UEFA plans next week’s Champions League semi-finals involving European Super League rebel clubs Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City to move forward as scheduled, sources told ESPN, despite threatening to remove separatist teams from the competition.
Real, Chelsea and City are members of the group of 12 teams that have entered plans to form a competition to replace the Champions League, with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin describing those involved as “snakes and liars” on Monday. and rejecting the project as “shameful and self-serving.”
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Ceferin also raised the prospect that the 12 separatist clubs, which include Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona, among others, would be banned from UEFA competition as a result of their attempts to form their own profitable tournament. .
Danish FA president Jesper Moller, a member of UEFA’s executive committee, said on Monday that those clubs still involved in European competition could be expelled from the Champions League and Europa League as early as Friday.
Such a move would also see United and Arsenal expelled from the Europa League ahead of their first leg semi-final next week against Roma and Villarreal.
Ceferin appeared on Tuesday to offer an olive branch to the owners of the rebel clubs, but, saying: “Gentlemen, you made a mistake. There is still time to change your mind. “
Sources also told ESPN that UEFA has no plans to expel clubs from their competitions this week and that next week’s programs will continue.
Real will play Chelsea in Madrid on April 27, City will travel to France to face Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg 24 hours later.