PLANS for the formation of a breakaway European football league by some of the continent’s richest clubs have been met with overwhelming condemnation and threats of legal action.

English football’s so-called big six — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur — released a joint statement on Sunday night along with clubs on the Continent to confirm that they have founded the European Super League (ESL).

The statement said that the new competition will feature “20 participating clubs with 15 founding clubs and a qualifying mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based on achievements in the prior season.”

The founding teams, also including AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid plus three more yet to be announced, will automatically qualify for the competition each year regardless of merit or achievement.

The organisers say that matches will take place mid-week and optimistically claimed that “participating clubs [will continue] to compete in their respective national leagues.”

Set to start this August, clubs will be split into two groups of 10, with the top three in each group qualifying for a quarter-final stage.

The new league is reportedly underwritten by US investment bank JP Morgan Chase to the tune of £3.5 billion.

Supporters’ groups were unanimous in their condemnation of the proposals.

Chelsea Supporters’ Trust said its “members and football supporters across the world have experienced the ultimate betrayal.

“This is a decision of greed to line the pockets of those at the top and it has been made with no consideration for the loyal supporters, our history, our future or the future of football in this country.”

The Spirit of Shankly Liverpool supporters’ group said they were appalled by the decision of US owner Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to join the league.

“FSG have ignored fans in their relentless and greedy pursuit of money,” the group said on Twitter today. “Football is ours not theirs.”

Manchester United Supporters’ Trust said that “a ‘Super League’ based on a closed shop of self-selected wealthy clubs goes against everything football and Manchester United should stand for.

“We urge everyone included in this proposal including Manchester United to immediately withdraw from this proposal.”

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust called on the English National Investment Company, the temporary owners of the club, to “distance themselves from any rebel group and to consider the implications fully before making decisions that will fundamentally change the course of history for Tottenham Hotspur forever.”

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement that any players who play in the closed-off league will be banned from playing in the World Cup.

But global footballers’ union Fifpro said that any moves to bar players from national team competitions would be “vigorously opposed.”

In a letter to Uefa and Fifa, the ESL said it was taking “protective steps” to secure itself against such a move and that it had “filed a motion before the relevant courts in order to ensure the seamless establishment and operation of the competition in accordance with applicable laws.”

Describing the ESL as “a criminal act against football fans in this country,” former Man United defender Gary Neville called on the FA to deduct points from the teams in their domestic leagues.

“In the midst of a pandemic and an economic crisis, football clubs at National League level going bust nearly, furloughing players, clubs on the edge in League One and Two, and these lot are having Zoom calls about breaking away and creating more greed. I’m disgusted,” he said.

“Liverpool they pretend, you know: ‘You’ll never walk alone,’ ‘the people’s club,’ ‘the fans’ club.’ Manchester United, 100 years, born out of workers around here. And they’re breaking out into a league without competition, that they can’t be relegated from. It’s an absolute disgrace.”

“Football is nothing without its fans,” former England ace Gary Lineker posted on social media. “We’ve seen that clearly over the last 12 months.

“If fans stand as one against this anti-football pyramid scheme, it can be stopped in its tracks.”

Community activist organisation Acorn described the ESL as “the continuation of a long trend of profiteering destroying community institutions.

“Broadcasters, Uefa, the Premier League … are not the victims in this, they’re complicit. Fans and communities are the victims.

“Football is for the people. It’s time we took it back!”

Labour’s Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell reminded followers on social media of the party’s 2019 election manifesto pledge to give football fans more say in how their clubs are run.

Mr Byrne said of Labour’s 2019 manifesto: “What a difference on so many levels it would have made and what an opportunity squandered.”