June 09, (THEWILL)- The “Big Six” English Premier League clubs that were founding members of the defunct breakaway European Super League (ESL) were slammed with fresh fines by the Premier League on Wednesday.
Comprising Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, the clubs received confirmation of their punishment as they were handed a combined fine of around £20m having reached a settlement with the football governing body in England.
Although they quickly backed out and apologised after the fan protest and condemnations that greeted the public release of the details of the failed project, the clubs involved still face punishments for their actions from their domestic governing bodies, and the English sides were not left out.
The settlement with the League together with the combined fine of £20m will ensure that all parties involved can draw a line under the issue and move forward amicably with the determination to avoid any recurrence of the type.
To that end, all six clubs also agreed to accept a £20m fine each if they attempt to pull off a similar coup in the future, as well as suffering a 30-point deduction in the Premier League.
THEWILL recalls that there was a similar settlement with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) with the nine founding members who rescinded their association with the ESL but the difference between that and the penalties of the Premier League is that while UEFA’s punishment which will be deducted from the clubs’ broadcast income from next season, the League’s will be in the form of a straight cash sum.
The direct objective of the punishments is to ensure that the misadventures of attempting to create a breakaway League did not recur, especially when any team mulling the idea considers the consequences of a season-changing penalty of 30 points deduction.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
