ENGLISH clubs will be BLOCKED from joining the newly-proposed European Super League, Sir Keir Starmer vowed today.
The footie-mad PM went studs up on the latest threat of a breakaway tournament and said Premier League sides would not participate “on his watch”.
Sir Keir Starmer has attacked plans for a European Super League
Sir Keir Starmer has attacked plans for a European Super LeagueCredit: Reuters
A22 have written to Fifa and Uefa to ask for permission to form a new league of 96 teams
A22 have written to Fifa and Uefa to ask for permission to form a new league of 96 teams
He is currently passing laws for a new football regulator with powers to ban teams from joining adjacent competitions.
Downing Street hit out after promoter A22 Sports announced proposals for a 96-team series.
The bizarre “Unify League” worships the EU - with its four divisions named Star, Gold, Blue and Union after the bloc’s flag.
Arsenal-fan Sir Keir’s spokesman said: “Clearly this is not something the Prime Minister supports.
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“You’ve heard him previously say that on his watch, there'll be no Super League-style breakaway from English football.
“And as part of the strength in the Football Governance Bill, the regulator will be able to prevent English clubs from joining future breakaway competitions by taking into account factors such as sustainability, heritage and fairness should be at the heart of our game.
They added they hope to pass the legislation - currently going through the Lords before coming to the Commons - “as quickly as possible”.
Ex-Sports Minister Tracey Crouch - who first proposed the regulator in her Fan Led Review - slammed this "latest wheeze".
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She told The Sun: "While this is a matter for UEFA, after the huge fan reaction to the breakaway super league that ultimately led to the Bill now going through Parliament to protect the long term future of English football, it will be a brave move for any Premier League club to support this latest wheeze without the approval of its fans."
Niall Couper, chief executive of football campaign group Fair Game, added: "The spectre of a new Super League needs to be killed immediately. And that is exactly why football needs a regulator with real teeth and why it needs one now.
"The owners of elite clubs cannot be allowed to run roughshod over football.
"But it is not just about urgency, it is also about ensuring the regulator has real power.
"Without the ability to stand up to the top clubs, then it will betray not just the fans but the entire football pyramid that the success of our national game has been built on.”
What's the 'Unify League' and which Prem teams would play in new version of European Super League?
Revived Super League
Promoter of the new league, A22 Sports, unveiled plans for a radical revamped format named the "Unify League" on Tuesday.
The Madrid-based firm, backed by Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez, said it had written to Fifa and Uefa to ask for official endorsement for the league.
The previous attempt by the firm to form a breakaway league announced in April 2021 was met by huge fan backlash.
But the new refined league will see 96 teams spread across four divisions - Star, Gold, Blue and Union - and crucially include promotion and relegation, meaning inclusion will be based on merit.
As many as TEN Premier League teams will be offered the chance to take part in the new competition.
Participation in the league would NOT affect membership of the Premier League, but the tournament would effectively spell the end of the Champions League.
SunSport understands a significant number of Prem clubs have privately said they would be willing to take part in the new league.
A22 bosses believe Uefa must endorse its latest proposal following a December 2023 European Court of Justice ruling that previous tactics used to block a Super League were contrary to EU law.
And the league's bosses are confident the latest iteration of their "Super League" will receive authorisation from Uefa, according to The Guardian.
The report adds that Uefa is unlikely to respond in haste and that authorising the league, in essence calling A22's bluff, will be an option under consideration.
The prize fund for the tournament is yet to be confirmed, but A22 has promised £330million in "solidarity" payments for smaller clubs and countries.
The total pot is expected to exceed the current £2billion Uefa fund for the Champions League and the £700m for the Europa and Conference Leagues combined.
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Measures to block clubs from joining any breakaway competition are included in the Government’s Independent Football Regulator, currently going through Parliament and backed by all major parties.
But the new competition seeks to supplant Uefa and be club-run — as happened when the Premier League was set up more than 30 years ago.
Plenty to like... but will fans back it?
By Martin Lipton, Chief Sports Reporter
THE biggest issue with the first version of Super League was that it was utterly unfair.
Football has always been about what you earn on the field — and offering the Prem’s Big Six a place in a breakaway elite for life would have destroyed the fabric of the game.
So while many fans reacted in anger at the latest proposals unveiled by Madrid-based A22, its new plans do tick more boxes.
Qualification by merit, rather than on the basis of what a club did ten, 15 or 20 years ago is a step in the right direction.
As are extra “big” games, playing all teams in a mini-league, home and away — it’s hard to keep tabs on a Champions League table of 36 clubs.
Then an end-of-season knock-out with real tension, especially with a final four-style week of one-off semis and the final.
But it seems unlikely that a new streaming platform, offering both ad-supported “free” games and a bells-and-whistles subscription service, can really earn the billions required to run four competitions every season.
The potential autumn 2026 launch means huge obstacles will have to be cleared quickly — and that includes winning over the fans whose determination torpedoed Super League version one in 48 hours in 2021.
In the end, it will come down to the clubs.
If they feel their bread is being buttered the way they like it, then it could be on — and if that means jettisoning the Carabao Cup, so be it