[NEWS] Chelsea FC Statement on Euro Super League

Chelsea FC Statement on Euro Super League

Chelsea FC has today joined eleven of Europe’s leading clubs in
forming a new mid-week competition, the European Super League.

A joint statement released by all twelve founding clubs is below.
Further information will be provided in due course.

We look forward to working with all key stakeholders, particularly
our supporters, as this competition develops.

LEADING EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CLUBS ANNOUNCE NEW SUPER LEAGUE COMPETITION

Twelve of Europe’s leading football clubs have today come
together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-
week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding
Clubs.

AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea FC, FC
Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus FC, Liverpool FC,
Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid CF and
Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as Founding Clubs. It is
anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the
inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as
practicable.

Going forward, the Founding Clubs look forward to holding
discussions with UEFA and FIFA to work together in partnership to
deliver the best outcomes for the new League and for football as a
whole.

The formation of the Super League comes at a time when the
global pandemic has accelerated the instability in the existing
European football economic model.

Further, for a number of years,
the Founding Clubs have had the objective of improving the quality
and intensity of existing European competitions throughout each
season, and of creating a format for top clubs and players to
compete on a regular basis.

The pandemic has shown that a strategic vision and a sustainable
commercial approach are required to enhance value and support
for the benefit of the entire European football pyramid. In recent
months extensive dialogue has taken place with football
stakeholders regarding the future format of European competitions.

The Founding Clubs believe the solutions proposed following these
talks do not solve fundamental issues, including the need to
provide higher-quality matches and additional financial resources
for the overall football pyramid.

Competition Format

20 participating clubs with 15 Founding Clubs and a qualifying
mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based
on achievements in the prior season.

Midweek fixtures with all participating clubs continuing to
compete in their respective national leagues, preserving the
traditional domestic match calendar which remains at the heart
of the club game.

An August start with clubs participating in two groups of ten,
playing home and away fixtures, with the top three in each
group automatically qualifying for the quarter finals. Teams
finishing fourth and fifth will then compete in a two-legged
play-off for the remaining quarter-final positions. A two-leg
knockout format will be used to reach the final at the end of
May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue

As soon as practicable after the start of the men’s competition, a
corresponding women’s league will also be launched, helping to
advance and develop the women’s game.

The new annual tournament will provide significantly greater
economic growth and support for European football via a long-term
commitment to uncapped solidarity payments which will grow in
line with league revenues. These solidarity payments will be
substantially higher than those generated by the current European
competition and are expected to be in excess of €10 billion during
the course of the initial commitment period of the Clubs. In
addition, the competition will be built on a sustainable financial
foundation with all Founding Clubs signing up to a spending
framework. In exchange for their commitment, Founding Clubs will
receive an amount of €3.5 billion solely to support their
infrastructure investment plans and to offset the impact of the
COVID pandemic.

Florentino Pérez, President Real Madrid CF and the first Chairman
of the Super League said:

“We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in
the world. Football is the only global sport in the world with more
than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to
respond to their desires.”
Backing the new European league, Andrea Agnelli, Chairman of
Juventus and Vice-Chairman of the Super League said:
“Our 12 Founder clubs represent billions of fans across the globe
and 99 European trophies. We have come together at this critical
moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting
the game we love on a sustainable footing for the long-term future,
substantially increasing solidarity, and giving fans and amateur
players a regular flow of headline fixtures that will feed their
passion for the game while providing them with engaging role
models.”
Joel Glazer, Co-Chairman of Manchester United and Vice-Chairman
of the Super League said:

“By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play
each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a
new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class
competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the
wider football pyramid.”