Two English clubs are close to ‘losing their nerve’ and could pull out of the European Super League, according to reports.
Half-a-dozen Premier League teams dubbed the 'super six' had initially signed on to be part of the breakaway competition, governed by 12 European teams, details of which emerged on Monday and were met with intense backlash and protests outside stadiums.
Now reports are comign in that ‘cracks’ are appearing in the structure.
“Hearing the first cracks may be beginning to appear in the ugly, misshapen edifice of the ESL. Told two English clubs are close to losing their nerve,” tweeted the Mail’s chief sports writer Oliver Holt on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Politico London Playbook editor Alex Wickham tweeted that one club is “seriously considering pulling out”.
“Hearing from a source with knowledge that one of the big six English clubs is now seriously considering pulling out of the Super League,” wrote Wickham.
“They are accusing Liverpool and Manchester United — the two clubs leading the breakaway — of lying to them and ‘[expletive] up’. Major split in ESL,” he added.
Neither reports have been confirmed through official channels. The claims arrive amidst news from Downing Street that UK PM Boris Johnson is “exploring every possibility, including legislative options” to block the Super League from going forward.
Jurgen Klopp on Monday doubled down on his comments from 2019, where he expressed his opposition to a Super League.
“My opinion didn’t change," said the Liverpool manager at Ellan Road, where the Reds drew with Leeds United.
"Obviously, I heard for the first time about it yesterday, and trying to prepare a game, a very difficult game against Leeds, and I knew so far we got some information, not a lot to be honest,” he said, adding that neither he nor the players were involved in “any processes” regarding the ESL.
In 2019, the German boss said he hoped the Super League would “never happen”.
As it stands, the six EPL clubs that are part of the Super League are Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United. The remaining six clubs are Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. Three extra spots are understood to be open.
