UEFA have officially began the reintegration process for nine of the 12 clubs involved in plans to form a European Super League.
The sides involved will, nonetheless, face sanctions for their involvement, including the loss of 5% of revenue from UEFA competitions for a season, as revealed on the organisation’s website.
“I said at the UEFA Congress two weeks ago that it takes a strong organisation to admit making a mistake especially in these days of trial by social media. These clubs have done just that,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said.
“In accepting their commitments and willingness to repair the disruption they caused, UEFA wants to put this chapter behind it and move forward in a positive spirit.
“The measures announced are significant, but none of the financial penalties will be retained by UEFA. They will all be reinvested into youth and grassroots football in local communities across Europe, including the UK.”
These repercussions follow the abandonment of the aforementioned league in response to a severe backlash received from fans, neutrals, and club staff alike.
The three remaining heavyweight European outfits – Juventus, Real Madrid, and Barcelona – who have yet to renounce the breakaway league are set to face disciplinary action.
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The commitments will, in effect, discourage clubs from engaging in any further plans in future to form separate competitions.
Barcelona and co.’s commitment to the cause remains further baffling in light of the Premier League ‘big six’ and other elite outfits’ decision to abandon the proposed new competition.
That being said, considering the financial struggles facing La Liga, not to mention a piling mountain of debt facing ESL founder Florentino Perez at Madrid, it’s not entirely difficult to glean the motivations behind an increasingly desperate attachment to a sinking ship.