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Top clubs confirm Super League plans

And so the feline is out of the bag, finally.

After weeks of denials, top soccer clubs Manchester United, Arsenal and Ajax Amsterdam admitted that they are involved in preliminary discussions towards the putting in place of a Super League in European soccer.

"It's good news that this important issue is now out in the open," FA spokesman Steve Double said. "We welcome the clubs' commitment both to the Premier League and to the domestic competitions. We feel sure that the fans will also welcome these statements."

Simultaneously, UEFA -- which has been making threatening noises against clubs reportedly involved in Super League negotiations -- admitted that it too was working on its own plans for a new competition, and that a public announcement would be forthcoming shortly.

In tandem, the two developments could mean that instead of a rebel Super League, the top clubs and UEFA could well be working in tandem to evolve a new league within the existing framework.

"We have known all about United's involvement for some time," said UEFA spokesman Frits Ahlstrom. "But we have also been working on our own plans for a new competition. We have a clear idea of how the competition should be organised, I think the plans are very exciting and I think they will be met very positively."

Details of UEFA's proposals could become public as early as October 6, when the UEFA executive committee is scheduled to meet in Lisbon.

UEFA's announcement, analysts indicate, could have been brought forward in time thanks to former German football star and Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer's recent statement that UEFA had plans for a Super League and that it was time these plans were made public.

"UEFA has a plan for a super league in its drawer. Open it up," Beckenbauer said in this week's Sport Bild magazine.

Manchester United had, on Wednesday, confirmed in a statement issued through the London Stock Exchange that they were involved in talks concerning the Super League. A similar announcement came around the same time from Ajax Amsterdam. Both clubs confirmed they were committed to remaining in their domestic leagues. Arsenal completed the round up with an indentical statement of its own.

Interestingly -- albeit tangentially -- United's involvement in secret talks for the setting up of the Super League could result in the club being thrown off the stock exchange for misleading investors.

The London Stock Exchange is expected to investigate the conduct of English football's richest club, under rules that require companies to disclose anything that could affect their share price.

United's market value has increased by around 100 million pounds since May this year, the sharp rise being fuelled by speculation that United was poised to join the lucrative breakaway Super League.

Despite the public announcements by the leading clubs, details of the meetings are still pretty much hush hush. It is reported that leading London law firm Slaughter and May are fronting meetings between the clubs and the Milan-based company Media Partners, which has drawn up the blueprint for the proposed league.

Further, US investment bank JP Morgan has reportedly agreed to underwrite the venture to the tune of $2 billion. The Super League, by involving 32 teams and guaranteeing games week in and week out, is reportedly tailored to ensure that the game's high-priced stars, and clubs, could well double their annual income.

Besides, clubs involved in the new league would make more money from television and advertising than they get from the existing UEFA competitions. They also would be guaranteed permanent membership in the league, without having to qualify each year, as they do for the UEFA tournaments.

Following the lead of United, Arsenal and Ajax, Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, Italian champions Juventus, Inter Milan and rivals A C Milan are also expected to make their involvement public soon.

Though FIFA, and English Premier League organisers, have threatened to ban any club playing in the proposed Super League, legal experts say that such sanctions would be almost impossible to enforce, as clubs and Super League organisers would be protected by restraint-of-trade laws.