Madrid- It’s official: twelve of the most important clubs in Europe have created the Superliga, a competition that mainly threatens the existence of the Champions League.
AC Milan, Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham are the founding clubs of the new competition.
In addition, three other teams will join the twelve founding clubs in the opening season. The intention is for a total of 20 teams to form two groups of ten members each, to play the tournament that would start next August.
The format will be as follows:
– 20 clubs will participate, the 15 founding clubs and five more teams that will qualify annually depending on the performance of the previous season.
– All matches will be played during the week, all clubs will continue to compete in their respective national leagues, thus preserving the traditional calendar that is at the heart of the club’s life.
– The season will start in August with the participation of clubs in two groups of ten, who will play matches at home and away; The first three from each group will automatically qualify for the quarterfinals. Teams finishing fourth and fifth will play an additional two-legged playoff.
– Subsequently, the playoffs with two games will be played in the quarterfinals to reach the final, which will be played as a single game, at the end of May, in a neutral place.
“Looking to the future, the founding clubs hope to hold talks with UEFA and FIFA in search of the best solutions for the Superliga and for world football as a whole,” the clubs said in a statement.
The management organization chart will be composed of the following:
Florentino Pérez: president of Real Madrid and president of the Super League
Andrea Agnelli: President of Juventus and Vice President of the Super League
Joel Glazer – Manchester United president and Super League vice-president