Soccer-Super League rebels face sanctions after defectors sign deal with UEFA

Simon Evans
·1 min read
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By Simon Evans

MANCHESTER, England, May 7 (Reuters) - The three teams that remain involved in the breakaway Super League operation, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, face sanctions from UEFA, who have reached an agreement with the nine other clubs.

European soccer's governing body said on Friday the nine clubs who backed out of the plan had signed a ‘Club Commitment Declaration’ including a series of "reintegration" steps.

The six English clubs -- Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal along with AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid, all signed the agreement, UEFA said in a statement.

"These clubs recognised their mistakes quickly and have taken action to demonstrate their contrition and future commitment to European football," said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

"The same cannot be said for the clubs that remain involved in the so-called ‘Super League’ and UEFA will deal with those clubs subsequently," he added.

A breakaway Super League set up by the 12 was announced last month but fell apart after just 48 hours.

The Super League argued it would increase revenue for the top soccer clubs in Europe and allow them to distribute more money to the rest of the game.

However, UEFA, other teams and fan organisations said the league would only boost the power and wealth of elite clubs, and that the partially closed structure went against European football's long-standing model. (Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Ken Ferris)