Chelsea set to withdraw from ESL as fans protest club’s involvement

Chelsea are preparing to withdraw from the breakaway European Super League, according to reports from the United Kingdom.

The Premier League side was one of six clubs in England that signed up for the competition, which has attracted mixed reactions from across the globe.

Chelsea’s effort to pull out is coming just two days after they confirmed their participation in the proposed league.

Hundreds of fans were reportedly protesting against the club’s involvement in the controversial league ahead of their Premier League game against Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.

Read Also: SportsBusiness: After confirming ESL participation, Juve and Man Utd shares jump

The European Super League was an idea involving 12 major European clubs, who are making the move mainly to recoup losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but have been accused of greed.

The new venture has been a subject of controversy since Sunday, with fans and managers as well as football ruling bodies speaking against it.

Other English clubs involved in the proposed competition are Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid are the clubs from La Liga, as well as Serie A’s AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus.

It is not clear how easy it will be for Chelsea to withdraw or how binding the contracts are, but new reports say that Manchester City have also kicked off plans to also withdraw from the Super League.

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