[ad_1]
A separatist European Premier League tournament, which would effectively replace the Champions League, could be doomed to failure as it would struggle to gain crucial approval from governing bodies, sources told ESPN.
Sky News reported on Tuesday that a $ 6bn (£ 4.6bn) funding package had been put in place for the competition, which would feature 16 or 18 of the biggest clubs, in league format, and is supported for Liverpool and Manchester United. The two Premier League clubs were behind a failed attempt to reshape English football last week, when Project Big Picture was flatly rejected.
– Stream FC daily on ESPN +
FIFA, which has already hosted an expanded summer Club World Cup and was due to start in China in 2021 until the coronavirus crisis reshaped the football calendar, is reportedly a driving force behind the Premier League. European.
MAIN FOOTBALL NEWS
• Sources: Arsenal ax Ozil of the Prem team
• Marsch: Pulisic was not rated as US.
• Higuaín: MLS made me love soccer again
• Police investigate threats from Pickford and Richarlison
• Bayern boss: Davies is “down”
• Blame me! Guardiola on the problems of the City’s UCL
The competition would need approval from UEFA, and sources told ESPN that the European soccer governing body had received no information on any ideas from the European Premier League as of Tuesday. La Liga giants Barcelona, who are expected to be approached, told ESPN they were “not aware of these conversations.”
The sources said national associations would also need to grant European licenses, and the impact on national leagues would be a considerable barrier to overcome.
The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, told ESPN: “The authors of this idea, if they really exist because there is no one to defend it, not only show a total ignorance of the organization and customs of European and world football, but also a serious ignorance of the audiovisual rights markets.
“A project of this type will be a serious economic damage for the organizers themselves and for the entities that finance it, if they exist, because they are never official. These ‘clandestine’ projects are only well written in a bar at 5 in the afternoon. the morning.”
Featured
- Liverpool, Man United failed in ‘Project Big Picture’, but English football’s problems will not go away Project Big Picture is an attempt at power by Liverpool, Man United and the elite of the Premier League
1 Related
The latest reports of a breakaway competition, of which there have been several iterations in recent years, come at a crucial time for UEFA with the format for the 2024-27 Champions League cycle to be agreed next year. The bigger clubs are eager to play high-profile matches against their teammates and also receive a more lucrative financial package. Plans are expected to be agreed to expand the competition from 32 to 36 clubs, adding four group stage matches for each club.
A European Premier League would decimate the Champions League, UEFA’s flagship and most lucrative tournament, of its star clubs. Twelve months ago, the Financial Times and the New York Times reported that Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had proposed a two-division world soccer league that UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin described as “a crazy plan” . UEFA has not issued a statement on the latest reports.
The clubs would continue to play in their national league, and the European Premier League matches would effectively replace the dates of the Champions League matches. However, it is reported that financiers may want to play during the day on weekends to maximize TV ratings in Asia, which would put it in conflict with national associations.
ESPN has been told that national federations will almost certainly oppose any changes that may affect the competitive balance of their leagues, including offering guaranteed spots in European competitions that would devalue their own leagues and strengthen the position of a handful. of clubs.
It can be particularly troublesome for the Premier League. While Liverpool and Manchester United are reported to be at the forefront of the discussions, there would be no room for all the “Big Six.” If excluded from the European Premier League, whoever is left out of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur will likely join the rivals.
Source: espn.co.uk
[ad_2]
