Bayern Munich reject Super League as Guardiola condemns breakaway competition

BAYERN Munich have emphatically ruled themselves out of the European Super League, insisting that they have no interest in the breakaway competition.

The German giants are one of a handful of European heavyweights not to have signed on as members of the proposed league, which has 12 founding members.

In a press release titled ‘FC Bayern Munich says no to Super League’ on Tuesday, the German champions said they had ‘a clear stance on the issue of the Super League’. “Our members and fans reject a Super League,” Bayern President Herbert Hainer told the club’s official website. 

“As FC Bayern, it is our wish and our aim that European clubs live the wonderful and emotional competition that is the Champions League, and develop it together with UEFA. FC Bayern says no to the Super League.”

Former World Cup star with Germany and current Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge added: “On behalf of the board, I would like to make it explicitly clear that FC Bayern will not be taking part in the Super League. FC Bayern stands in solidarity with the Bundesliga.

“It always was and is a great pleasure for us to be able to play and represent Germany in the Champions League. We all remember fondly our 2020 Champions League victory in Lisbon – you don’t forget such a joyful moment. For FC Bayern, the Champions League is the best club competition in the world.”

Former Bayern manager Pep Guardiola, who now manages Manchester City, also publicly went against the Super League on Tuesday, in spite of City being one of the founding members.

“If you ask me about these teams that have been selected for this hypothetical competition in the future, I don’t know the reason why,” Guardiola said during his press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa.

“Sport? It is not sport when the relation between effort and success and reward doesn’t exist. It is not a sport. It is not a sport if success is already guaranteed. It is not a sport if it doesn’t matter if you lose. That’s why I said many times that I want the best competitions as strong as possible – especially the Premier League – and it is not fair when one team fights to arrive ot the top and after cannot qualify because the success is already guaranteed just for a few clubs. 

“This statement is what I feel. I don’t know what is going ot change and people say maybe four or five teams can go up and join these teams but what happens in the 14 or 15 don’t have a good season and every time they are there? This is not a sport.”

According to the format of the European Super League, all 12 founding clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid) as well three others yet to be named will be permanently in the competition.

Five more disposable teams will be invited annually to form a 20-team league which will be played every midweek to rival the UEFA Champions League.