EUROPEAN Super League clubs will face “sanctions” from the Government if they don’t ditch plans to join the rogue competition, a Cabinet minister vowed today.
Education secretary Gavin Williamson said the PM is determined to stop the creation of the breakaway division and urged the six English teams involved to step back from the brink.
He said ministers are looking at “a whole range of sanctions” they can trigger and insisted: “It’s not in the spirit of football, it’s not what fans want, it’s not what players want, it’s not what managers want.”
Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur have all signed up to the rogue competition.
The PM will host crisis talks with football’s governing bodies and fans’ groups today to plot a way to stop the new division in its tracks.
No 10 wants to force the six English clubs to back down and ditch the plans before it is forced to intervene.
But if they don’t ministers are considering radical measures to clamp down on the European Super League and make it impossible to run.
They could include bringing in new laws mandating German-style fan ownership of clubs and limiting business tycoons to minority shareholders.
Officials are also looking at how they could use visa laws to ban those clubs involved from signing foreign players.
And police support for crowd-control at matches could be withdrawn.
Mr Williamson said: “This Super League must be stopped because it’s just simply not fair, it’s not right.
“Football is rooted in the communities that clubs have grown up in and it’s there for the fans.
“This seems to have been dreamed up by moneymen as against football fans and that’s why the PM is so opposed to it.”
The education secretary said the Government will be “putting all our support behind the FA and UEFA” as they battle to stop the breakaway.
He insisted: “That’s the preferred option and we’d hope these clubs step back from the proposals they’ve put forward.”
But he added “if they’re not successful in doing that we won’t hesitate to take further steps to ensure this European Super League won’t go ahead”.
Pressed further, he said: “We’d look at every single option. You cannot be clearer about the Government’s commitment to ensure this doesn’t proceed. We would be willing to intervene if a solution isn’t found
“The Government reserves its position to take any action that’s required including the need to take legislation, the need to take sanctions, in order to ensure we protect football interests in this country.”
