Man Utd’s crushing blow to European Super League as they publicly back UEFA
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Manchester United won't be heading for European Super League pastures after pledging their allegiance to UEFA.
The Premier League giants have confirmed they intend to reject the prospect of a split after it was ruled the ESL was unfairly dismissed by the sport's superpowers. Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid are also understood to have turned down the latest offer of a breakaway.
The European Court of Justice announced earlier on Thursday that FIFA and UEFA had "abused their dominant positions" by forbidding the formation of a Super League in 2021. Those football bodies threatened to sanction clubs that did participate in the breakaway, which led to numerous teams pulling out of the plans amid widespread protests from fans.
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But despite this latest decision boding well for any reboot of the ESL project, United have once more made their feelings clear over the proposals. The Manchester monolith was one of six Premier League outfits invited to join the initial launch two-and-a-half years ago, but after pulling out of that exodus, the club were quicker to withdraw this time around.
"Our position has not changed," read a brief statement. "We remain fully committed to participation in UEFA competitions, and to positive cooperation with UEFA, the Premier League, and fellow clubs through the ECA on the continued development of the European game."
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Many United fans were already up in arms with the club and its overseers when the original ESL announcement was made in 2021. Less than a fortnight after that episode, a group of United supporters broke into Old Trafford ahead of a clash against rivals Liverpool to protest the running of the club, forcing the league fixture to be postponed.
Despite their support for the current format of European football, Erik ten Hag's team endured a nightmarish spell on the continent this term. United finished last in a Champions League group consisting of Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray, mustering just one win from their six outings.
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Real Madrid and Barcelona are among the major clubs helping to drive the ESL project, and each reacted positively to Thursday's ruling. Los Blancos president Florentino Perez said "soccer and its fans have triumphed" as a result of the judgement, describing it as a chance to remove any monopoly on European football – though many will disagree with that verdict.
Likewise, Barca president Joan Laporta celebrated the decision in the hopes that his club would help shape the future of European football. On the other hand, La Liga described the ESL as a "selfish and elitist model," which ringfences competition to only to those select few clubs that have been invited.
- Manchester United FC
- European Super League
- Premier League
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