Remember when the Glazers tried to sell the soul of Manchester United to form a breakaway European Super League last year?
Well, you will be delighted to hear that the prospect of a closed or semi-closed league operating in mainstream football appears dead in the water following an update on Thursday.
According to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), there is nothing unlawful about UEFA and FIFA’s rules allowing them to block new competitions — like they did to the European Super League last April.
UEFA responded with a statement, which said (via The Guardian): “UEFA warmly welcomes today’s unequivocal Opinion recommending a ruling of the CJEU in support of our central mission to govern European football, protect the pyramid and develop the game across Europe.
“UEFA welcomes today’s unequivocal Opinion of Advocate General Rantos, which is an encouraging step towards preserving the existing dynamic and democratic governance structure of the European football pyramid.
“The Opinion reinforces the central role of federations in protecting the sport, upholding fundamental principles of sporting merit and open access across our members, as well as uniting football with shared responsibility and solidarity.
“Football in Europe remains united and steadfastly opposed to the ESL, or any such breakaway proposals, which would threaten the entire European sports ecosystem.
“While we await the Court’s final judgement due next year, UEFA, as a public interest, not-for-profit governing body, will continue to be fully focused on its mission to develop football for all, in close cooperation with national associations, leagues, clubs, players, fans, EU institutions, governments and other relevant stakeholders who have the true values of football at heart.”
Manchester United are one of six Premier League clubs who signed up for the new competition, which was met with fierce anger from supporters.
After withdrawing their involvement, Joel Glazer released a statement which read (via ManUtd.com): “Although the wounds are raw and I understand that it will take time for the scars to heal, I am personally committed to rebuilding trust with our fans and learning from the message you delivered with such conviction.”
A big part of me feels that Joel wrote this in a sarcastic tone, or maybe he got the hint as the Glazers announced in November that they were putting the club up for sale.
All clubs involved in the ESL wanted their own league with no relegation or promotion.
Can you imagine how boring football would become with such a structure in place? I’m convinced it would have destroyed the game like nothing else and I’m more than happy to see all of these clubs — including United — put in their place.
Ultimately, I think this is the main reason for the Glazers wanting to cash in on United. Their greedy ways came to a crushing end 17 years after a leveraged takeover.
