After promoters announced plans for a new breakaway competition, the Premier League said on Thursday that it “continues to reject” the concept of a European Super League.
It comes after the European Court of Justice ruled that UEFA, the governing body of European football, had used illegal tactics to stifle the previous project.
“The ruling does not support the so-called “European Super League,” the Premier League said in a statement.
“Supporters are critical to the game, and they have repeatedly stated their opposition to a ‘breakaway’ competition that severes the link between domestic and European football.”
The Premier League reaffirms its commitment to the open competition principles that underpin the success of domestic and international club competitions.”
The founder members would have been exempt from relegation under the original Super League plan, which was scrapped shortly after it was announced in 2021.
The Premier League emphasized the value of traditional football models.
“Football thrives on the competitiveness created by promotion and relegation, the annual merit-based qualification from domestic leagues and cups to international club competitions and the longstanding rivalries and rituals that come with weekends being reserved for domestic football,” the report said.
The UK government announced plans earlier this year to establish an independent football regulator with the authority to bar clubs from joining breakaway leagues.
On Thursday, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, whose portfolio includes sport, stated that ministers were on the side of supporters.
“The government stood with fans when a number of clubs attempted to join a breakaway competition in 2021,” she said on X, formerly Twitter.
“We stand by that decision & in 2024 we’re bringing forward legislation for a football regulator that can stop any similar attempts to do this in the future & protect the game.”
