The world of soccer was shocked on Sunday evening following the official announcement made by Real Madrid, Arsenal, among others, regarding the creation of the inaugural European Super League for next season onwards. The idea has been a topic of discussion for a while, but in the last weeks, it reappeared with more strength, until clubs involved in it finally confirmed the shocking news.
Such a decision would not only make a huge change to this sport's elite level, but it also means a challenging stance against the current governing bodies. With so many important teams moving into a league organized and ruled by themselves, the authority of the UEFA and even the FIFA are threatened. The beautiful game as we knew it so far is endangered as well.
Immediately, the whole soccer landscape has changed with the possibility of this new competition where most of the biggest teams would be taking part. The European soccer's governing body alongside FIFA and significant local leagues have announced that those clubs wouldn't be allowed to compete in any other competition. But their players would be involved in other restrictions as well.
The Super League's consequences for players
The self-governed tournament which would involve the 15 founding clubs plus five qualified teams could lead to enormous changes in soccer, like forbidding those sides to take part in the domestic tournaments, the Champions League, and the Europa League.
Moreover, Alexander Ceferin, UEFA's president, has also made a firm statement regarding the players. He confirmed that they would be banned from playing with their National Teams, disallowing them to feature in high-profile events like the World Cup and Euros.
Millions of soccer fans desire that these European giants step back and put this overwhelming idea to an end. And the soccer's governing bodies are trying to stop this plan as well, encouraging them to continue with the traditional format of the beautiful game, in which every team can progress by their performances on the pitch.
If the Super League moves forward despite all the consequences at stake, many superstars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Kevin De Bruyne, among many others, wouldn't be able to take part in the upcoming World Cup and many other important events.
That's a huge risk that these European clubs face if they want to continue with the inauguration of their own tournament. Fans are already expressing their unhappiness with this plan, and even some players have also stood against it. After the UEFA president confirmed the restrictions for players participating in this Super League, it can be expected that some superstars will show their disagreement as well.
