I have had a love for soccer since I was a little kid. I always watch my favorite teams play whether it be a normal league game or a big final. So when I found out about the new European Super League, it absolutely devastated me. 

The European Super League consists of  Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

Normally, these teams, as well as 20 others, compete in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League, the main European soccer competition. 

Teams qualify for the Champions League by being in the top four of their domestic league and then going on to compete against other European teams from Italy, Spain, England, Germany, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, etc. 

Owners of the clubs listed above created the Super League to provide more entertainment to fans. ESPN, Sky Sports and Bleacher Report have all stated club owners are motivated by money to create this league. The idea is that the Super League will bring more fans and viewers thus bringing themselves more money, which is the most frustrating part because these owners are disregarding fans’ feelings. 

The Super League is very exclusive because smaller clubs with less money can’t afford to compete in this league. But, smaller clubs are just as exciting to watch because sometimes they’ll end up beating the bigger name clubs and it’s a huge deal for them. Those players and teams have worked hard to be professional players and play at a high level and now that is being taken away from them. 

The 12 teams in the league would still be able to compete in their domestic leagues while also competing against each other during the week. 

However, when the league was announced, UEFA told the clubs competing in the Super League they could no longer be a part of the Champions League, and the Federal International Football Association (FIFA) told players in the Super League they could not participate in the World Cup. 

UEFA’s and FIFA’s  announcement upset me because the World Cup and the Champions League are the most exciting soccer competitions to watch. The format of European soccer should remain how it is now because there is  no need for change. It is fair and spots to compete are earned not bought.

Fans held protests outside club stadiums to help sway the club owners into backing out of the Super League with signs that read “Created by the poor. Stolen by the Rich.”

Players have shown their resentment toward the league as well by speaking out or tweeting about the matter. Captain of Liverpool FC James Milner said, “I don’t like it (Super League) and hopefully it doesn’t happen.”  

Leeds United, an English Premier League team not included in the Super League, wore shirts over their jerseys with the words “Earn it” to protest the unfairness.

After the commotion from fans and players, all six English team owners decided to pull out of the Super League as well as one Spanish team, Atletico Madrid, and one Italian team, Inter Milan. 

Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan have yet to pull out. In an interview with the Daily Mail on April 25th, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said all teams that founded the league will face consequences that are still undetermined. 

Soccer is called the “beautiful game” because it is a game of competition, passion, grace and heart created for everyone, not just the rich. If the Super League stays, soccer will become a competition for money and power. Players will begin to go through the motions of the game and soccer will lose the values upon which it was created.