in one group and, from 2024 onwards and not But a big stumbling block according to a “Swiss model”, joining the planned new and could be that German clubs play 10 games against oppo- UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis (left) and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin address media representatives during a press con- all but closed Super League. are run by their members and nents based on seeding before ference following the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Montreux, Switzerland, on Monday. (UEFA/AFP) Watzke said that Dort- not investors, with opposition the knockout stages, up from mund and Bayern back the from fans to the new league six in the past. agreement of the European (and the planned Champions Earlier Monday 12 top Club Association (ECA) League reform) huge. clubs from England, Spain and ‘Breakaway League’: Founders, formats and finances with the UEFA competitions Other former European Italy including the likes of Liv- committee from Friday on a champions not entered in- erpool, Barcelona and Juven- Twenty teams, many group games and also three qualify for the quarter-finals, the fourth- Champions League reform clude four-time winners tus announced their intention knock-outs: that’s the plan for a breakaway and fifth-placed teams from each group from 2024 onwards which Ajax, Porto and Olympique to form a breakaway Super European Super League announced early determine a fourth qualifier in a two-legged was to be approved by the Marseille, with last year’s fi- League consisting of 20 teams. Monday. The 12 founding members want to play-off. Quarter- and semi-finals in two legs UEFA executive committee nalists PSG with superstars The announcement sent start as soon as possible and a women’s each and one final on a neutral ground. on Monday. Neymar and Kylian Mbappe shockwaves around the world event is to be added as well. “The ECA board mem- also not part. and drew wide-ranging con- Dates: The Super League is to start from bers took a clear stance in UEFA explicitly thanked demnation from politicians, This is what we know so far: Founding next season and run from August until May. rejecting plans for the estab- German and French clubs federations and fans. clubs: Arsenal, Manchester United, Liver- All matches apart from the final are to take lishment of a Super League,” for not entering, and French Ceferin said players par- pool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Man- place in mid-week. That would be in direct he said, adding that Bay- President Emmanuel Ma- ticipating in such a league chester City from England; AC Milan, Inter competition to the Champions League but ern and Dortmund “shared cron said France would sup- would be banned from na- Milan and Juventus from Italy; Real Madrid, An Arsenal fan holds an anti-European won’t overlap with domestic championships exactly the same stance port “all the steps taken ... to tional teams and tournaments Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from Spain. Super League banner outside the Emirates where the Super League clubs want to throughout all discussions.” protect the integrity of fed- including the World Cup, and Stadium, in London on Monday. (AFP) continue playing. Dortmund officials and Mu- eral competitions, whether possibly even this summer’s Top officials: Real Madrid president Florenti- Finances: The clubs are to receive 3.5 billion nich chairman Karl-Heint national or European.” PSG Euro 2020. no Perez as chairman, deputies are Juventus qualify based on previous results, with no euros (4.2 million dollars) for their com- Rummenigge have in the also reportedly were part “We’re still assessing the chairman Andrea Agnelli and Manchester further details given at this stage. mitment to be used for infrastructure and past rejected joining a closed of the ECA meeting Sunday situation with our legal team. United co-chairman Joel Glazer. to make up for coronavirus-related losses. Super League and commit- that Watzke referred to. It’s a bit too early,” he was Participating teams: 20 teams in all. Three Format: The teams play a home and away Solidarity payments are to be more than 10 quoted as saying. “We will take additional teams are to join the 12 as group stage in two groups of 10 teams, billion euros in the first period, which the all the sanctions that we can. permanent members. The other five are to guaranteeing each team 18 games. The top clubs say is more than paid now. (DPA) former FA and Manchester City “shared exactly the same stance Ceferin said defiantly that chairman David Bernstein told throughout all discussions.” the Champions League would the BBC he was “ashamed as German clubs are run by also have enough good clubs financial reward.” the founders of the planned FIFA and UEFA may respond that “European DNA” in sport clubs with that history should members and not investors, without the breakaway sides. The Super League is to elite league. to this invitation letter by must be preserved but that it have great responsibility to the with opposition from fans to According to Sky Sports compete against the Cham- Champions League title seeking to take punitive meas- did not have enough informa- rest of the game.” the new league (and the Cham- UK, a board member member pions League with mid-week holders Bayern Munich lead ures to exclude any participat- tion on the planned competi- Spain’s La Liga and Germa- pions League reform) huge from one of the six English fixtures with its 20 teams, of German opposition to the ing club or player from their tion to make further remarks. ny’s federation DFB opposed just as in the other countries. clubs said they are unfazed in which 15 are to be permanent new event. respective competitions,” the EU Commission deputy the league and Borussia Dort- Players’ union FIF- what is “not a civil war but a members, in competition to American investment letter said. Margaritis Schinas tweeted mund CEO Hans-Joachim Pro warned that the Super nuclear war” in football. run August to May with 18 bank JP Morgan confirmed Germany’s Sueddeutsche that “we must defend a values- Watzke said his club and Mu- League could cause “irrepara- The unnamed person said group matchdays followed by to the PA news agency that it Zeitung meanwhile suggested driven European model of nich backed the agreement of ble damage,” and said “play- owners were “not that wor- knock-out stages. would fund the new event, and that a mainly closed Super sport based on diversity and the European Club Associa- ers continue to be used as ried about PR,” that “the wider Manchester clubs City and PA also reported that the new League could violate Europe- inclusion.” British Prime Min- tion (ECA) with UEFA on the assets and leverage in these good of the game is a secondary United, Arsenal, Tottenham, league has written to FIFA an Union laws which protect ister Boris Johnson said it was Champions League reform. negotiations” but also insist- concern” and that they would Chelsea and Liverpool; Ital- president Gianni Infantino the current format of football not “good news for fans” and “The ECA board members ed it would “vigorously op- even be happy about national ian sides AC and Inter Milan and Ceferin, calling for coop- with open leagues, promotion pledged “to make sure this took a clear stance in rejecting pose measures by either side team bans because “they don’t as well as Juventus; plus the eration but also revealing it and relegation. doesn’t go ahead in the way that plans for the establishment of that would impede the rights like giving their playing assets Spanish trio of Barcelona, has already taken legal action. A European Commission it’s currently being proposed.” a Super League,” he said, add- of players, such as exclusion away to countries for very little Real and Atletico Madrid are “We are concerned that spokeswoman said on Monday Looking at the English sides, ing that Bayern and Dortmund from their national teams.” MORE TIME GIVEN Tottenham sack manager Mourinho UEFA delays decision on Munich and other hosts DPA DPA to host a quarter-final.