UEFA are set to pursue severe disciplinary action against clubs that have not yet officially pulled out of the Super League, according to a report.
ESPN report that the four remaining clubs – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan – face maximum punishment under the organisation’s disciplinary pathway, which is a two-year ban from the Champions League or Europa League.
The league launched last month with Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur as the founding members, as well as Inter, but those clubs have now pulled out.
UEFA believe the four clubs are violating Article 51 of the statutes, which states that “No combinations or alliances between… clubs affiliated, directly or indirectly, to different UEFA Member Associations may be formed without the permission of UEFA.”
The four clubs holding out believe they are in a strong position however as they state that the Super League was asking the body ‘for permission’ to run their competition and was not an actual formal breakaway. UEFA would be in violation of an injunction granted by a Madrid court if they did pursue action, as per their side of things.
If nine of the 12 clubs that committed to the Super League did officially declare themselves out of the project then, based on their own statutes, the project would be formally terminated.
