Agency :
Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan followed all six English Premier League clubs in pulling out of the European Super League on Wednesday, dealing a fatal blow to a project that prompted an incendiary reaction from supporters.
The withdrawal by Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, just 48 hours after the league’s unveiling, followed a furious reaction from fans, officials and politicians.
Atletico Madrid and Inter announced they were pulling out today, whittling the original “Dirty Dozen” down to just four clubs – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan.
“For the club, harmony is essential between all the groups that make up the rojiblanco family, especially our fans,” Atletico said in a statement.
A member of the entourage of Juventus president Andrea Agnelli acknowledged it was an impossible task to proceed without the English clubs.
The Super League promised guaranteed entry for its founding clubs and billions of dollars in payments. Most of the clubs have huge debts and wage bills, and suffered a sharp drop in revenues during the coronavirus pandemic.
But the project was vehemently opposed across the football spectrum, from fans to players, coaches, politicians and Uefa and Fifa, the European and world football bodies.
The clubs were threatened with a ban from domestic and European football, while their players could even have been barred from representing their countries.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin struck a conciliatory tone today, saying he wanted to “rebuild the unity” of European football, and described the English clubs as “back in the fold”.
“I said yesterday that it is admirable to admit a mistake and these clubs made a big mistake,” Ceferin said in a statement.
“But they are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game.
“The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together.”
Shares in Juventus plunged by more than 10 per cent today following a slump in the value of Manchester United stocks.
Shortly after English pull-outs, the Super League said it was looking for ways to “reshape”, insisting the “status quo of European football needs to change”.
“We shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project,” its statement said.
Liverpool owner John W Henry apologised for his part in the planned Super League after club captain Jordan Henderson said the players did not want it to happen.
