Soccer-A future European Super League could have 80 clubs -A22 CEO

© Thomson Reuters FILE PHOTO: Metal figures of football players are seen in front of the words “European Super League” and the UEFA logo in this illustration

(Corrects paragraph 5 to make clear breakaway Super League was announced in 2021)

BERLIN (Reuters) -A future European Super League could include as many as 80 teams, Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 Sports Management, a company formed to sponsor and assist in the creation of a breakaway soccer league, said on Thursday.

In a statement outlining the preliminary results of talks that A22 had with what it said was 50 European clubs and stakeholders of football, the company said change was necessary.

“The vast majority of them share the assessment that the very foundation of European football is under threat, and it is time for change,” A22 said.

“Feedback suggests a European football league that is open, based solely on sporting merit, multidivisional with 60 to 80 clubs and a minimum of 14 guaranteed European matches per club.”

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus were among 12 clubs to announce a breakaway Super League in April 2021. But the move collapsed within 48 hours after an outcry from fans, governments and players forced Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid to pull out.

That left only Real, Barcelona and Juventus as holdouts. The ESL took its case to a Spanish court which subsequently sought guidance from the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

“Our objective is to present a sustainable sporting project for European club competitions available to, at a minimum, all 27 EU Member States as soon as possible after receipt of the judgment,” Reichart said.

“The issues are clear, and action must be taken for the benefit of fans, players, and clubs.”

A22 said there were 10 principles that emerged from the discussions, including improving competitiveness, financial sustainability and fan experience.

At issue in the ongoing court case is whether European body UEFA and global governing body FIFA statutes allowing them to block rival events and bar clubs and players from taking part conform with EU competition rules.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Hugh Lawson)