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In the history of the financial conduct of European noble clubs, which is rich in volts, this advance takes on a new dimension.
The Super League, a closed society with a mighty financial volume, torpedoes the hope of all those purists of football who have wished for a return to more competition, greater equality of opportunity and the long overdue reflection on the basic virtues of their sport.
With the publication of the plans under the leadership of the designated boss Florentino Pérez, which amounted to a small declaration of war, a fierce battle has broken out.
On the one hand, the twelve so far established founding members of the new, elite league are formed, on the other hand, associations, leagues and fans.
WELT answers the most important questions in this conflict, which will probably occupy football for a long time to come.
What is the concern of the Super League clubs?
The twelve founding members want to set up their own competition apart from the European association Uefa and the world association Fifa.
The association includes the Premier League clubs Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur as well as the top Spanish clubs Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid and the Italian trio Juventus Turin, AC and Inter Milan .
These are the reactions from Flick, Klopp and Co.
The controversial Super League plans have generated a lot of reactions.
Europe's top coaches around Hansi Flick, Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel also take a stand.
Source: Stats Perform News
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Three more clubs are to be added firmly.
The candidates are FC Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
It is said that the requested clubs must accept or decline within 30 days.
At least the German representatives do not (so far) want to join the new league.
The designated Super League boss Pérez confirmed on Tuesday the actions of the association, which the press defamed as a “dirty dozen”: “If it is said: These are the rich - no.
I am not the owner of Real Madrid, Real Madrid is a membership club.
Everything I do is for the good of football.
Now we are doing this to save football, which is in a critical situation, ”said the president of the Spanish record champions.
"A disaster" - football fans talk about the Super League
The possible creation of the Super League is causing discussions across Europe.
Many football fans from Germany and England totally reject this idea.
Source: Stats Perform News
A total of 20 teams should start in the competition each year (15 plus five to be determined).
The teams are to play home and away games in two groups of ten.
The top three are sure to make it to the quarter-finals.
The teams in fourth and fifth play the last place for the quarter-finals in the first and second leg.
From there on, it continues as in the knockout phase of the Champions League, i.e. with rounds in the quarter and semi-finals and a single final game in a neutral location.
The super league is to start in August, the final is announced for the end of May.
The game should only be played on the middle days of the week.
Which bank is behind the financing?
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The Super League is supported by the major US bank JP Morgan.
The company confirmed this to the English news agency Press Association.
JP Morgan is thus securing the financing of the new competition, which is to secure guaranteed income in the three-digit million range for the participants.
During the "initial commitment period of the clubs" solidarity benefits of ten billion euros could be paid out, the clubs had announced.
The founding members are to receive 3.5 billion euros in advance, "which is intended exclusively for the development of their infrastructure and to cushion the effects of the Covid pandemic".
The Leeds United players demonstrated against the Super League plans ahead of the Liverpool game
Source: AP
JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States with total assets of $ 2.6 trillion and the third largest publicly traded company in the world, is funding what is possibly the greatest upheaval in European football since the 1950s.
The investment bank's bet: replace the Champions League.
The US investment bank agreed to provide an initial € 3.5 billion investment to help a group of Europe's richest football clubs build a super league.
Overall, funding could swell to four billion euros, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Funders may be able to invest in the league later.
The founding of the Super League heats the mind
The founding of the Super League causes displeasure among fans and officials.
Uefa President Ceferin threatens serious consequences, Bayern coach Flick also speaks out against the new league.
Many fans see her as the "death of football".
Source: WORLD / Max Hermes
The twelve clubs have already contractually agreed to remain part of the Super League for a certain number of years, confirmed people with knowledge of the agreement.
That was a key factor in JP Morgan's commitment.
The financing of the big bank was fixed at an interest rate between two and three percent and apparently runs for 23 years, according to insider circles.
A JP Morgan spokesman declined to comment.
How are the reactions?
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The resistance to the establishment of the new super league is great and no longer limited to sport.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for example, presented his rejection of the competition with remarkably clear words: "You can be assured that I will do everything I can to show this ridiculous plan the red card," wrote the head of government in a guest post for the "Sun".
The Super League does not offer any equal opportunities, nor do all clubs have the same development opportunities.
The attraction of the game, however, lies in the possibility “as far away as it may be” that one day every club will surpass itself.
Angry Leeds supporters burn a Liverpool FC shirt
Source: AP
"If Leicester City can win the Premier League and Nottingham Forest can crown themselves King of Europe not just once but twice, then your team can - maybe, very maybe - too," wrote Johnson.
He emphasized that the game belongs to the fans, the majority of whom reject the billion-dollar project.
"A year of empty stadiums has reminded us all that football without fans is a bloodless spectacle."
Something similar can be heard from France, where President Emmanuel Macron expressed his displeasure.
The Super League "endangers the sporting performance principle," he said.
France would support all steps taken by the football associations to protect the existing competitions.
Uefa threatens to exclude the clubs from the Champions League.
Can she get away with it?
In the first statements on the planned project of the twelve founding members, the Uefa has brought out heavy verbal guns.
In particular, President Aleksander Ceferin castigated the plans: “We don't have a closed society of a few greedy people,” said the functionary.
“I would like to emphasize that Uefa and the football world together reject this flawed, selfish proposal.
It's all about greed, nothing else. "
"Wants to save football with the Super League"
Real Madrid President Florentino Perez defends plans for a Super League.
The first chairman of the Super League sees the concept as an opportunity to save football.
Source: Stats Perform News
Ceferin openly announced sanctions, such as the possible banishment of the Super League participants from the European premier class - and received support within his association. “There will be an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee on Friday. I expect the twelve clubs to be thrown out, ”said Jesper Möller, who is a member of the executive committee and chairman of the Danish Football Association, the Danish broadcaster DR. Then you have to see how the Champions League is played to the end. Background: Three of the four current semi-finalists are founding members of the elite division.
Sports law experts, however, see the threat critically. “At the moment Uefa is trying with all its might to eliminate a rival event by exploiting the market power it has. However, business competition basically depends on the fact that the best product wins out in the end, ”said Dr. Paul Lambertz, lawyer and specialist lawyer for sports law, in an interview with WELT. “In this case we have a monopoly who is stewing in its own juice and is now faced with an innovative idea or a competitive event. However, competition law says that decisions by monopolists to prevent competition are illegal. As for a possible exclusion of the clubs, the question arises:Why? So far, the Super League has only been announced - and even if it should be founded, there will be no legal action, ”said the expert.
Will stars like Ronaldo or Kroos be excluded from the EM?
This, too, is an undisguised threat from Uefa and its boss.
"Players who participate in a closed league will not be in a world or European championship," said Ceferin.
Should it actually come to that, national coach Joachim Löw would have to do his last mission without goalkeepers Bernd Leno (FC Arsenal) and Marc-André ter Stegen (FC Barcelona) as well as field players Antonio Rüdiger, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner (all FC Chelsea) , Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City) and Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) get along.
That's how tough Ceferin reckons with the Super League
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin strongly condemns the idea of a Super League.
The Slovenian emphasizes that participating players are no longer allowed to appear for their countries.
Source: Stats Perform News
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However, Lambertz sees the possible handling of the association as rather poor.
Uefa shouldn't do that, said the expert on the announced EM exclusion of a number of players.
“We have the saber rattling of Uefa, which apparently wants to punish anyone who wants to participate.
Even if one were to use another means here and not go through the clubs but rather the players in order to eliminate the competition.
As far as the players are concerned, there would also be something reprehensible, as they had virtually no other option and would have to play in the Super League if their clubs, i.e. their employers, wanted that.
If not, you should expect consequences under labor law.
I don't think it's a good idea to play with your fears. "
Have there been similar situations in the past in sports?
“Yes, in some.
The most recent example is from the speed skaters, "explains lawyer Lambertz:" There were two people who wanted to be sanctioned when they compete in a desert race in Abu Dhabi.
The EU made it clear to the international speed skating federation that there was no basis for a sanction - for two reasons.
Firstly, she referred to the entrepreneurial freedom of athletes who want to make money and, secondly, to competition, which says that competitive events must be allowed.
The international speed skating federation has taken action against this, but has lost.
So I can't see why Uefa could win in the end. "