By Adedapo Adesanya
The Union of the European Football Association (UEFA) has sanctioned Manchester United and eight of the other 12 clubs behind the aborted Super League project.
On Friday, UEFA said that in the spirit of reconciliation, the nine clubs have agreed to a “Club Commitment Declaration” and accepted a five per cent cut in their European revenue for one season.
The other affected clubs are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid.
They have also committed to the European governing body and its competitions.
However, three clubs, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus did not sign the declaration.
UEFA said it “reserved all rights to take whatever action it deems appropriate against those clubs that have so far refused to renounce the so-called Super League.”
“The matter will promptly be referred to the competent UEFA disciplinary bodies,” the statement concluded.
The nine clubs that opted out of the project have agreed to a series of reintegration measures.
Speaking on the sanction, the UEFA president, Mr Aleksander Ceferin said, “These clubs recognised their mistakes quickly and have taken action to demonstrate their contrition and future commitment to European football.
“The same cannot be said for the clubs that remain involved in the so-called ‘Super League’ and UEFA will deal with those clubs subsequently.”
The nine have agreed to forego five per cent of their revenue from UEFA competitions for one season and pay, between them, a €15 million ($18.25 million) donation to support grassroots and youth football in Europe.
They also committed to participating in UEFA competitions for which they qualify and agreed to pay fines of €100 million if they ever seek to play in an “unauthorised” competition.
“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.”
“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,” said Mr Ceferin.
Manchester United co-chairman, Mr Joel Glazer will pay his club’s portion of the goodwill contribution and the competition revenue, which will not come out of club funds.
Arsenal’s owners, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, are committed to meeting all costs incurred by the ESL while a Tottenham statement said: “Any fines will be the responsibility of the owners.”
Dipo Olowookere