The officials of the five clubs met Stephen Ross, who is well known for being the owner of Miami Dolphins NFL team. Reports indicate that the five teams were talking about the possibility of becoming part of the European Super League. It is expected that the league which will only be an invite only league will feature other teams like Barcelona, AC Millian, Real Madrid, Olympiacos, and Bayern Munich. However, the reports are still confusing because an interview with Arsenal spokesman later confirmed that the five teams did not discuss the breakaway.
Arsenal spokesman reiterated that they were strongly opposed to any kind of breakaway. According to him, the five biggest clubs at the meeting did not propose any changes to the premier league and European competitions. He also insisted that no discussions were surrounding starting a European Super League or displacing the premier league. Discussions that took place according to the Arsenal spokesperson were about the ICC and the best way to format European competitions.
Manchester United and Chelsea officials have also denied any plans to leave the Premier League. If the inevitable happens and the five teams happen to pull out from the premier league, it will mark the biggest carve in the English football since it was introduced in 1992. The consequences of the European Super League would hammer not only the premier league but also the UEFA. Currently, the European Club Association is having issues with UEFA. For instance, the European Club Association are pressing the UEFA to change the rules of Champions League. The European Club Association are now seeking for a closed shop competition where places would be guaranteed for clubs with biggest TV audience.
The has been due to the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and AC Milan, who have not qualified recently. The above teams are still struggling to qualify in the top positions in their respective national leagues and, therefore, face a real struggle for future competitions. If there is an agreement on the new competition, it is meant to help the clubs missing out on the Champions League not to lose millions when they happen to qualify. What stakeholders have not discussed is the effect of the breakaway on football betting. If for instance there is a breakaway, many people will lose interest in watching the Premier League and the Champions League, and that would adversely affect betting on football. Soccer betting is a casualty of a breakaway and hence it is important to prevent the eventuality of it happening.