Juventus, one of the 12 founding teams of the controversial European Super League (ESL), has withdrawn from the plans and expressed interest in rejoining the European Club Association (ECA). In 2021, these 12 teams, including six from the English Premier League, were excluded from the ECA due to their intention to form a breakaway league. However, nine of these teams have since been readmitted to the organization. Juventus is set to become the tenth team to rejoin.
The only remaining teams holding onto the ESL dream are Barcelona and Real Madrid. ECA chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi has stated that his organization’s doors are always open to clubs that support collective interests and work constructively with all stakeholders. He confirmed that Juventus will be welcomed back into the European football family.
Juventus’ process of withdrawing from the ESL began in 2023 and required authorization from Real Madrid and Barcelona. Their request to rejoin the ECA comes after a Spanish court ruled that Uefa and Fifa were wrong to ban clubs from joining the ESL, deeming it anti-competitive behavior.
While the original ESL project did not come to fruition, Barcelona and Real Madrid remain interested in forming a breakaway league. They are currently working on revived plans for a 64-club league.
Despite facing backlash and collapsing within 72 hours in 2021, Barcelona and Real Madrid continue their pursuit of a more competitive football landscape. Their efforts have led them back into discussions with other major clubs about forming a new competition that would offer greater financial rewards and increased power for its participants.
The debate over whether or not such a league would be successful continues, but it is clear that these two powerful clubs will continue to push for change until they get what they want.
