Gary Neville says the idea of a European Premier League is “another wound for football” and criticised the timing of talks during a pandemic as “obscene”.
Sky News has learned Liverpool and Manchester United have held discussions about a bombshell plot involving Europe’s biggest football clubs to join a new FIFA-backed tournament that would reshape the sport’s global landscape.
More than a dozen teams from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are in negotiations about becoming founder members of the competition, with financiers assembling a $6 billion (£4.6 billion) funding package to assist its creation.
European Premier League – key points
- Liverpool, Man Utd in talks about joining new FIFA-backed tournament; Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Tottenham reportedly also approached
- As many as five English clubs could sign up
- More than a dozen teams from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain said to be in negotiations
- Format would comprise up to 18 teams, with home and away fixtures played during regular European season
- Top-placed teams would play in knockout tournament
- Provisional start date as early as 2022
- Wall Street bank JP Morgan in talks to provide £4.6bn in funding
- Tournament could usurp Champions League
Neville, who recently joined an eight-strong group calling for independent regulation of English football, has spoken passionately about the need for reform and is calling for a fairer distribution of football’s wealth.
“There is a position, potentially, for a new European League and for an amazing Premier League, a fantastically competitive EFL and funded grassroots and non-league football. There is enough money.
“If they can pull $6bn together for a European league then they can pull together £150-200m to save the rest of football in this country.
“There is enough wealth in the game to look after all the key stakeholders.
“It’s almost a tap-in for Manchester United, Liverpool and others to be able to say: ‘There’s £10m for non-league, there’s a couple of hundred million rescue package for EFL clubs’. I don’t get why we’re not looking after the wider game, while having these discussions over $6bn debt packages with JP Morgan. It is obscene.”
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