The new European Super League has been branded a "walking corpse" in a bitter attack from the Football Supporters' Association.
The new competition was announced this morning, with the key principles of qualification to the tournament promised along with multiple divisions and between 60 and 80 teams.
In 2021, proposals for a similar competition were met ferociously by English fans – and now one supporters group has launched a stunning attack on the idea of the competition re-launching, comparing it to a dead body.
"The walking corpse that is the European Super League twitches again with all the self-awareness one associates with a zombie." the Football Supporters' Association tweeted on behalf of chief executive, Kevin Miles.
"Their newest idea is to have an 'open competition' rather than the closed shop they originally proposed that led to huge fan protests. Of course an open competition for Europe's top clubs already exists - it's called the Champions League.
"They say 'dialogue with fans and independent fan groups is essential' yet the European Zombie League marches on - wilfully ignorant to the contempt supporters across the continent have for it."
Fan reaction online has been mixed to the tournament. Competition organiser A22's chief executive Bernd Reichart passionately stated, however, that football needed to change with this new tournament.
"It’s time for a change," he said. "It is the clubs that bear the entrepreneurial risk in football. But when important decisions are at stake, they are too often forced to sit idly by on the sidelines as the sporting and financial foundations crumble around them.
"Our talks have also made it clear that clubs often find it impossible to speak out publicly against a system that uses the threat of sanctions to thwart opposition.
"Our dialogue was open, honest, constructive and resulted in clear ideas about what changes are needed and how they could be implemented. There is a lot to do and we will continue our dialogue."
More on the European Super League
A new European Super League has been announced. Previously, new chief executive Bernd Reichart said the competition could begin in 2024/25. The proposals for this new competition could allow for the tournament to be played around the world, while FFT has proposed the 60 teams who could be a part of proceedings, should the tournament be sorted by coefficient.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin slammed the European Super League founders in March last year, as the timeline for the 2021 version of the competition descended into farce.
