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Chelsea FC confirm European Super League withdrawal as all of Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ quit breakaway plans

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Chelsea have officially confirmed their withdrawal from the European Super League.

On Sunday, the Blues were announced as one of 12 founder members of the controversial breakaway competition, along with fellow Premier League ‘Big Six’ members Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham plus LaLiga trio Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid and Serie A clubs AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus.

However, the plans were met with universal condemnation from across the world of football and beyond.

Chelsea fans made their opposition to a Super League abundantly clear by staging passionate protests outside Stamford Bridge ahead of Tuesday night’s Premier League fixture against Brighton, which had to be delayed.

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Such a strong backlash prompted a dramatic flurry of withdrawals from all of the Super League’s English clubs on Tuesday evening, with Arsenal issuing an apology for a “mistake” and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy expressing regret for the “anxiety and upset” caused by the plans.

Chelsea - who confirmed that they only joined the rebel clubs last week - became the final Premier League outfit to officially announce that they had begun the necessary steps to pull out of the Super League in the early hours of Wednesday morning with a statement in which they said that continuing would not be in the best interests of the club, fans or the “wider football community”.

Chelsea’s statement read in full: “As reported earlier this evening, Chelsea Football Club can confirm that it has begun the formal procedures for withdrawal from the group developing plans for a European Super League.

“Having joined the group late last week, we have now had time to consider the matter fully and have decided that our continued participation in these plans would not be in the best interests of the Club, our supporters or the wider football community.”

The Super League have now confirmed that they intend to “reconsider the most appropriate steps” to reshape the project after those withdrawals of the English founder members.

"The European Super League is convinced that the current status quo of European football needs to change,” their statement read.

"We are proposing a new European competition because the existing system does not work.

"Our proposal is aimed at allowing the sport to evolve while generating resources and stability for the full football pyramid, including helping to overcome the financial difficulties experienced by the entire football community as a result of the pandemic.

"It would also provide materially enhanced solidarity payments to all football stakeholders.

"Despite the announced departure of the English clubs, forced to take such decisions due to the pressure put on them, we are convinced our proposal is fully aligned with European law and regulations as was demonstrated today by a court decision to protect the Super League from third party actions.

"Given the current circumstances, we shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project, always having in mind our goals of offering fans the best experience possible while enhancing solidarity payments for the entire football community."

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European Super League to ‘reshape project’ after Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ withdraw from competition