Just when it seemed to have gone away for good, the European Super League (ESL) is back in the news again.
Two and a half years ago, the initial ESL proposal came out of the blue with 12 of Europe's biggest clubs - six from England, three from Spain and three from Italy - going all in before most backed down in the face of enormous opposition from stakeholders and, more importantly, the fans.
However, A22, the organisation behind the plans is back with a fresh take on the concept. Here we explain the latest developments and what happens next.
Why is the ESL back?
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg ruled that Fifa and Uefa had "abused a dominant position" and had acted unlawfully by threatening the Super League founder clubs and, potentially, their players with sanctions and bans from their competitions.
The ECJ called Fifa and Uefa's rules "harmful" to clubs, media companies and fans and they amounted to a restriction of trade.
Just hours after Thursday's ruling was released, a new ESL proposal was announced by A22.
What is the new proposal?
A22 chief executive Bernd Reichart declared: "The Uefa monopoly is over. Football is free."
The group had clearly listened to the complaints last time about there being no promotion or relegation and about barriers to entry. "There will be promotion and relegation and there will be access from domestic competitions on sporting merit," Reichart told the BBC. "We are open and democratic. We have to talk to clubs and leagues."
The new idea is for 64 men's teams split across three divisions, 32 women's teams split across two. No clubs were named but "guaranteed revenues" were mentioned, plus increased solidarity payments for those not involved, and all the games aired for free on a new digital streaming platform.
Who are A22 and who else is involved?
The two remaining super clubs pushing the project forwards are La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. A22 are a sports management company who, according to their website, were "formed to sponsor and assist in the creation of a new European Super League". They say "club football at European level requires fresh thinking and can be meaningfully improved incorporating a profound respect for the game's traditions". They are based in, you guessed it... Madrid.
What are Uefa and Fifa saying?
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and European Club Association (ECA) chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, also chairman of non-Super League Paris Saint-Germain, dismissed the new plan.
"What they are proposing is even more closed than the 2021 plan that was rejected by everyone," said Ceferin. "We will not try to stop them. They can create whatever they want. I hope they start their fantastic competition as soon as possible, with two clubs."
Al-Khelaifi added: "Who are A22? Where have they come from? What is their history? What is their profile? We want to talk to serious people."
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said he felt "nothing has changed".
Given the Champions League will feature a new expanded group stage next season, and the creation of a joint venture between the ECA and Uefa on commercial matters, Uefa feel they are in a strong position.
What are the clubs saying?
The Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ have all now distanced themselves from the possibility of joining.
Real Madrid and Barcelona, key supporters of the 2021 project, are driving the revamped project. Juventus and AC Milan, also two of the original 12, have not commented yet but Inter Milan have strongly rejected it, so too have Spanish club Atletico Madrid.
The president of Italian champions Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis, said his club was ready to hold talks over the new project. Napoli were not part of the 2021 breakaway.
The Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle means the Premier League probably now has a ‘Big Seven’, but their manager Eddie Howe said he was against the idea of a Super League. "I’d probably say I’m against it if you want a clear decision because I like the structure as it is,” he said.
What happens next?
Thursday's ruling did not give approval to a Super League and said that if A22 want to run a competition under Uefa's jurisdiction, it had to apply to them for authorisation. Uefa, though, can no longer reject the idea out of hand as they did previously.
The main issue for the new scheme, however, is that there is precious little wider support.
In England, the opprobrium of the fans was telling, and there now seems little appetite for change given the financial advantages the clubs already enjoy from their bumper TV deal. An independent regulator is also on the horizon and that could further block any moves to defect. It also seems France and Italy are looking at ways to introduce legislation stopping their clubs from joining.
Should any clubs feel strongly enough to try and join the project but find their path blocked, then you'd imagine it would very quickly end up back in court.
But the power seems very much in the hands of Uefa and existing leagues and competitions.
The French Minister of Sports, Amelie Oudea-Castera, said on X, formerly Twitter, that these latest developments could prompt fresh EU law to codify the structure of European football.
"The Super League project goes against the values that France holds for professional sport on a national and European scale," she said. "Its attempt at reactivation, based on a hasty and biased reading of the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union rendered today, has begun to lead to a unanimous reaction from European countries and stakeholders concerned to block it."
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Canada
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Specs
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Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
More from our neighbourhood series:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
TEAMS
EUROPE:
Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson
USA:
Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau ( 1 TBC)
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
