Thread by @tariqpanja

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One of the most remarkable aspects: None of the plutocrats that own the Big 6 was willing to be the face of this project. Liverpool's John Henry, seen as the most palatable, said no way would he be the frontman. So we got silence... until the apologies

nytimes.com/2021/04/22/spo…

In any normal week Ed Woodward’s resignation would be huge news. Yet on Tuesday as the body count of fallen super league clubs mounted he barely merited a footnote. At least his friends remembered him today 🙄

The folks behind this scheme were so brave that most have refused to speak publicly about it and Agnelli ghosted Ceferin to such an extent on Saturday, the UEFA president had to contact his wife to get hold of him.
Read more details here: nytimes.com/2021/04/22/spo…

Two days later FC Barcelona, the “Mes Que in Club” folks, finally decide to speak up 🙄

fcbarcelona.com/en/club/news/2…

Just because you release a statement or video looking and sounding remorseful doesn’t mean you are. A lot of the apologies this week appeared performative. These guys knew there was going to be a negative reaction. They only dropped the project when it was obvious it was dead.

Ahora puedes leer nuestra historia sobre el colapso de la superliga en español 🇪🇸

Llamadas desesperadas, reuniones en secreto, jugadas de alto riesgo: así se gestó tras bambalinas una multimillonaria liga separatista que colapsó en menos de una semana.

nytimes.com/es/2021/04/23/…

Amigos Brasileiros, você pode ler aqui sobre como um plano bilionário secreto elaborado pelas maiores cartolas do futebol acabou em pizza 🍕 ⚽️ 🎩

www1.folha.uol.com.br/esporte/2021/0…

Major @LFC fan group @SpionKop1906 having none of that apology. Asking for urgent talks and fan representation on the team’s board following what they say have been a decade of missteps by the owners.

Amid all the celebratory talk still believe both FIFA, UEFA and others need ti be broken up. Cannot be commercial competitor to clubs and leagues, event organiser and regulator all in one. This setup exists in no other industry so why does it in football?

Equally haven’t clubs gone after the wrong target in seeking to get money they feel they deserve? FIFA gets $6bn + from the World Cup, and yet gives just $200m to the clubs that develop the talent. Time for an open conversation, backroom deals clearly don’t work.

Wow! JP Morgan has released a statement essentially disavowing the Super League it agreed to back to the tune of €3-4bn.

This also happened to JP Morgan once Super League was announced

Now this is a take. 🤔

There is an interesting line in a story published SDZ newspaper in Germany (translation attached) that Vladimir Putin told Roman Abramovich that It was not in Russia’s interest for Chelsea to join Super League. Coincidentally Euro 2020 host St. Petersburg got extra games today.

It takes something for an investment bank to express remorse. But Super League has been such a catastrophic failure that JP Morgan couldn’t avoid it:
nytimes.com/2021/04/23/spo…

Funny. Stories being produced in European media today purporting to reveal new Super League information from documents that were originally reported by the NYT and by UK media media in January. The payoffs to the teams was well known then. What wasn’t was that they would sign up.

See that @Arsenal Super League apology went down well, There are thousands of fans outside Emirates tonight. All want one thing: owners out.

Short and to the point.

Few fans of other teams here too.

Liverpool and United represented, too. Feels like a start of a movement against trends developed over last 30 years ... Time will tell.

Just a thought after the sudden outbreak of revisionism among several of the super league clubs briefing they were forced to sign up. Given so many of them are saying the same thing - at least half at last count - why didn’t they talk each other out of this farce?

So we are to believe the club’s communication staff knew about Super League launch before Manchester United’s head honcho? Riiiiggght.

Wonder how much leeway United will allow their soon to be departed Woodward to diminish his own role in this at the expense of other club officials? Plausible deniability in the fact that no one for sure knew 100% button would be pressed on ESL statement until last min?

The boss @AndrewDasNYT has put together this useful timeline detailing what went down in 48 madcap hours in the life and immediate demise of Super League (this picture perfectly encapsulates events that will never be forgotten)

nytimes.com/2021/04/24/spo…

Well we were looking high and low for a Super League backer. Looks like we’ve finally found one.

Bit of interesting trivia: Guess which bank offered to bankroll the original Media Partners Super League project in 1998? None other than JPMorgan - which was shocked, shocked I tell you - by the reaction to its backing of Super League 2021. Memories.

Have got a few messages from FC Barca members saying though they probably oppose Super League, they are convinced the majority of the club’s membership would’ve voted for it. Would love to see a poll if there’s one out there.

Andrea Agnelli usually attends Juve games. He didn’t fancy the the trip to Fiorentina today. Been a strange week I suppose. 😕

Now we are a few days on from the epic collapse, there is a lot of speculation over what currents were at play, some more outlandish than others. Intriguingly some folks suggesting there were a few clubs that signed up that may have been willing participants in blowing it up.

Italian FA takes first concrete measures following Super League attempt: In order to be licensed to play in Italy clubs must agree not participate in unsanctioned leagues. (One of signatories: Inter executive Beppe Marotta) - reaction from Super League exec: It's anticompetitive

There was a pro Super League article written on April 19 in the Mail. Here it is: thisismoney.co.uk/money/comment/…

A week later same newspaper published this:

google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dail…

Fancy that:

Super Clubs at War: Having failed to get their own way, Super League clubs are battling each other. Juve, Real and Barca threatening others over deal with UEFA

nytimes.com/2021/05/07/spo…

The New York Times has seen documents in which the trio of top clubs are threatening others over their plan to sign ceasefire agreement with UEFA. Super League backers accuse UEFA of blackmailing them with expulsion threat.

Pérez, Laporta and Agnelli digging in for a fight even though their erstwhile business partners are walking away. 9 of 12 clubs on cusp of signing agreement required to liquidate ESL company.

Story also has details of the calculations the Premier League is making in order to punish breakaway bandits without punishing their fans who played a large role in Super League collapse

nytimes.com/2021/05/07/spo…

Hearing there may be a statement from UEFA and 9 reformed rebels announcing they have signed an agreement. 9 clubs required to liquidate ESL company.

Uefa and Super League 9 (not Real, Barça and Juve) have now signed this comprehensive agreement. Statement here:

Uefa and 9 breakaway rebels sign deal. Juve, Real and Barca out in the cold, and threaten penitent former Super League partners:

nytimes.com/2021/05/07/spo…

Quite a lengthy, and at times, rambling statement issued by Real, Juve and Barca. Reading between the lines it appears they intend to keep on with their legal action.

Can read it in full here: fcbarcelona.com/en/club/news/2…

With the 3 Super League holdouts not backing down UEFA has appointed a disciplinary panel to start a case against Barca, Juve and Real Madrid

Initial process could take up to a month. Then clubs could face a punishment of up to a two year champions league ban. That can be appealed at CAS, a venue where big clubs tend to do quite well against uefa

The clubs are also intent on continue legal battle to confirm their position that UEFA operates an unfair monopoly that denies them natural rights to operate freely

Also raises questions about independence (or lack thereof) of UEFA’s disciplinary bodies. Really should be at arm’s length from administration. It isn’t.

Details emerge about FIFA’s behind the scenes manoeuvrings which made one Super League club owner think “FIFA is on board”. What’s clear is what has been said publicly is at odds with FIFA appeared to be doing privately. Our story: nytimes.com/2021/05/20/spo…

Just got a reply from Downing Street in relation to a freedom of information request I had sent seeking details of Ed Woodward’s meeting there with officials days before launch of Super League. Fair to say response isn’t very illuminating.

Yesterday, UEFA yesterday announced disciplinary proceedings against Juve, Barca and Real for "a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework." Meanwhile, a judge in Spain who blocked UEFA from taking such action is probably penning a furious letter...

The end game for those backing the lawsuit remains testing whether UEFA (and FIFA) are unfair monopolies that are no longer fit for purpose. They hope to ultimately get a landmark decision from the European Court of Justice.

Three rebel clubs - Real, Barça and Juve - release joint statement accusing of breaching court ruling and vow to push on. All three face two year champions League bans. juventus.com/en/news/articl…

The Madrid court injunction following case filed by ESL the day after the failed scheme launched has now finally landed on the desks of UEFA and FIFA legal departments via Swiss authorities. Verdict barred any punitive action from being taken against ESL teams pending review.

UEFA has already started disciplinary procedure against Real, Barça and Juve - the three holdouts - and expects a decision to be made within weeks. Creates interesting legal situation with the Madrid injunction still in place. UEFA of course based in Switzerland, not Spain.

A22 the consultancy company to create Super League has now formally joined the Madrid lawsuit against UEFA and FIFA so if/when ESL company itself is wound up, the lawsuit can continue without it.

Expect that now the Madrid decision has been delivered to UEFA (via Swiss AG office), UEFA will have to challenge the decision before taking disciplinary action against 3 renegade Super League teams. Otherwise they risk being liable to prosecution

Curious fact: UEFA hired the same Swiss lawyer in its four FFP cases at CAS - Man City, AC Milan, PSG and Galatasary - he managed to lose all of them. *NB - AC Milan ended with a strange agreement.

The risk to UEFA in ignoring the Spanish courts is that key individuals, including its president Ceferin, would risk being arrested should they ignore injunction now they have received it. So best to appeal that first. While UEFA is Swiss, Ceferin lives and travels in EU states

So despite stories suggesting there will be punishments this week, I would expect a pretty long delay in any sanctions being meted out to Real, Barca or Juve until the appeal is heard in Madrid. UEFA's lawyers on the case.

Premier League confirms « agreement » reached with its 6 Super League rebels about appropriate punishment. They will pay £22m in total for breakaway effort that would have destroyed value of the league 🙄 - they can put it down as cost of business

If anyone tries it again they face a £25m fine and a 30 point penalty. How that works if they decide they don’t want to play in the Premier League is anyone’s guess.

As I mentioned earlier, UEFA feels unable to punish Real, Juve and Barca at the moment. Statement doesn’t say, but this is because of injunction by Madrid court a day after Super League launched.

Predict it will be a while now if any of those three teams are punished for trying to blow up UEFA model. They’ll all be playing Champions League next season.

Raises questions about specificity of sport regulations, use of civil courts in favourable jurisdictions. All of this can short circuit sports disciplinary processes

Would have been interesting to see what would reaction to Spanish authorities arresting Ceferin and co for punishing super clubs would have been. A stand worth taking?

Resisted the temptation to write BREAKING: Real, Barca and Juve won’t face Champions League ban - that’s essentially is where we are now. 🙄

UEFA sent letters to all qualified teams for European club competitions, including Juve, Barça and Real. Some folks trying to seize on this as a sign. But it isn’t anything more than process. Remember Uefa has already “stayed” the disciplinary as it fights Madrid court ruling

New motion filed with Madrid court by A22, the company behind Super League. It is seeking to scrap the agreement UEFA signed with the 9 clubs- including 6 Premier League teams- after they backed away from the project. Would mean fines and penalties are annulled.

UEFA has five days to respond. A decision could take a few weeks, but would be a huge blow if implemented.

A22 is also filing to make UEFA cancel the disciplinary against Juve, Real and Barca in its entirety. It's currently "stayed" pending UEFA's appeal against the April 18 injuction by the Madrid court