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Which clubs have or have not agreed to join the European Super League?

Which clubs have or have not agreed to join the European Super League?
© Reuters
The announcement on Sunday has rocked football.

Six English clubs have signed up to join a controversial breakaway European Super League.

In total, 12 clubs have so far agreed to join as founding members of the tournament, with three more expected to also sign up, which will eventually feature 20 teams as an annual midweek competition set to rival the Champions League.

Here, the PA news agency looks at who has and who has not agreed to take part.

The English six

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham have put their names to the competition, to widespread condemnation from across the English game, from former players and from politicians. Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer will also be vice-chairman of the Super League, which the founding members would be guaranteed qualification for. That in particular will jar with many with United having qualified for the Champions League in just two of the last five seasons, while Arsenal have not finished in the top four since 2015-16 and Tottenham have never won the Premier League. These English clubs would now be guaranteed a seat among the elite.

Spanish giants

Real Madrid will take part in the Super League
Real Madrid will take part in the Super League (Isabel Infantes/PA)

No elite European competition would be complete without LaLiga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the pair front and centre among the names signing up on Sunday evening. Real are the most decorated team in European history, winning 13 European Cups – six more than the next team on the list AC Milan. Current Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will chair the Super League. Barcelona, 26-time LaLiga winners and five-time European champions are set to compete, with Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid the third Spanish team to sign up.

Italy’s fallen giants?

The European Club Association released a statement opposing the Super League after a meeting on Sunday night, reportedly without their chair Andrea Agnelli as he is also chairman of founding member Juventus. The Turin club, Italy’s dominant side, will take part alongside AC Milan and Inter Milan – who prior to this season have not won a Serie A title between them since 2011. That means there are currently no spots for the likes of Napoli, Roma and Atalanta who have all regularly finished above the Milan rivals in recent seasons.

No Bayern or PSG

The recent Champions League quarter-final tie between Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich was a thrilling contest among two of Europe’s biggest teams – who contested last season’s Champions League final. Both clubs, who boast some of the world’s biggest stars from Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to Robert Lewandowski and Kingsley Coman, were conspicuous by their absence from the Super League announcement. Six-time European champions Bayern have said they are opposed to the concept, alongside Borussia Dortmund whose chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke has said his club are focused on Champions League reform, not a Super League.

European Cup winners excluded

Ajax are not among the clubs to sign up
Ajax are not among the clubs to sign up (John Walton/PA)

While there are spots for clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham and Atletico who have never won the European Cup, former champions such as Ajax – four-time winners – Porto, Benfica and Celtic have been left on the sidelines as things stand.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


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