Three new heavy blows were dealt to the Euro Super League in just a few minutes on Wednesday, just three days after the controversial tournament was announced. Andrea Agnelli, the president of Italian club Juventus, confirmed that the project, initiated by 12 of the continent's major clubs, cannot come to fruition after the withdrawal of the six English clubs on Tuesday. In response to a question about whether the "Super League would stop without the English clubs," a source close to Agnelli, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed this reality. Following the collapse of the project on Wednesday, Juventus' shares dropped by 12 percent on the Milan Stock Exchange, according to AFP.
Minutes after Agnelli's statements, Spanish team Atletico Madrid announced its withdrawal from the Euro Super League, followed by Italian club Inter Milan. The six Premier League clubs withdrew from the Euro Super League on Tuesday, leaving the project in jeopardy just 48 hours after its launch. Manchester City was the first club to leave the new competition, followed by Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur, while reports indicated that Chelsea was also preparing to abandon the breakaway tournament. Chelsea has not yet confirmed its withdrawal from the tournament but is expected to join its Premier League rivals soon, according to reports in British media.
The controversial announcement came after the "big six" in England, along with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid from Spain, and Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus from Italy, announced the launch of the breakaway Super League on Sunday. The Super League faced widespread opposition within and outside the football world, with sports authorities, other clubs, and fan groups stating that the breakaway tournament would increase the power and wealth of elite clubs, and that the partially closed structure of the league contradicts the traditional European football model.
