Sheffield United set to join 13 other Premier League clubs to discuss Super League proposals

Twelve clubs - including the Premier League's so-called 'big six', Manchester United, Manchester City, Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea - are part of plans which would fundamentally alter the shape of European football.

The plans have been met with widespread condemnation, with clubs who take part in the Super League warned that their players will be banned from playing in the World Cup or European Championships.

The Super League’s organisers revealed that they have already taken legal action to prevent any attempt to derail the competition, which could start as soon as possible and will see a sum of around £3BILLION shared between the founding member clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.

It is understood that a virtual meeting of the 14 Premier League clubs not involved in the plans – including United – has been convened for today, headed by league chief executive Richard Masters. Chief executive Stephen Bettis is expected to represent United.

United owner Prince Abdullah, whose side were officially relegated from the Premier League on Saturday after losing at Wolves, appeared to join the condemnation of the idea when he discussed the matter on his Twitter account.

"May be a quick idea to kill this super league," he wrote.

"FIFA and local federations tell those clubs, [if] you don’t back off your players are free agents and can sign for any other team."

Sheffield FC, the world’s first football club, went a step further in a statement of their own, saying that the new Super League “goes against everything that football stands for”.

“As the world's first football club formed in 1857, we have played the game and honoured its traditions continually for 164 years,” Club said.

"We regard ourselves as custodians of the beautiful game, and as such we are deeply concerned about the proposed European Super League and what it means for the future of the sport.

"We would like to have it on record that Sheffield FC strongly opposes the formation of a new European Super League, and we maintain the opinion that it goes against everything that football stands for.

"Sheffield FC would like to reassure its members, fans and supporters that we are fully committed to preserving the time-honoured values associated with our beloved game, and we will continue to promote integrity, respect and community within football.”

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has warned its organisation is working to ban breakaway European Super League clubs and their players from its competitions "as soon as possible" and urged domestic leagues to follow suit.

It is still unclear how the formation of the Super League will affect United, with the 14 other clubs set to be briefed on the matter on the Zoom call before they are expected to be invited to make their own feelings known.

United return to action this weekend when they face Brighton and Hove Albion.

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