It seems we’ll never find out exactly what Boris Johnson meant when he said that no action [was] off the table to prevent six of England’s largest football clubs from joining the much-maligned European Super League; all six have pulled out. But the speed and enthusiasm with which the government condemned the new league was something to behold. Within hours of the league’s big reveal, everyone from the future king to the
X-Factor 2004 winner had moved to condemn it, while Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for digital, culture, media and sport, solemnly lamented that he was left with “no choice but to formally trigger… a fan-led review of football”. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition regulator, said it was “carefully considering” competition concerns.
Monday 19 April 2021 4:34 pm The legal issues around a European Super League: Can clubs really be banned from domestic leagues and players barred from World Cups?
Lionel Messi could be banned from the World Cup if Fifa follows through its threats over a breakaway European Super League (Getty Images)
The battle lines over a European Super League may have been drawn but a legal fight that could last for years is only just beginning.
Football authorities including the Premier League and Uefa have warned the rebel clubs they will be kicked out of existing domestic and European competitions if they push ahead.