Barcelona have announced their formal withdrawal from the European Super League project, leaving Real Madrid as the only club still associated with the controversial initiative.The breakaway competition was originally launched in 2021 with the backing of 12 clubs.Six English sides — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur — pulled out almost immediately after strong opposition from fans.
They were later joined by Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan, leaving Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus as the remaining participants. Juventus eventually exited the project in 2024 and returned to the European Football Clubs association.In a statement, Barcelona confirmed that it had officially notified the European Super League Company and the other participating clubs of its decision to leave the project.
The European Super League was unveiled in April 2021 as an alternative to UEFA’s Champions League, based on a largely closed 20-team format.In 2023, Barcelona president Joan Laporta had maintained that he still believed the Super League would eventually come to fruition. However, his stance appeared to shift last year, when he emphasised the club’s desire to rebuild and strengthen its relationship with European football’s governing body, UEFA.
“We are committed to building bridges between the Super League and UEFA,” Laporta said in October.He added that Barcelona supported reconciliation, noting that there was a pathway for clubs involved in the Super League to reintegrate with UEFA and the European football structure. Laporta also stressed that the club felt aligned with both UEFA and the European Football Clubs association, and was keen to contribute to reforms that could improve football governance across Europe. Barcelona’s exit from the Super League was announced just four days after Laporta confirmed the resignation of his board, ahead of plans to seek re-election in the club’s elections scheduled for next month.
Source: https://m.lindaikejisblog.com/
