Northern leaders announce campaign to fix ‘broken’ football following Super League debacle
Local leaders in Greater Manchester and Liverpool have declared that the fans’ fight for football is “far from over” despite the collapse of the European Super League – announcing a new ‘Reclaim Our Game’ campaign to fix a “broken” modern game.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Centre Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram have banded together for a joint project in light of the Super League fiasco – stating that now is the time for “real reform of football so fans have a proper say in how their clubs are run.”
The Northern leaders added: “The failed proposals for the European Super League have shown that modern football is broken. Now is the time to fix it.”
The new campaign is calling on the government to legislate to require all English clubs to secure a 51% majority of their registered season ticket holders on any major decision that affects the club; adopting a model similar to the one seen in German football where fans retain majority control.
Additionally, the campaign asks for an independent financial regulator for all pro leagues and clubs.
The Mayors also state that “legislation should require vendors to make shares available on a first refusal basis to recognised, democratically-controlled supporters’ trusts.”
Lastly, the campaign calls on Uefa to “rethink proposals for Champions League reform.”
All six English clubs – including Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool – pulled out of the widely-criticised breakaway European Super League on Tuesday (April 20) evening.
The news was met with jubilation from fans, players, MPs, and major football organisations.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said it was time to “move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together.”
But local leaders in Manchester and Liverpool suggested the fight was only just beginning.
Rotheram emphasised that “we can’t let this happen again”, whilst Burnham claimed that a cross-party campaign was required to “reclaim the game for supporters, with independent regulation of ownership and finances.”
Manchester United said it had “listened carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders” when making its decision to withdraw from the Super League.
Man Utd’s Vice President Ed Woodward, who was involved in discussions for the league, also announced he would resign from his role at the end of the season.
The owner of Liverpool, John W Henry, has since apologised to fans, saying “I heard you… I alone am responsible”.
Meanwhile, the Super League said it would take “appropriate steps to reshape the project”.
A statement read: “Given the current circumstances, we shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project, always having in mind our goals of offering fans the best experience possible while enhancing solidarity payments for the entire football community.”
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