European Super League: Gary Neville claims six Premier League clubs who have signed up should be deducted six points

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City have reportedly signed up to the breakaway plan in which they'd be joined by other leading teams from Italy and Spain.

• Read: UEFA and Premier League hit back at European Super League

United legend Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, said: “I’m not against the modernisation of football competitions, we have the Premier League, the Champions League, but I think to bring forward proposals in the midst of Covid and the economic crisis for all clubs is an absolute scandal.

“United and the rest of the Big Six that have signed up to it against the rest of the Premier League should be ashamed of themselves.

“They should deduct six points off all six teams that have signed up to it. Deduct points off them all. To do it during a season? It’s a joke.”

Neville later said he was “disgusted” by the developments in an emotionally-charged interview.

He told Sky Sports: “The reaction to it is that it has been damned, and rightly so. I am a Manchester United fan and have been for 40 years but I am disgusted, absolutely disgusted.

“I am disgusted by Manchester United and Liverpool the most.

“Liverpool, the pretend (with) ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ (they are) the people’s club, the fans’ club.

“Manchester United – 100 years, born out of workers. And they are breaking away into a league without competition, that they can’t be relegated from?

“It is an absolutely disgrace. Honestly, we have to wrestle back power in this country from the clubs at the top of this league, and that includes my club.”

Neville went on to hit out at the owners of England’s biggest clubs.

He added on Sky Sports: “I’ve been calling for 12 months, as part of an another group, for an independent regulator to bring checks and balances in place to stop this happening. It is pure greed.

“They are imposters. The owners of this club (United), the owners of Liverpool, the owners of Chelsea, the owners of Manchester City, they are nothing to do with football in this country.

“Manchester United aren’t even in the Champions League. Arsenal aren’t even in the Champions League. I watched them earlier today and they are an absolute shambles of a football club.

“Tottenham aren’t in the Champions League and they want a God-given right to be in there? They are an absolute joke.

“The time has come now for an independent regulator to stop these clubs having the power base. Enough is enough.”

Neville added on Sky Sports: “The motivation is greed. Deduct them all points tomorrow, put them at the bottom of the league and take the money off them. Seriously, you have got to stamp on this.

“It is criminal. It is a criminal act against football fans in this country. Deduct points, deduct money and punish them.”

Neville’s former United team-mate Roy Keane added: “I think it comes down to money and greed. Obviously we’ve not heard anything from FIFA yet, but it doesn’t sound good.

“Let’s hope it is stopped in its tracks. It’s just pure greed.”

Fellow Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards added: "The Premier League has been run amazingly, and clubs are businesses and investments. But what happens to the fans, the memories of what the fans have had over the years?

"Are they to be forgotten about for the sake of money? That's what football has become now, it's an absolute disgrace."

TV presenter and former England striker Gary Lineker tweeted of the Super League reports: “If this is true it will have huge ramifications on the game. Huge.”

On the publication of the Premier League statement, Lineker added: “Don’t panic….alright then, let’s panic.”

Key Questions about the European Super League

What has happened?

It was claimed on Sunday that at up to 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs had signed up to the new proposal, which would involve them forming their own competition to rival the Champions League. Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham were all listed as being involved. Reports were more equivocal on the position of Manchester City – the remaining member of England’s so-called ‘big six – with some suggesting they had signed up and others saying they had not. Other clubs listed as being involved were Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan. Notably, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris St Germain were not included.

Rumours of breakaway European leagues are not new. Why has this one emerged now?

The timing is interesting because on Monday UEFA was due to confirm changes to the format of the Champions League. The changes were drawn up largely to appease clubs who wanted a guarantee of more fixtures and – most controversially – more certainty they would be involved in the lucrative competition in the first place. This latest threat would seem to be a direct challenge to UEFA, which has tried to balance the interests of all clubs and leagues in its changes.

What are the Champions League changes?

They principally concern the group stage and the qualification process. The group stage is to be expanded from 32 teams to 36 from 2024, with all teams competing in one league rather than the current format of eight groups. All teams would play 10 fixtures (an increase on the present six) with opponents determined by a seeding system based on what is known as the ‘Swiss model’. The top eight teams would qualify automatically for the knockout stages, with those ranked ninth to 24th playing off for the final eight spots.

The four extra places would be awarded as follows – one extra spot to the country ranked fifth in the UEFA co-efficient, currently France, the domestic champions with the best historical team co-efficient who do not qualify automatically for the group phase, and most controversially the two teams with the best historical co-efficient who have not qualified for the Champions League via domestic performance, but have done enough to qualify for the Europa League or the new Europa Conference League.

Matchdays would be spread across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings to maximise broadcast income. The proposals were approved by UEFA’s club competitions committee on Friday and expected to be rubber-stamped by the executive committee on Monday.

How would clubs benefit from this new Super League?

Principally by being guaranteed entry – and the revenue that goes with it – each year. Even with the proposed changes to the Champions League, there remains a possibility teams could fail to qualify. This would eliminate that risk. Reports suggest the Super League would comprise 20 clubs, comprised of 15 permanent founding members and five additional sides determined through a qualification process.

What has been the reaction?

One of almost universal condemnation from governing bodies and leagues, who view it as a blatant power-grab and have pointed out clubs and players could be banned for participating in unsanctioned competitions. The Premier League described it as “deeply damaging” and urged clubs involved to “walk away immediately before irreparable damage is done”. The Football Association echoed those sentiments and added it would “take any legal and/or regulatory action necessary to protect the broader interests of the English game”. A further joint statement from those organisations, in conjunction with UEFA and the leagues and national associations of Spain and Italy, said it was a “cynical project” that was “founded on the self-interest of a few clubs”. It added: “This persistent self-interest of a few has been going on for too long. Enough is enough.” The clubs themselves have not commented.