Juventus confirm plans to QUIT the European Super League Project - leaving Barcelona and Real Madrid as the last teams standing... as they deny reports UEFA threatened them with a 'three-year ban' from their competitions
- Juventus have confirmed their plans to end their involvement in the project
- They have sent a letter to Barcelona and Real Madrid to 'initiate discussions'
- It comes more than two years after the project failed to even get off the mark
Juventus have signalled their intention to leave the European Super League project - more than two years after the initial plan was scrapped.
Reports in Italy have suggested Juve were finally backing away from the idea of a league consisting solely of Europe's top clubs.
The decision would leave Barcelona and Real Madrid as the last ones standing out of the original 12 teams who said they would take part - a list that included England's 'Big Six'.
Diario AS reported that Juventus' decision was due to allegedly receiving a warning from UEFA, who threatened to ban them from European competitions for three years.
In a statement on their official website, Juventus confirmed they have sent a letter to Barcelona and Real Madrid 'in order to initiate a discussion period among the three teams' concerning their 'potential exit' from the Super League project.
Italian giants Juventus have confirmed plans to leave the European Super Project
CEO Maurizio Scanavino (right) issued a letter to Barcelona and Real Madrid to 'initiate discussions' over their 'potential exit'
Should they withdraw, it would leave Barcelona and Real Madrid as the final two teams standing (club presidents Florentino Perez and Joan Laporta pictured)
'Juventus will proceed with any communications due under the law following the outcome of the discussions and evaluations (regarding a potential exit),' the club added.
They went on to claim that reports of their letter to Barcelona and Real Madrid - which allegedly included reference to potential sanctions by UEFA - were 'not true'.
The project was first announced by 12 European clubs in April 2021, and included Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United and Tottenham.
But within 48 hours, the entire plan had fallen apart, with only three clubs left involved following fan backlash over the plans.
Despite the project's failure to get off the mark, Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid had stuck loyal to the plans.
Football Italia report that Juventus' change of heart is a 'wider attempt' from the new heirarchy at the club - including CEO Maurizio Scanavino - to distance themselves from the Andrea Agnelli era.
Juventus denied reports they were threatened with a three-year ban from European competitions by UEFA (president Aleksander Ceferin pictured)
There were heavy protests among supporters from English sides following news of the league
All six English teams left the project within 48 hours of the proposals been made public
The European Super League project - which originally included 12 teams including England's Big Six - dropped down to three sides in 2021 after nine left over backlash from supporters
Agnelli and his entire board of directors resigned earlier this season amid a scandal over financial irregularities.
That resulted in a 10-point Serie A penalty and a ban for Agnelli, Maurizio Arrivabene and ex-Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici.
The Turin giants finished seventh and will enter the Europa Conference League. Without the 10 point deduction, they would have qualified for the Champions League at the expense of AC Milan.
However, even their place in the third-tier Europa Conference League is at risk from a separate UEFA investigation of the false accounting allegations.
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