Europe

In the wake of 12 of Europe's major soccer clubs planning an independent Super League we look at a selection of previous sporting breakaways and how they turned out.

A History Of Breakaway Leagues Across Sports

WORLD SERIES CRICKET

Late Australian media mogul Kerry Packer changed the face of world cricket in 1977 when he secretly recruited top players for a series of day-night matches for his Channel Nine Australian TV network.

Following Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United in Premier League action on Monday, we finally got down to business. Despite there being no official word on the start date of the newly formed European Super League, we do know that the league is now official and our worst dreams have been realized.

The cat is out of the bag as 12 “leading European clubs” have thrown it all away in pursuit of securing the most gluttonous bag in the history of football. It’s difficult to see these historic institutions — Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan among them — as football clubs at this point; they’re self-serving vehicles of greed that operate as welfare for billionaires. We should amend the “FC” abbreviation on these clubs’ names accordingly.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, you're aware of the biggest disgrace in the history of this sport. 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs announced plans to create their own European Super League.

Fans, former players and others vehemently denounced the situation with some seeing the move as the beginning of the end for the sport.

MANCHESTER, England - European soccer's governing body UEFA on Monday said clubs and players joining a proposed breakaway Super League could be banned from all of its competitions and the World Cup as it condemned a "disgraceful and self-serving proposal.”

Addressing an emergency meeting the day after 12 of Europe's top clubs announced the breakaway, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin upped the ante, describing the Super League plan as a "spit in the face" of all football lovers.

Following are the ownership details and Champions League records of the 12 top European clubs who announced on Sunday the launch of a breakaway Super League, and similar details on Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich, two major European clubs not taking part in the Super League:

Who Would Be In European Super League?

ARSENAL

DORTMUND, Germany - Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland scored twice in four minutes on Sunday, ending his seven-game goal drought in all competitions, to help his team to a 4-1 win over Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga and revive their hopes of a top four finish.

Fifth-placed Dortmund, on 49 points, cut the gap to Eintracht Frankfurt, in fourth, to four with five games left. The top four teams qualify for next season's Champions League.

Paris Saint-Germain ended Lyon’s five-year reign as European champions as they progressed to the women's Champions League semifinals on away goals after securing a 2-1 win on Sunday.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg in Paris, Lyon doubled their advantage inside four minutes when Catarina Macario found the net from close range, before PSG midfielder Grace Geyoro equalized in the 25th minute.

Macario goal, Cascarino assist pic.twitter.com/odmoTqUY0O