New league offends principles of competition says PM

Plans for a European Super League offend “the basic principles of competition”, Boris Johnson has said.

Describing the proposal as a “cartel”, the prime minister said he would use legislation to block it if needed.

The 12 founding members of the league faced a fierce backlash after unveiling proposals for a breakaway tournament, of which they would be permanent members and not face relegation.

But Real Madrid insisted they were doing it to “save football”.

Asked about the proposed league at a Downing Street press conference, Mr Johnson said: “I think it’s not in the interests of fans, it’s not in the interests of football.

“How can it be right to have a situation in which you create a kind of cartel that stops clubs competing against each other, playing against each other properly, with all the hope and excitement that gives to the fans up and down the country?”

“These clubs, these names, originate from famous towns and cities in our country,” he added.

“I don’t think that it is right that they should be somehow dislocated from their home towns, home cities, taken and turned into international brands and commodities that just circulate the planet, propelled by the billions of banks, without any reference to fans and to those who have loved them all their lives.”

Asked what legislative measures the government might use, the prime minister said: “What we want to do first of all is back the FA, back the Premier League and hope that we can thwart this proposal before it goes very much further.”

Earlier, No 10 said Mr Johnson would take “whatever action necessary” to stop the plans.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said among the measures under consideration were preventing players of the clubs involved getting work visas and the withdrawal of police funding for match days.

Six English clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – have signed up to the league.

They would join Spanish sides Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona and Italian clubs AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan.

The competition would have 20 teams and another five sides would have to qualify each year for the competition.

Matches would take place midweek in an attempt to have more matches between the big-name clubs and rival the existing Champions League.

The plans revealed on Sunday that the 12 founding football clubs would be permanent members and never face relegation.

Critics say the new league could supplant the existing Champions League and disrupt the current football “pyramid” that sees teams rise or fall on merit.

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