The likes of Liam Gallagher, KSI and The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess are among the leading figures from the world of music to voice their opposition to plans for a new footballing European Super League (ESL).
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham are among the 12 clubs who have agreed to join a new league in a move that has rocked football.
Joined by the likes of AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid, the ESL aims to establish a new “midweek competition” with teams continuing to compete in their own domestic leagues.
The ESL said that the first season is “intended to commence as soon as practicable” and that three more clubs are expected to join.
Leave it alone I’m on the verge of writing an open letter to some cunt who’s in charge these days
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) April 19, 2021
However, the move has been met with widespread condemnation from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Uefa and the Premier League.
It has also been met with a frosty reception from football fans from across Europe, who fear that the move is being motivated by money and could threaten the future of domestic leagues.
Posting on Twitter, Arsenal fan KSI wrote: “This Super League shit ain’t it.”
Liam Gallagher, a prolific Manchester City fan, urged the teams involved to “leave it alone”.
This Super League shit ain’t it.
— LORD KSI (@KSI) April 19, 2021
European Super Greed
— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) April 19, 2021
“Leave it alone I’m on the verge of writing an open letter to some cunt who’s in charge these days,” he wrote on Twitter.
Tim Burgess, a Manchester United fan, simply wrote: “European Super Greed.”
He then retweeted a quote from George Orwell’s ‘1984’, which stated: “football, beer, and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult…”
Other responses came from The Brian Jonestown Massacre‘s Anton Newcombe who wrote, presumably with his tongue firmly lodged in cheek: “The eu super league is a thinly disguised communist plot to undermine Nigel Farage, the will of the uk voters and Brexit.”
Despite the widespread hostility, the ESL has also sent a letter to Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Uefa boss Aleksander Ceferin to threaten legal action, which is designed to block any potential sanctions that may be brought in.
“Going forward, the founding clubs look forward to holding discussions with Uefa and Fifa to work together in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for the new league and for football as a whole,” the ESL said.