Executives from ‘Big Six’ RESIGN from Premier League roles after furious backlash from other 14 clubs to their doomed European Super League breakaway with Ed Woodward, Bruce Buck and Tom Werner among those forced to step down from committees
- Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ tried to break away and join European Super League
- Project failed just 48 hours after its official launch following huge backlash
- Executives involved have stepped down from their Premier League committees
- Five of the six rebels were represented on advisory groups and other panels
- It followed a furious response from the other 14 clubs in English top-flight
Executives from the ‘Big Six’ English clubs who tried to break away and form the European Super League have resigned from their positions on Premier League committees.
Although the project spectacularly unravelled last week following a ferocious backlash from the wider football world, bonds of trust between the rebels and the other 14 top-flight clubs have been broken.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters approached executives from Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United last week and requested they stepped down.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters asked executives from the ‘Big Six’ to resign from their committee posts in the wake of the European Super League breakaway
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward (right) and Liverpool chairman Tom Werner (left) have resigned from the Club Broadcast Advisory Group.
The sixth club involved, Tottenham, are not presently represented on any of the Premier League’s committees.
And on Thursday, those involved confirmed they would step down from their various responsibilities within the running of England’s top division.
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and Liverpool chairman Tom Werner have resigned from the Club Broadcast Advisory Group.
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck was on the Premier League’s audit and remuneration committee which had helped appoint Masters as Richard Scudamore’s replacement in November 2019.
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck is no longer on the league’s audit and remuneration committee
Man City CEO Ferran Soriano has stepped down from the Club Strategic Advisory Group
Meanwhile, Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano and Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham have stepped down from the Club Strategic Advisory Group.
The resignations follow a stormy meeting of the 14 other Premier League clubs in the wake of the launch of the Super League last week.
Most of the club owners believed the ‘Big Six’ acted in bad faith by going behind their backs and signing up for the new midweek competition, which was bankrolled to the tune of £4billion by Wall Street giant JP Morgan.
Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham had also been on the club strategic advisory group
The Super League announcement sparked fan protests at each of the English clubs involved
The 14 clubs believed the owners had broken two Premier League rules – not behaving ‘towards each other club and the league with the utmost good faith’ and, without approval from the Premier League board, attempting to play in another competition outside the current remit of UEFA competition.
This could be just the beginning of the Premier League’s punishment of the six clubs and some of the other clubs do want to go further. For now, the sanctions are being targeted at the individuals involved rather than the clubs.
One mitigating factor is how quickly the Premier League clubs realised their mistake and withdrew from the Super League barely 48 hours after it had officially launched.
However, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez continues to insist the Super League idea isn’t dead yet.
Florentino Perez insisted last week no side can withdraw from the European Super League
When asked last weekend what penalties clubs who have withdrawn could face, Perez said: ‘I’m not going to explain now what a binding contract is… But the clubs can’t leave.
‘Some of them, because of pressure, have had to say that they’re leaving. But this project or one like it will go forward, and I hope it’s soon.
‘The Super League still exists, and the members are still in it. Now we have given ourselves some weeks to think, while we face the violence that some people, who don’t want to lose their privileges, have used to manipulate our project.’
