Six teams from England, three from Spain and three from Italy have reportedly agreed to take part in this proposed new league, with the anticipation that more clubs will join.
“AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atletico 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,” read the statement.
Already, 12 teams have been announced as founding members. These include the English elite Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Spain’s top three; Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and Italian sides AC and Inter Milan. It is anticipated that three more teams will join the group.
German clubs Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich along with French compatriots Paris St Germain have rejected proposals to join the league and have since all dismissed plans to join. If they do, this would take the total club participation number to 15, with five more clubs mooted to qualify for the league each year based on achievements of the prior season.
When will the Super League start?
A specific launch date has not been given, though the proposal documents suggest somewhere in the 2022-23 season.
How much money would teams get?
The 15 permanent clubs will share a reported 3.5 billion Euros (approximately Sh435 billion) each year.
How it would work?
There will be 18 to 20 teams, with matches set to be played during midweek, followed by a playoff at the end of the season to determine the winner.
All participating clubs will continue to compete in their respective national leagues in order to preserve the traditional domestic calendar.
The plans are for the league to start in August, with participating clubs divided in two groups of ten, playing home and away fixtures. The top three teams in each group will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals.
Fourth and fifth-placed teams will then have a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final spots. A two-legged knockout format will be used to determine who reaches the final in May.
What about the fate of players in their national teams and domestic competitions?
So far, UEFA, the Premier League and FIFA have hit out at proposed plans to launch the league and have proposed bans for players participating from domestic and international competitions.
