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FA president Greg Clarke opposes plans for a European Premier League and insists there would be “big consequences” for players joining a breakaway competition.
Proposals for a lucrative new tournament leaked last month, revealing that Liverpool and Manchester United have been engaged in talks about building a new competition, which would receive funding of $ 6bn (£ 4.6bn) from Wall’s bank. Street, JP Morgan.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham have also reportedly been contacted, and it is understood that more than a dozen clubs from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have been in talks to become founding members of the competition.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said he is “not interested” in a European Premier League, while UEFA says he is “strongly opposed” to the plans, and Clarke says players will not be able to play in the League. Champions or in their national teams if they join a separatist league.
When asked how easy it would be for the ‘big six’ of the Premier League to join a European Premier League, Clarke said: “It seems like it’s more complicated. For example, any European Super League needs approval from three bodies.
“It needs the approval of FIFA, which is the world governing body of which I am a board member. It needs UEFA, which is the European governing body of which I am a member. And it needs the approval of the member association, which in this case It is the FA, so the three would have to approve the participating clubs, for a European Super League to be possible.
Manchester United and Liverpool have held talks on a plan to join a European Premier League
“Now it’s practical to hire an expensive lawyer to poke holes in that because they will look at the words and say ‘maybe we can do this or maybe we can do that.’ But once you quit association football, you can. If you don’t play for England You cannot play in the Champions League. Therefore, leaving the pyramid of associative football has great consequences. “
Clarke, who was elected FIFA vice president in 2019, said he would oppose any plans for a separatist European league.
“I would fight a European Super League at the FIFA level, at the UEFA level and at the FA level, “Clarke said, speaking at a meeting of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday.
“I am sure he would get the support of the FA board of directors, because our job is to protect football. Not to create a kind of world elite that we watch from a distance and are only available to a small number of clubs.” .
Clarke believes that the current interest surrounding the European Premier League proposal could be “saber rattling” from elite clubs hoping to get a more favorable share of the revenue from the upcoming Champions League TV rights deal. .
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“The problem is that there is a point of instability in football every few years, because every few years they renegotiate the Champions League, which is the main source of income for clubs that play in Europe,” Clarke added.
“The next Champions League negotiation will end in 2022 and will take place in 2024, when the new format of the Champions League and the Europa League will take place.
“When that happens, there is usually a lot of saber rattling, and sometimes more than saber rattling about a competitor’s formation for the Champions League.
“Usually that manifests as big clubs trying to leverage themselves to get a better deal in the Champions League.
“But I think it would be extremely foolish to assume that there are no big money interests outside of football, private equity, etc., who see it as a vehicle for creating value and have little interest in long-term interests.” of the game.”
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