Government to bar Premier League clubs from joining new European Super League

The Government will block any attempt by Premier League football clubs to join a European Super League after EU courts gave the plans the green light on Thursday.

The European Court of Justice ruled that Fifa and Uefa acted unlawfully by blocking the breakaway league, which has paved the way for some of the biggest clubs in Europe to set up their own big money tournament.

But in a statement from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ministers have warned that British clubs will be prevented from joining any such league under forthcoming legislation, the Football Governance Bill.

A spokesman for the department highlighted the Governement’s “decisive action” in preventing the creation of a super league back in 2021, adding the new bill will “stop clubs from joining any similar breakaway league in the future”.

Plans for a European Super League were first floated in April 2021, sparking a major public backlash and prompting the Government to initiate a fan-led review of the game in the UK.

In total, six Premier League clubs were signed up to the initial plans, namely Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, which led to a furious outcry from football fans.

Among the recommendations put forward in the review led by former sports minister Tracey Crouch were new legal powers to prevent football clubs from leaving UK leagues to play in a newly created tournament.

The English teams are believed to have moved on from any plans to play in a new league, but serious question marks are likely to emerge over how long that position will stand if Europe’s biggest clubs decide to push ahead with a breakaway league.

A DCMS spokesperson said: “We note the decision by the European Court of Justice’s judgement with regard to the European Super League.

“The attempt to create a breakaway competition was a defining moment in English football and was universally condemned by fans, clubs and the Government.

“We took decisive action at the time by triggering the fan-led review of football governance, which called for the creation of a new independent regulator for English football.

“We will shortly be bringing forward legislation that makes this a reality, and will stop clubs from joining any similar breakaway competitions in the future.”