The European Super League was boldly announced on Sunday, with Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Milan, Arsenal, Chelsea, Inter, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United the founding members. Florentino Perez, recently re-elected president of Madrid, was slated as being in line to serve as the first president.
It's not just the English teams rapidly pulling out… senior sources at Atletico Madrid tell me they are OUT, too.
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) April 20, 2021
The format of the competition was supposed to be made up of 20 clubs, with 15 founding clubs and an additional five clubs that qualify annually based on the previous season’s performance. All games were set to be played midweek, with each club continuing to compete in their national leagues to preserve the traditional calendar. The idea, however, seemed to be in serious jeopardy as of Tuesday evening. The first dominoes to fall were Chelsea and City, who reportedly were close to pulling out of the Super League project.
BREAKING: Ed Woodward has resigned as chairman of Manchester United.
Woodward’s decision comes after the backlash over the European Super League.
– talkSPORT sources understand
📻 Listen → https://t.co/VJgUHnqdM1 pic.twitter.com/gNcRfW5xdp
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 20, 2021
Ben Jacobs then reported that Atletico were on the verge of pulling out, while Xavi Torres reported that Joan Laporta won’t ratify Barcelona’s membership into the Super League unless it’s approved by their members. Leah Smith, as carried by Caught Offside, then reported that United are also on the verge of pulling out. Talksport seemed to validate that report soon after, claiming that United chairman Ed Woodward has resigned on the back of the backlash against the Super League project.
