A relaunch of the failed European Super League is being widely ridiculed.
Real Madrid-backed company A22 Sports Management unveiled plans for the 'Unify League', a 96-team competition that would replace the Champions League but not the Premier League.
The company added that the four-division league would be entirely merit-based – unlike Super League's original closed shop – and would offer a streaming service that would go directly to viewers on its own platform rather than through a broadcast deal .
However, La Liga reacted to the plans, UEFA laughed them off and the Premier League failed to dignify them with a response.
Following the collapse of the Super League, Premier League clubs signed an Owners Charter to prevent a breakaway and required UEFA and FIFA approval to enter a new competition.
Unlike the 2021 scandal, which saw the Big Six of both Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham come on board, no English clubs have signed up.
At the moment, there are still two teams that support the proposed competition: Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the president of Madrid, Florentino Perez, as chairman of the organization.
Organizers received a boost last year when it emerged that UEFA and FIFA had acted in breach of competition law by blocking the creation of the Super League in 2021 by the European Court of Justice.
A22 Sports Management have claimed that their updated plans will see teams qualify based on their annual domestic performance, after moving away from the 2021 proposal for a closed competition.
The company claims that the proposal is in line with UEFA's definition of the 'European sports model'.
Under their plans, the 96 clubs in the men's event would compete in four leagues, named Star, Gold, Blue and Union, with the top two leagues comprising 16 clubs and the Blue and Union Lague containing 32 clubs.
The season would end with knockout matches, while A22 says a women's competition would feature Star and Gold Leagues of 16 clubs.
It is claimed that the match would be shown for free, supported by advertising and affordable premium subscriptions.
“A22 is focused on ensuring the sustainable growth and development of football,” said Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22.
'Our extensive engagement with key stakeholders identified a number of pressing challenges facing the sport, including rising fan subscription costs, an overloaded player calendar, insufficient investment in women's football and dissatisfaction with the format and governance of the current pan- European competitions.
“Our proposal is intended to address these challenges head-on.
'Now is the time for all stakeholders, including UEFA and FIFA, to deliver real innovation that prioritizes fan experience and affordability, player welfare and match competitiveness.
“We remain committed to fostering relationships based on mutual respect, transparency and constructive dialogue. The fans, players, clubs, leagues and other groups that make up the football community deserve nothing less.”
La Liga president Javier Tebas, an outspoken critic of the European Super League, was among those to hit back at the plans.
“Those out are back with a new idea: they produce formats as if they were churros (and they do), without analyzing or studying the economic and sporting effects on the competitions,” Tebas wrote on X.
'The television model they propose only favors the big clubs (and they know it…) while endangering the economic stability of the national leagues and their clubs.
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