JAKARTA - The British government has said it will do whatever is necessary to prevent the six leading English clubs playing in the Premier League from joining the European Super League.
Prince William, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to British Minister of Culture, Media, Digital and Sports Oliver Dowden objected to the existence of the European Super League.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham have signed a deal to join the European Super League. They will be joined by Spanish clubs Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Barcelona and Italian clubs AC Milan, Juventus, and Inter Milan.
Together with the other three members who have not joined, they will become permanent members as the founders of the league and will not be relegated. In the future, there will be five additional clubs that must qualify every year, so that the total of this new league will have 20 teams.
Prince William, president of the Football Association of England (FA), is concerned about the risk of 'the damage this new league will do to the delight of football fans in England.
"Now more than ever, we must protect the entire football community from the top to the grassroots and values competition and fairness at its core", he wrote on Twitter as launching the BBC, Tuesday, April 20.
In a statement to lawmakers at the House of Commons, UK Minister for Culture, Media, Digital and Sports Oliver Dowden criticized the so-called 'big six' of British clubs for being against the spirit of sport.
Dowden said club owners must remember they are only "temporary custodians" of the clubs they own. Dowden said he had spoken with the European Football Agency (UEFA) and the Football Association which are also against the Super League.
"If they cannot act, we (the British government) will (act). We will put everything on the table to prevent this from happening", he told lawmakers.
"We are examining every option from governance reforms to competition laws and the mechanisms that allow football to take place. We will review everything the government is doing to support these clubs playing. We will do whatever it takes to protect our national game", he explained.
Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government will look into everything we can do with the football authorities, to ensure that this (plan) does not proceed as currently proposed".
The British prime minister's office said ministers were looking at 'various options', including a German-style fan club ownership system to threats of withdrawing coronavirus support loans.
Meanwhile, British football legend Gary Lineker has called this a troubling time. If the European Super League is implemented, it will have an impact on the Premier League.
"It will destroy the pyramid system (league, promotion, and relegation) which is very important for local football clubs, communities, and teams, and it eliminates competition," he said.
To note, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has warned that players who play for teams in the European Super League will be banned from appearing in the World Cup and European Cup.
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