The European Super League is back as the Unify League: Controversial proposal to rival Champions League rebranded with vow to make games free to watch on Netflix-style platform

Initial plans to form a breakaway competition - which involved 12 leading clubs from across Europe, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid – were met with widespread opposition in 2021, leading to the project being shelved.

The concept never disappeared for good, though, with Real president and ‘Galactico’ fan Florentino Perez leading calls for its introduction. According to The Telegraph, a revised format is now being drawn up in a bid to wrestle power and control away from the Champions League – which is run by European football’s governing body.

Madrid-based company A22 have been brought on board to advise those at the heart of the Super League proposal. The plan now is to introduce a tournament that involves 96 clubs spread across four divisions, with the ultimate winner coming from the top two tiers – which would feature 16 teams and see eight games played in home and away fixtures.

With knockout stages taken into account, the winners would play 18 games in total – with a similar format in place for the two lower leagues. John Hahn, co-founder of A22, has said: “We have listened intently to a broad group of clubs, leagues and fans and with these changes believe we have a lot of support. We are not expecting the public support of clubs at this time, logically that will come following the official recognition of the Unify League.”

Those behind the Unify League are said to have, as reported by Sky News, already submitted a proposal to UEFA and FIFA in order to “obtain official recognition for its new cross-border European club football competitions”.

It is claimed that the Unify League could be made free to air, allowing as many fans as possible to view it, with a branded ‘Unified’ platform – based on the popular Netflix model – being used to stream matches. Revenue would be generated from advertising, while there would be a subscription option that removes said ads – much like how the Spotify music streaming service operates.