A relaunch of the failed European Super League has been met with widespread ridicule.
Real Madrid-backed company A22 Sports Management unveiled plans for the ‘Unify League’, a 96-team competition that would replace the Champions League but not the Premier League.
The firm added that the four-division league would be completely merit based – different to the original Super League closed shop – and would feature a streaming service direct to viewers on its own platform rather than via a broadcast deal.
However, LaLiga hit out at the plans, UEFA laughed them off and the Premier League failed to dignify them with a response.
After the collapse of the Super League, Premier League clubs signed an Owners Charter aimed at preventing a breakaway and would need UEFA and FIFA blessing to enter a new competition.
Unlike 2021’s scandal, which saw the Big Six of both Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham come aboard, no English clubs have signed up.
Real Madrid-backed company A22 Sports Management announced plans to relaunch the failed European Super League project as a ’96-team competition’ called the ‘Unify League’
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has been a vocal supporter of a European Super League
Fans of Premier League clubs protested a Super League in 2021, with the project collapsing
At present, two teams remain as backers of the proposed league – Real Madrid and Barcelona – with Madrid president Florentino Perez the chairman of the organisation.
Organisers received a boost last year when UEFA and FIFA were found to have acted against competition law in blocking the creation of the Super League in 2021 by the European Court of Justice.
A22 Sports Management have claimed their revamped plans would see teams qualify based on their annual domestic performance, having moved away from the 2021 proposal of a closed league.
The firm claims the proposal complies with UEFA’s definition of the ‘European Sports Model’.
Under their plans the 96 clubs in the men’s event would compete in four leagues, called Star, Gold, Blue and Union, with the top two leagues including 16 clubs and the Blue and Union League featuring 32 clubs.
The season would conclude with knockout matches, while A22 say a women’s competition would feature Star and Gold Leagues of 16 clubs.
It is claimed the competition would be shown for free, supported by advertising and affordable premium subscriptions.
‘A22 is focused on ensuring the sustainable growth and development of football,’ said Bernd Reichart, A22 chief executive.
The original plans were met by several protests among fans, with some storming Manchester United’s Old Trafford pitch
Six Premier League clubs originally entered by pulled out after protests from their fans
‘Our extensive engagement with key stakeholders revealed a number of pressing challenges facing the sport including increasing subscription costs for fans, an overloaded player calendar, insufficient investment in women’s football, and dissatisfaction with the format and governance of the current pan-European competitions.
‘Our proposal is designed to directly address these challenges.
‘Now is the time for all stakeholders, including UEFA and FIFA, to bring real innovation that prioritizes fan experience and affordability, player welfare and match competitiveness.
‘We remain committed to fostering relationships built on mutual respect, transparency, and constructive dialogue. The fans, players, clubs, leagues and other groups that make up the football community deserve nothing less.’
LaLiga president Javier Tebas, a vocal critic of the European Super League, was among those to hit back at the plans.
‘Those from are back with a new idea: they produce formats as if they were churros (and they do), without analyzing or studying the economic and sporting effects on the competitions,’ Tebas wrote on X.
‘The television model they propose only favors the big clubs, (and they know it…) while endangering the economic stability of the national leagues and their clubs.