Super League fiasco blows up in face of England’s ‘Big Six’ Part 1

For years, the “Big Six” soccer clubs have thrown their weight around in the English Premier League. But their latest move — announcing April 18 they would join with six European teams to form a new European Super League, separate from Europe’s Champions League — has blown up in their faces. Within 48 hours, all six clubs — Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea — had withdrawn from the Super League amid outrage from fans, players and the government. It’s not the first time the Big Six have used threats as a power play, but now the Premier League is taking steps to stop them trying something similar in the future. The Premier League is working to neuter the six clubs with punishments and measures to stop them playing the same bargaining chip again, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The league is considering sanctions aimed at the club officials who plotted to join the breakaway venture, rather than punishing the teams themselves, the source said. Since quitting the 12-team Super League project April 20, all six clubs have apologized. But that won’t stop the Premier League trying to remove club executives from key committees like the one assessing the sale of television rights — which gave them access to commercially valuable insight while they planned the midweek Super League format. (AP) To be continued… This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.