The 12 European clubs pursuing a Super League have told FIFA and UEFA leaders that legal action is already being taken to stop them from taking action to prevent the launch of separatist competition, according to a letter obtained Monday by the Associated Press.
The letter was sent by the group of English, Spanish and Italian clubs to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA counterpart Aleksander Ceferin, saying the Superliga had already been signed with a € 4 billion ($ 5.5 billion) grant from the JP Morgan.
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UEFA has warned Super League clubs, including Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester United, after leaking their plans on Sunday that legal action will be taken against rebel clubs and said existing domestic competitions such as La Liga in Spain would be banned. and the Premier League in England.
“Your formal statement obliges us, however, to take safeguards to ensure that we do not face such an adverse reaction, which would not only jeopardize the Grant funding commitment, but would be significantly illegal. “, Wrote the Super League clubs to Infantino and Ceferin. “For this reason, SLCo (Super League Company) has filed a motion with the competent courts to ensure the establishment and proper functioning of the competition in accordance with applicable law.”
The courts have not been named.
“It is our duty, as members of the SLCo’s board of directors, to ensure that all reasonable actions available to protect the interests of competition and stakeholders are properly taken, given the irreparable damage that would be suffered if, from for any reason, we would be deprived of the opportunity to promptly form the competition and distribute the proceeds of the grant, “the Super League letter continued.
The split was launched just as UEFA, which runs European football, thought it had an agreement on the 2024 Champions League expansion. Now, the same officials who backed the plans have decided to go it alone while claiming that Existing competitions could remain – – despite losing the most successful teams, including a record 13-time European champion Real Madrid.
“The competition is to be played alongside the existing national and national league competitions, which are an essential part of the competitive fabric of European football,” the Super League letter to Infanatino and Ceferin reads. “We are not trying to replace the UEFA Champions League or the Europa League, but to compete and coexist with these tournaments.”
UEFA is set to announce on Monday a new format of 36 teams for the Champions League, which was designed to avoid attempts by the biggest clubs in the game to break away.