Juventus have been readmitted to the European Club Association (ECA) following their failed attempt to create a breakaway European Super League, ECA President Nasser Al-Khelaifi confirmed on Thursday.
Italy’s most successful football club had initially left the ECA in 2021 to spearhead the controversial European Super League (ESL) project, which quickly collapsed in the face of widespread fan outrage and threats from UEFA and FIFA.
“I am pleased to welcome Juventus back to our family. Now, all top division clubs in over 20 countries are ECA members,” Al-Khelaifi, who also serves as the president of Paris Saint-Germain, announced during the ECA General Assembly in Athens.
Juventus, under the leadership of former chairman Andrea Agnelli, were one of the 12 founding members of the ESL, alongside clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and several English Premier League teams.
However, the project failed within days, due to strong opposition from football fans and governing bodies.
Since then, Agnelli has faced multiple disciplinary actions, including two lengthy bans from Italian football after being found guilty of financial offences by the country’s football federation.
Although the original Super League proposal collapsed, A22 Sports Management is still actively promoting a revamped version of the competition. The new model envisions a 64-team tournament split into three divisions, aiming to create an alternative continental competition.
In December 2023, the European Union’s Court of Justice ruled that banning the Super League by existing governing bodies would violate EU law, keeping the possibility of the competition alive in some form.
Juventus’ return to the ECA marks a significant step in mending relations between the club and European football’s main governing structures.
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