Nine Super League clubs retain ECA membership, but Real, Barca and Juve remain out

[August 17, 2021]    (Reuters) - The European Club Association (ECA) on Monday confirmed that nine of the 12 clubs who proposed a new breakaway Super League have retained their ECA membership after the collapse of the ESL project, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus remain out.

A metal figure of a football player with a ball is seen in front of the words "European Super League" in this illustration taken April 20, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

The three teams not accepted back into the body that represents interests of professional clubs in European soccer's UEFA, still retain hope of rekindling the project, which spectacularly failed to get off the ground in April.

The nine clubs now admitted back into the ECA can therefore still have an influence on the direction of European football in the future.

"The ECA Executive Board has agreed that the following clubs will retain their ECA ordinary membership for the current 2019-23 ECA membership cycle: AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, Club Atletico de Madrid, FC Internazionale Milano, Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC, Manchester United FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC," a statement read.

"The ECA Executive Board took into consideration the clubs' acknowledgement that the so-called European Super League project was not in the interests of the wider football community and their publicly communicated decisions to abandon said ESL Project completely.

"This decision of the ECA Board marks the end of a regrettable and turbulent episode for European football and aligns with ECA’s relentless focus to strengthen unity in European football."

Paris St Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi replaced Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli as chief of the ECA in April after the Italian stepped down to assume a role of the proposed new breakaway league's chairman.

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus released a statement on July 30, confirming their intention to still go ahead with the Super League after a court ruled that UEFA terminate disciplinary proceedings against founding members of the project.

(Reporting by Peter Hall; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

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