REVEALED: Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City 'among 11 founder teams in secret talks to launch European Super League' in major threat to future of Premier League and Champions League
Premier League's biggest clubs are in talks to enter a European Super League
It would threaten the future of both the Premier League and Champions League
England's leading clubs have been secretly plotting to join a European Super League that would destroy the Premier League and the Champions League and condemn clubs like Tottenham and Everton to relative obscurity, according to explosive documents contained in the latest Football Leaks instalment.
In a story published by Der Spiegel in Germany on Friday night it is claimed that Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are part of a 'secret coalition' exploring the possibility of forming an elite competition by 2021.
The other 'founding' teams involved in clandestine discussions are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, PSG and AC Milan, with five further clubs listed as 'initial guests' to form a 16 team competition.
As recently as October 22, Der Spiegel report, Real Madrid received an email with the subject line: 'Draft of an Agreement of the 16', with a plan to sign up to the agreement later this month.
Attached to the document sent to Madrid president Florentino Perez was the draft of a 13-page 'binding term sheet' of the 11 European top clubs for the establishment of a Super League, stating that the Champions League would cease to exist by 2021.
It reportedly says the 11 'founders' of the 'European Super League' would 'not be at risk of relegation and would be guaranteed membership for 20 years'.
Der Spiegel say that the five 'initial guests', according to the document, would be Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Olympique Marseille, Inter Milan and AS Roma, which would certainly come as a blow to Spurs.
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Der Spiegel that he believed 'that a few of Europe's large clubs are clearly working on it', although he did add that any such plans are 'not very concrete' at this stage.
Talk of a European Super League first surfaced back in 2016 when the aforementioned five English clubs held a meeting in London with the man Der Spiegel claim to be the mastermind of the plan - American deal maker Charlie Stillitano, who organises high-profile friendlies between Major League Soccer teams and the powerhouses of Europe.
Bayern Munich, report Der Spiegel, enlisted the services of international law firm Cleary Gottlieb to exploring the possibility of quitting both the Bundesliga and the Champions League, with Bayern lawyer Michael Gerlinger working in secret with six other top European clubs to come up with a plan.
If UEFA thought a 2016 revamp that favoured the richer clubs would see off such a threat, the emergence of the new Real Madrid documents would suggest discussions are ongoing. Der Spiegel said Madrid had declined to comment, while Bayern denied any knowledge of the 'binding term sheet'.
The Premier League also declined to comment on Friday night but insiders appeared fairly relaxed about the developments, pointing to the fact that it was only in June that the clubs signed up to next multi-billion pound tree-year TV deal that runs from next season.
Premier League's biggest clubs are in talks to enter a European Super League
It would threaten the future of both the Premier League and Champions League
England's leading clubs have been secretly plotting to join a European Super League that would destroy the Premier League and the Champions League and condemn clubs like Tottenham and Everton to relative obscurity, according to explosive documents contained in the latest Football Leaks instalment.
In a story published by Der Spiegel in Germany on Friday night it is claimed that Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are part of a 'secret coalition' exploring the possibility of forming an elite competition by 2021.
The other 'founding' teams involved in clandestine discussions are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, PSG and AC Milan, with five further clubs listed as 'initial guests' to form a 16 team competition.
As recently as October 22, Der Spiegel report, Real Madrid received an email with the subject line: 'Draft of an Agreement of the 16', with a plan to sign up to the agreement later this month.
Attached to the document sent to Madrid president Florentino Perez was the draft of a 13-page 'binding term sheet' of the 11 European top clubs for the establishment of a Super League, stating that the Champions League would cease to exist by 2021.
It reportedly says the 11 'founders' of the 'European Super League' would 'not be at risk of relegation and would be guaranteed membership for 20 years'.
Der Spiegel say that the five 'initial guests', according to the document, would be Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Olympique Marseille, Inter Milan and AS Roma, which would certainly come as a blow to Spurs.
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Der Spiegel that he believed 'that a few of Europe's large clubs are clearly working on it', although he did add that any such plans are 'not very concrete' at this stage.
Talk of a European Super League first surfaced back in 2016 when the aforementioned five English clubs held a meeting in London with the man Der Spiegel claim to be the mastermind of the plan - American deal maker Charlie Stillitano, who organises high-profile friendlies between Major League Soccer teams and the powerhouses of Europe.
Bayern Munich, report Der Spiegel, enlisted the services of international law firm Cleary Gottlieb to exploring the possibility of quitting both the Bundesliga and the Champions League, with Bayern lawyer Michael Gerlinger working in secret with six other top European clubs to come up with a plan.
If UEFA thought a 2016 revamp that favoured the richer clubs would see off such a threat, the emergence of the new Real Madrid documents would suggest discussions are ongoing. Der Spiegel said Madrid had declined to comment, while Bayern denied any knowledge of the 'binding term sheet'.
The Premier League also declined to comment on Friday night but insiders appeared fairly relaxed about the developments, pointing to the fact that it was only in June that the clubs signed up to next multi-billion pound tree-year TV deal that runs from next season.
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