Sunday night, Apr 18, the usual time for the football club’s weekly news dump, 12 of the biggest teams in Europe rocked the world. 

   Led by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, 12 clubs planned on breaking away from the UEFA scope to form a ‘Super League.’ Arguably the biggest news this century, as months before this announcement, it seems something was brewing as negotiations went on regarding a new Champions League format. 

   Though every fan was shocked, whether it was their club or not, that the century-long foundation of European football was set to be broken. These are the clubs who, at the time of the announcement, planned on joining the new league: (England) Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, (Italy) AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, (Spain) Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Real Madrid.

   Seconds following the announcement, fans in Europe and across the world fled to the streets and social media to voice their disapproval. Outside the grounds of Liverpool and Arsenal, posters with the words ‘RIP Arsenal’ and ‘RIP Liverpool’ crowded the gates. 

   On Social Media, the attention was turned towards the owners of these clubs, who had just shown the absolute greed that lays just behind the surface of such a beautiful sport. The outcry was abundant and by Tuesday afternoon the Super League began to crack. 

   After pressure from the fans, the FA, and the British Government, Chelsea was the first club to back out. The domino effect began and by the end of the day all six English clubs had backed out. Though for many of the participants, the damage was yet to be done. 

   Manchester United President Ed Woodward announced his resignation following the backlash. Now the owners of the clubs, such as Arsenal’s Stan Kroenke, are being protested by the fans, who want Kroenke to sell the club back to them.

   While it seems the European Super League will be left in the dust, the few days of national attention have just amplified once again the greed and stupidity that has been going on in the football world for years.

   The most popular sport in the world, from the streets of Rio De Janeiro to the plains of Russia, is being stolen by the rich, and this has been an example of the unity fans across the world have in keeping the sport away from those who seek to destroy it.