Premier League says Super League rebels will pay £22m fine.
Gatekeepers News reports that Premier League says the six English clubs which secretly agreed to play in the European Super League (ESL) will pay a combined sum of £22m.
Premier League and the Football Association announced the figure in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The six English clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham have also agreed to an additional £25m fine and a potential 30-point deduction for any similar transgression in the future.
The statement read, “The six clubs involved in proposals to form a European Super League have today acknowledged once again that their actions were a mistake, and have reconfirmed their commitment to the Premier League and the future of the English game.
“They have wholeheartedly apologised to their fans, fellow clubs, the Premier League, and The FA.
“As a gesture of goodwill, the clubs have collectively agreed to make a contribution of £22m, which will go towards the good of the game, including new investment in support for fans, grassroots football, and community programmes.
“Furthermore, the clubs have agreed to support rule changes so that any similar actions in the future would lead to a 30-point deduction.
“Each of the six clubs, in that event, would also be subject to an additional £25m fine.
“The Premier League and The FA have worked closely together throughout this process and this agreement brings both investigations into the matter to a conclusion.”
UEFA Sanctions ESL Rebels
Compared to the Premier League-imposed fines, UEFA has announced a package of “reintegration measures” for the nine clubs who agreed to pull out of the ESL at the end of April.
AC Milan and Inter Milan of the Serie A and Spanish Atletico Madrid of the ‘Big Six’ also agreed to pay a collective sum of €15m (£12.9m) which will be invested in children’s, youth, and grassroots football, while five per cent of their revenues from UEFA club competitions will be withheld for one season.
The Clubs also agreed to pay far larger future fines of €150m (£129m) when next they breach the commitments in UEFA’s Club Commitments Declaration or signed up to any similar breakaway arrangement.
The Conservative MP who chairs the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport committee, Julian Knight said: “This shows what a calamitous PR exercise this was. The supposed masters of the football universe have been shown to be nothing more than rank amateurs.
“Out of this omnishambles I would like to think that we will see a fairer game with more money flowing down the football pyramid, but I won’t be holding my breath.”
Also on Wednesday, UEFA announced that its Appeals Body has decided to temporarily suspend the proceedings opened against Super League rebels Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus until further notice.
UEFA in a statement said, “UEFA understands why the disciplinary proceedings needed to be suspended for the time being, but remains confident in and will continue to defend its position in all the relevant jurisdictions.
“UEFA will take all necessary steps in strict accordance with national and EU law in order for the UEFA Appeals Body to be in a position to resume the disciplinary proceedings as soon as possible.”
Unlike the UEFA fines, however, the Premier League penalties will be a straight cash sum rather than a percentage of next season’s broadcast income – an option that was also discussed in recent weeks.
The new Premier League settlement is substantially smaller than the initial proposal last month, in which each club is to pay £15m each and a substantial – albeit suspended – points deduction.
However, the Premier League directors said they decided to draw a line under the European Super League project, which was a priority ahead of the league’s annual conference that will be attended by all 20 clubs, beginning on Thursday.
The six rebel clubs had abandoned the ESL project amid huge criticism from rivals, fans, and politicians.
However, Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid are yet to formally withdraw from the ESL – raising the prospect of them being banned from next season’s Champions League.
In efforts to prevent future breakaway bids, the Premier League has announced the creation of an ‘Owners’ Charter’, which according to it, had the backing Football Association’s backing.
It added recently that the six clubs’ participation in the ESL “had challenged the foundations and resolve of English football”.
Although executives from the six clubs have been removed from several Premier League sub-committees, a move that could be reversed following the agreement of a financial settlement.
