Sports
Explainer: The Controversy Around European Super League
By Adedapo Adesanya
Late on Sunday, 12 teams confirmed they intend to join the European Super League as founders. The Premier League’s Big Six; Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United and Tottenham and will be joined by Spanish giants Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid, with Italian heavyweights, Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan, will all found the new competition.
The new format has been put forward as a rival to the UEFA Champions League, not as a replacement to domestic leagues, but there are fears it could have wider ramifications.
Criticisms
The Union of European Football Association (UEFA), in a joint statement with the Football Associations of the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and Italian Serie A, blasted the plans and did not rule out taking legal action over the proposals, insisting players involved would be banned from all other competitions at domestic, European or world level and could be prevented from representing their national teams.
The proposal also met fierce criticism from the worlds of sport and politics. British Prime Minister, Mr Boris Johnson, said “I think it’s wrong, I think it’s something that’s going in the wrong direction for football – for great English and British clubs – and it’s going in the wrong direction for fans,” he said.
“I can’t think that it’s the right way forward.”
He added: “Oliver Dowden, the secretary of state, is going to be making a statement a bit later on today about some of the things we could consider to try and encourage people to think of another approach.
“People in this country are committed to the success of their local clubs. I don’t think you want to deracinate it (club football) and create this European Super League, which would basically take a lot of the cash away from clubs that really need it.”
Other political figures who have raised an issue include the London Mayor, Mr Sadiq Khan and President of France, Mr Emmanuel Macron, who all condemned the plans before the proposals were confirmed.
Former Manchester United captain, Gary Neville, also l called for his former club, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool to be relegated as punishment for their involvement. Others including Mesut Ozil, Luis Figo, Ander Herrera among many have also lambasted the decision.
European Super League Format
The Super League’s founding clubs plan to start the competition from the 2022-23 season. Here is what they hope it will look like.
The annual competition will be composed of 20 clubs each season. That number will be made up of 15 “Founding Clubs”, 12 of which were confirmed last night with three additional to join. It has been rumoured that Bayern Munich and Paris St. Germain (PSG) will also join but are bidding their time.
Plans include one-off payments of up to £303 million to the 15 founder members, although only six will receive the full amount.
Five places will be open to clubs who qualify annually based on achievements in the prior season.
The Super League will start in August, with two groups of 10 clubs playing home and away.
The top three from either group all progress to the quarter-finals, with clubs fourth and fifth in either group taking part in a two-legged playoff for the final places in the last eight.
The knockout stages will replicate the current Champions League format, with two-legged ties leading up to a final held at a neutral venue.
All matches will be played midweek possibly with the exception of the final with the founders planning to continue participating in their own domestic leagues, which the founding clubs insist “remains at the heart of the club game”.
Clubs involved would play between 18 and 23 Super League matches per season.
Clubs Renounce ECA Membership
Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal resigned from the European Club Association (ECA) with Manchester United Chairman, Mr Ed Woodward, stepping down from his role with UEFA following the fallout. This means that Mr Woodward will no longer hold his UEFA role.
Arsenal’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Vinai Venkatesham, also resigned from his position on the ECA board while Chelsea today confirmed its resignation.
What is the ECA?
The European Club Association is a body representing the interests of professional association football clubs in UEFA. It is the sole such body recognised by UEFA and has member clubs in each UEFA member association.
Fresh Development and Expectations
As the plot continues to thicken, Serie A clubs will meet today to talk about the Super League situation but Juventus, Inter and AC Milan will not attend the meeting.
Spanish clubs are planning for a meeting on Thursday to discuss Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid position after joining the competition.
UEFA’s President, Mr Alexander Ceferin, confirmed that: “The players that will play in the Super League will be banned from playing in the World Cup and Euros. They will not be allowed to play for their national teams.
“These are so-called big clubs, it is clear that the big clubs of today were not always big clubs. Juventus were in Serie B, Man United before Sir Alex Ferguson was I don’t know where.
“We will do the sanctions we can do within the law, of course.”
They are also a likelihood that punishment will also be given to the clubs if talks fail in the coming days.
Business Post will continue to monitor the situation.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The deal between Arsenal Football Club and Emirates has been renewed, making it one of the longest-running and most recognisable partnerships in world sport.
Both parties first came together as partners in 2006 and have since built one of football’s defining partnerships. Spanning the entire Emirates Stadium era, the relationship has evolved alongside the club – supporting Arsenal’s ambitions, strengthening both organisations’ global reach and creating new ways for supporters around the world to connect with Arsenal.
The latest deal will see Emirates continue as the Champions’ front-of-shirt, training kit and stadium naming rights partner through to 2033.
The renewal comes at a pivotal moment in the club’s history following its recent Premier League title. The new agreement will build on many of the flagship initiatives that have defined the partnership, including the Emirates Cup, which brings world-class football to Emirates Stadium each summer, and Global Gooners, which gives supporters from around the world the opportunity to experience Arsenal in North London for the first time.
The next chapter of the partnership will begin this weekend as Arsenal welcome Borussia Dortmund to North London for the Emirates Cup, with a programme of anniversary activity celebrating more than two decades of shared history while looking ahead to the next chapter still to be written. Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, will attend alongside Arsenal senior leadership as part of the celebrations.
Launching alongside the partnership renewal is a new cinematic film featuring Arsenal legend Per Mertesacker. Set inside an antique shop filled with objects from across the Emirates era, the film celebrates two decades of shared memories between Arsenal, Emirates and our supporters, reflecting on the history we’ve made together and the moments still to come.
“Winning the Premier League is an incredibly proud moment in our club’s history and one that belongs to everyone connected with Arsenal. Emirates has been an integral part of this success – standing alongside us throughout this journey and sharing in the defining moments, challenges and successes that have shaped our club over the past two decades,” the chief executive of Arsenal, Mr Richard Garlick, stated.
On his part, the President of Emirates Airline, Sir Tim Clark, said, “Over the last two decades, Emirates and Arsenal have built something that goes far beyond a traditional partnership, and one we are immensely proud of. We have grown alongside the club through changes of era and ambition, united by a shared goal of bringing people closer to what they love.
“In practice, that has meant reaching the millions who follow Arsenal across the Emirates network and beyond and creating experiences for them that neither of us could have done alone.”
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will look to secure their place in the quarter-finals when they face Egypt in their final Group C match on Wednesday at 9:00 pm at the ongoing WAFCON 2026 in Morocco.
The defending champions bounced back from their disappointing 3-2 defeat to Malawi with a crucial 1-0 victory over Zambia and will now be aiming to finish the group stage strongly. All the matches of the tournament air live on SuperSport via DStv and GOtv.
The final matchday of Group A saw hosts Morocco play out a goalless draw with Senegal, a result that was enough to send Morocco through to the quarter-finals in first position in their group. Algeria also secured their place in the knockout stages after a 2-0 victory over Kenya, bringing their group-stage campaign to a strong close.
Tuesday, Group B will conclude with Burkina Faso facing South Africa before Tanzania takes on Ivory Coast. South Africa and Ivory Coast played out a 2-2 draw in their previous match, while Burkina Faso bounced back from their opening defeat with a 2-1 victory over Tanzania. With the group still to be decided, the final results will determine which teams join the quarter-final line-up.
All eyes will then turn to Group C on Wednesday, where Egypt will face Nigeria, and Malawi will take on Zambia, with both matches kicking off at 9:00 pm. The Super Falcons will be hoping to build on their victory over Zambia and secure the result they need to advance to the knockout stages, while Egypt will be looking to end their campaign on a positive note after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Malawi in their previous game.
Nigeria’s final group match comes after a difficult start to their title defence. The Super Falcons were stunned 3-2 by Malawi in their opening game but responded with a 1-0 victory over Zambia to revive their campaign. The ten-time champions will now need to complete the job against Egypt as they look to keep their hopes of retaining the continental crown alive.
The final group-stage fixtures on Thursday will see Ghana take on Mali, and Cape Verde face Cameroon on Thursday, with both matches also scheduled for 9:00 pm. Ghana suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in their previous outing, while Mali secured a 3-2 victory over Cape Verde. The final results will determine which teams progress to the knockout stages from Group D.
Matchday 3 Fixtures
Tuesday, August 4
Burkina Faso vs South Africa – 9:00 pm
Tanzania vs Ivory Coast – 9:00 pm
Wednesday, August 5
Egypt vs Nigeria – 9:00 pm
Malawi vs Zambia – 9:00 pm
Thursday, August 6
Cape Verde vs Cameroon – 9:00 pm
Mali vs Ghana – 9:00 pm
SuperSport Brings All the Live Action
Catch every match of WAFCON Morocco 2026 live on SS Football (Ch. 202, GOtv Ch. 61) and SS Football Plus (DStv Ch. 202) on DStv and GOtv. Fans can also stream every match live on DStv Stream from ₦6,000, with no decoder or dish required.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
At least for the next four seasons, DStv and GOtv subscribers are guaranteed access to all UEFA men’s club matches on SuperSport.
This is because CANAL+, the parent company of MultiChoice, which owns DStv and GOtv, has secured the exclusive broadcast rights to all UEFA men’s club competitions across Sub-Saharan Africa through 2031, ensuring SuperSport will continue to broadcast the UEFA Champions, Europa and Conference Leagues live to DStv and GOtv subscribers.
The four-season agreement, which begins with the 2027/28 campaign, covers more than 40 countries across the region and includes exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
In English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa, SuperSport will continue as the exclusive broadcaster of UEFA club competitions, bringing the continent’s biggest European club matches to DStv and GOtv subscribers. The agreement also restores full UEFA Champions League coverage on CANAL+ Sport channels in French-speaking Africa, alongside the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
The rights deal further strengthens CANAL+’s sports portfolio, which already includes major football competitions such as the Premier League, LALIGA EA SPORTS, Ligue 1, the Betway Premiership and the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026.
The agreement ensures football fans across Sub-Saharan Africa will continue to enjoy live coverage of Europe’s premier club competitions on SuperSport when the new rights cycle begins in 2027.
“We are very proud of this new partnership, which gives us exclusive rights to all UEFA Men’s Club competitions across more than 40 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“For four seasons, until 2031, our subscribers will enjoy the thrill of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League’s biggest matches. Today, CANAL+ offers the most attractive sports line-up across Sub-Saharan Africa, and the acquisition of these rights is a perfect illustration of that.
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to UC3 and to the teams at Relevent for once again placing their trust in CANAL+, following our recent agreements in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland and Austria,” the chief executive of CANAL+, Mr Maxime Saada, stated.
