By KELIN DILLON

Twelve of Europe’s biggest soccer teams have announced their intention to leave their current organizations to create the new Super League, affecting several Mexican players playing abroad, including  Hector Herrera of Atletico Madrid and Marcelo Flores of Arsenal.

The new group consists of six English clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

A further three teams come from Italy — AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus — while the final three are from Spain, including Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The announcement, coming on Sunday, April 19, sent shockwaves throughout the international soccer community, as the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga lost many of their top box office draws.

“Fans are not for sale and neither are football players. And I hope they will raise their voice and stop this nonsense of a project that would kill football, not only in the UK, but in all Europe,” Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) president Aleksander Ceferin told CNN.

“If 12 people want to meet to take football hostage, just to fill their pockets that are already so full that it’s hard to put anything in them, they can’t win. Long term, they can’t win.”

The decision for the top-earning clubs to break away has come under harsh criticism from fans and commentators alike, with many concerned about the league being a concentrated money grab, leaving other leagues in a precarious financial position in the future.

The Super League will ultimately consist of 20 teams and is “intended to commence as soon as is practicable,” read the new organization’s website.

…April 20, 2021