Man Utd and Liverpool spearheading European Super League from 2022

The new proposals, backed by FIFA, would see the creation of a new European competition as soon as the end of next season

2:54pm on Tuesday 20th October 2020
By Martin Macdonald

Manchester United and Liverpool are in talks to spearhead the creation of a new European Super League.

The proposals, which would completely reshape how football teams compete on the continent, was reported by Sky News, with league organisers and FIFA putting together a £4.6 billion creation package through various financiers.

So far, 12 clubs around Europe have been mentioned as being potential founding members of the league, including five from England.

As well as Man Utd and Liverpool - Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, and Tottenham have reportedly been contacted. That would mean that one of those clubs would miss out if the current plan for five English teams goes ahead.

Man Utd & Liverpool defeated as Project Big Picture is dead

Last week, Man Utd and Liverpool were forced to back down in their plans for an initiative called 'Project Big Picture' which would have seen them, along with a selection of other elite clubs, being given more power than 'smaller' teams in English football.

For this, they would provide bailout money to the Football League which is struggling financially during the coronavirus crisis.

The proposals for that were ultimately thrown out after a unanimous verdict from all 20 Premier League teams, with Man Utd and Liverpool eventually being forced into agreement.

The organisers of the European Super League are aiming to receive the initial funds from Wall Street bank JP Morgan, with repayments to be made via eventual broadcast revenue.

While domestic leagues would remain, the new European Super League would effectively replace the current UEFA Champions League. At the moment, UEFA are not involved in the new proposals.

The clubs currently being viewed as founding participants are:

Man Utd, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Juventus.

Although more numbers would be needed to make up the proposed 18-team league, those clubs are the most logical members.

The coronavirus pandemic has created an ever bigger financial gap between the elite and lower clubs, which has accelerated the desire from the elites to press head with their restructuring plans.

The current Champions League format is currently officially in place until 2024, which means there could be legal ramifications for FIFA if they try and create a breakaway league from the UEFA competition.

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