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Revamped plans for a European Super League would see Celtic and Rangers eclipse the huge sums currently on offer for competing in the UEFA Champions League.
Bernd Reichart, chief executive of management company A22 – which is organising the new format – has already held discussions with clubs in Scotland.
Insisting teams don’t wish to be named for fear of UEFA reprisals, Reichart told Sportsmail that a minimum of 14 midweek league games for participating clubs will lead to a ‘significant’ increase in European revenues for clubs in Scotland and beyond.
Where Celtic and Rangers currently earn a sum in the region of £30million a year for playing in UEFA’s premier competition, the German claims that a new 60-80 team multi-league format, incorporating promotion and relegation, will ‘re-energise’ domestic competitions living in the shadow of England’s Premier League.
‘Now we have a lot of domestic kings in less relevant leagues,’ said Reichart. ‘You are the kings of your domestic territory but unable to compete with the league next door for the European crowns.
Celtic and Rangers could be boosted by revamped plans for a European Super League
The latest plan depends on the outcome of a European Court of Justice Grand Chamber ruling
‘For those clubs who are locked in a domestic league with limited potential, and where UEFA is not really a truly open and sustainable second frontier for their ambition, we want to be able to provide more significant earnings on the back of a higher amount of guaranteed matches.
‘We want a more predictable, sustainable path within Europe. Even though promotion and relegation should always comply with the sporting merit principle.’
Hugely divisive plans for a European Super League, consisting entirely of clubs from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, collapsed in April 2021.
A huge global backlash, followed by threats of UEFA expulsions, forced A22 to go back to the drawing board. Reichart has now spoken to over 50 clubs and stakeholders to develop 10 principles which underpin the new competition.
Asked if he had spoken to Celtic or Rangers, he said: ‘I talked to clubs from Scotland. But I must respect their confidentiality and will fulfil that. It is still the case that the whole system of UEFA is set up to control everything and I really hope that at some stage we will have another discussion about the future of European football.
‘It is striking to me that when clubs made a proposal for an alternative European competition they were threatened with being expelled.
A22 chief executive Bernd Reichart has already held discussions with clubs in Scotland
‘I think that football deserves a more open dialogue and I can assure you that I have spoken to a lot of people who want to know what we are up to.
‘They want to learn about the court case, they want to know how our plans are evolving, but ask me not to let anybody know because they don’t want calls from UEFA.’
The future of the latest Super League blueprint depends on the outcome of a European Court of Justice Grand Chamber ruling expected later this year. A22 are pursuing a case against UEFA and FIFA, arguing that the bodies were abusing their monopolistic position under competition law by blocking the formation of the old Super League and threatening reprisals.
Admitting mistakes were made the first time around, Reichart insists the European Super League Company — underpinned by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus — had listened to the criticism and come up with a new concept open to smaller leagues such as Scotland, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands.
He said: ‘Last time the suggestion was that it was purely a top-five league venture. It wasn’t, but it was not sufficiently well explained.
‘We are trying to come up with alternative proposals for far more than 12 clubs. These plans are for 60-80 clubs.
The first hugely divisive plans for a European Super League collapsed in April 2021
‘We want to give clubs access to Europe and a minimum of 14 matches in a structure where they face their peers and know that they will play a full year of European competition with the revenues associated.’
Under the proposals, clubs would remain central to their existing domestic leagues, competing in the new league in midweek. For those who fail to qualify, A22 propose to treble the amount of money paid out by UEFA to leagues across Europe and the grassroots game.
‘We will offer significantly more solidarity money. There will also be the possibility for smaller domestic leagues to be re-energised by having not just one, but two or three clubs, being successful in Europe.
‘Of course we would like to fix the leagues as a whole, but let’s start by fixing one, two, three and four clubs who are able to benefit from this league and then share the benefits of the new stage they grace in a European League competition.’
