Following the ruling by an EU court on Thursday, which said that UEFA and FIFA had violated EU law by banning the development of a Super League, major clubs and leagues throughout Europe rejected the Super League in favour of the status quo.
Manchester United and German powerhouse Bayern Munich were among the first to declare their continued commitment to participating in UEFA competitions.
United was one of the 12 teams that participated in the April 2021 founding of the breakaway Super League, but it withdrew in response to player, government, and fan opposition.
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“Our position has not changed. We remain fully committed to participation in UEFA competitions, and to positive cooperation with UEFA, the Premier League, and fellow clubs through the ECA on the continued development of the European game,” the club said.
Prior to withdrawing, the other five Premier League teams involved were Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal.
In 2021, two months after the six English teams withdrew from the project, they announced that they would donate a total of 22 million pounds ($27.78 million) as “a gesture of goodwill” to fund community programmes, grassroots football, and fan support.
The Premier League announced that each of them would be fined 25 million pounds and would lose 30 points if they attempted a similar manoeuvre in the future.
“The ruling does not endorse the so-called “European Super League” and the Premier League continues to reject any such concept,” the Premier League said in a statement.
“Supporters are of vital importance to the game and they have time and again made clear their opposition to a ‘breakaway’ competition that severs the link between domestic and European football.”
The Super League “remains closed” for the German champions Bayern Munich, who declared their commitment to UEFA competitions.
“The Bundesliga is the foundation of FC Bayern, just as all national leagues are the foundation of other European football clubs,” Bayern CEO Jan Christian Dreesen said.
“It is therefore our duty and our deep conviction to strengthen them, not to weaken them. We are also committed to the European club competitions under the umbrella of UEFA.”
The league that oversees the Bundesliga, the German Football League (DFL), declared that it “rejects competitions outside those competitions organised by the federations and the leagues and explicitly supports the European sports model.”
According to the European Club Association (ECA), which represents over 500 clubs on the continent, football fans had “moved on from the Super League years ago”.
“Through ECA, clubs today are already at the heart of decision-making in relation to the competitions they participate in,” the ECA said.