It is less than three years ago since the Premier League Big Six were exposed as part of a planned European Super League.
The 12 clubs behind the secret shameful plan were Arsenal, AC Milan, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.
Their plan was basically to steal football.
Not happy with the dominant position these clubs already had when it came to money and power, they wanted it all.
The European Super League would wipe out out the Champions League and effectively European competition as a whole, instead all of these clubs behind the plan would give themselves automatic places in the new competition every season, without having to do anything so tedious as qualifying via their domestic leagues.
There was mention of the odd token European Super League place to be awarded via old fashioned qualifying, winning matches and all that nonsense. However, the message was clear, all the domestic leagues would be fatally damaged, subservient to these clubs organising their own private dominant new European league. For example, if the Premier League top four no longer automatically qualified for the top European competition and the wealth and prestige it brings, then what worth would the Premier League have any longer?
If not for the public backlash when this European Super League was exposed and the key involvement of the Premier League Big Six, then this was where we heading. Little surprise as well that the American owners of Liverpool, Man U and Arsenal were prime movers in this shameful plan, all of them coming from a sporting culture in the United States were everything is simply constructed to make as much money as possible for the owners of the teams in the various sports.
(What made the whole thing even worse from an English football perspective, was that the European Super League attempt had followed so quickly on from the last shameful Premier League Big Six secret plan. That one had seen the same devious owners, with Man U and Liverpool once again said to be the prime movers, try to give themselves total power in the Premier League. They wanted to draw up new rules where they, the Premier League Big Six, would be given greater voting power than your average PL club, meaning they could then simply change the rules at any time in the future to award themselves ever more money and power, to even further extend the gap between themselves and the rest.)
When the European Super League was exposed and stopped in its tracks by an appalled footballing public, what exactly were the punishments for those clubs who had attempted this theft of football?
Down below I have reproduced the more detailed explanations but the ‘punishment’ was two-fold for the Premier League Big Six, in terms of one punishment from UEFA and then a separate one from the Premier League.
UEFA ‘punishment’
In May 2021, UEFA announced (see below) what the punishment would be for Arsenal, AC Milan, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham (Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus hadn’t accepted defeat on the European Super League attempt.
UEFA stating that ‘The nine clubs have agreed to make a combined 15m euros (£13.4m) goodwill contribution to benefit children’s and grassroots football across Europe’, so the Premier League Big Six and the other three clubs paying less than £1.5m each!
UEFA adding ‘They will also have 5% of Uefa competition revenues withheld for one season, starting in 2023-24’, you have to laugh.
This is fitting punishment for what they attempted to do??? An absolute pittance to pay, when the clubs involved were effectively trying to steal football away from the rest.
Premier League ‘punishment’
So what about the punishment for the Premier League Big Six from the Premier League?
The official PL statement in June 2021 about the Premier League Big Six punishment declared ‘As a gesture of goodwill, the clubs have collectively agreed to make a contribution of £22m, which will go towards the good of the game, including new investment in support for fans, grassroots football and community programmes. “The six clubs involved in proposals to form a European Super League have today acknowledged once again that their actions were a mistake, and have reconfirmed their commitment to the Premier League and the future of the English game. They have wholeheartedly apologised to their fans, fellow clubs, the Premier League and The FA.’
That. Was. It.
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