Top clubs: We'll avoid super league
Premier League receives assurances from 3 clubs
Posted: Monday August 03, 1998 12:18 PM
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Arsenal and Player of the Year Dennis Bergkamp will stay in the Premiership Stu Forster/Allsport |
LONDON (AP) -- England's Premier League administrators have
accepted assurances from Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool
regarding each club's stance on the proposed European super league.
The three clubs have been linked with the breakaway competition
-- for which a blue-print proposes an independent 32-team league
involving the top clubs in Europe.
Speculation in the British press over the weekend suggested the
three teams would be kicked out of the Premier League and all
players involved would be banned from any FIFA sanctioned matches
if they joined the proposed super league.
But the Premier League said Monday it had received written
assurances indicating that the clubs would not sign up to any
breakaway competition without prior consultation.
Premier League spokesman Mike Lee released a statement saying he
had received the ssurances he required from the clubs.
"And our clubs have pledged to work together to take forward a
discussion on the future shape of European club competitions," he said.
"The regular meeting of clubs in September will discuss this
issue and we will look then at any further representation we may
need to make to UEFA."
The super league is reportedly backed by Silvio Berlusconi, an
Italian media magnate and boss at Serie A team AC Milan.
Premier League teams have expressed fear that a super league,
reportedly aiming to replace the UEFA Champions' League competition
by 2000, would undermine England's domestic competition and
international soccer fixtures.
The European Commission is expected to rule on the proposed
European super league on September 7 after deliberating the
ramifications the multi-billion dollar soccer competition would
have on existing ompetitions.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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