Juventus have been readmitted to the European Club Association after they could not successfully form the European Super League.
Juventus led the list of clubs who were the front liners in the move to establish the European Super League alongside La Liga and European giants Real Madrid, including Barcelona.
The Serie A giants liaised with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, and a few other elite clubs in Europe to form the European Super League.
The aim of the breakaway club football league – as it was called – was to promote a more financially productive club football in Europe by reformating how club competitions in Europe is played.
The European Super League was seen mainly as a rival to the UEFA Champions League. Hence, the European football governing body, UEFA, opposed the plan, including the world’s football umpire, FIFA.
Football fans also opposed European Super League
It was not only FIFA or UEFA that opposed the plan, football fans across Europe staged protests against the plan, insisting it would be an elitist competition to enrich the coffers of the bigger clubs at the expense of the smaller ones.
Massive protests by fans led to the withdrawal of erstwhile progenitors of the idea. Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool all pulled as fans’ pressure and protest mounted.
Juventus, Barcelona, and Real Madrid led the list of clubs who were still standing to realize the new club football competition.
Apart from FIFA and UEFA, other subsidiary football administrative groups like the European Clubs Association – a conglomerate of all representatives of Football Clubs in Europe – also opposed the plan.
The face-off between the promoters of the ESL and UEFA came to a head in December 2024 when the European Court of Justice ruled that ECA and UEFA’s decision to penalize clubs from forming the ESL was against EU competition.
Despite the Court’s ruling most clubs reaffirmed their membership with UEFA and denounced the breakaway club competition.
Juventus supported ESL
Juventus were among the football clubs who lost their membership of the ECA due to the feud over the European Super League.
Now, they have returned to the ECA and have been welcomed back by the body’s headship led by PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Speaking on Thursday, October 10, 2024, Al-Khelaifi said he is pleased to welcome back Juventus to the ECA after their failed push for the European Super League project.
“I am pleased to welcome Juventus back to our family. Now, all top division clubs in over 20 countries are ECA members,” Al-Khelaifi said during the ECA’s General Assembly in Athens.
Meanwhile, the European Super League is still technically alive and is being promoted by A22 Sports Management, which is advocating a redesigned version of the breakaway continental competition with 64 teams playing in three divisions.
It is believed the pressure of the European Super League contributed to UEFA’s decision not to reformat the UEFA Champions League from a Swiss-style system with groups into a league system.
So, the ghost of the breakaway competition with Real Madrid is still pushing hard to realize it by establishing the A22 Sports management to sell the idea to Football Clubs and fans. It was originally planned to be a 32-team tournament but the new proposal is to increase membership to 64 to promote inclusiveness.
