The European Super League – What Does it Mean For Manchester United Women? | OneFootball

With the European Super League being introduced at the end of this year, it comes as no surprise that the knock-on effect could be one to threaten and halt the growth of women’s football.

Manchester United have announced this week that they plan on participating in the breakaway competition alongside their English rivals, Manchester City, Totttenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

But when can we expect to see the same transition for the women’s game?

There are not any dates set in stone. However, a statement from the European Super League said: “As soon as practicable after the start of the men’s competition, a corresponding women’s league will also be launched”.

Casey Stoney’s team currently sit fourth in the league table, one place below the Champions League spot behind their fellow ‘breakaway clubs’: Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal.

However, due to the rules and regulations of the Super League, should United sneak into the top three and qualify for next years Champions League, they could be removed from the competition. A shame for a club that has come so far within the last few years.

The main goal for the Super League is to try and improve European football. By rounding up Europe’s finest, their objective is to make every match as interesting and competitive as possible.

With the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus also competing in the men’s variant, it is hard to argue that matches will lack intrigue.

Nevertheless, the male teams that have decided to breakaway are not the teams that would necessarily dominate in the world of women’s football.

Lyon, Wolfsburg, Paris Saint Germain, Bayern Munich and Slavia Prague have all expressed their desire to be left out of the European Super League. For such important teams to be excluded has raised concerns that the competition lacks credibility for female competitiveness.

FIFA and UEFA have also announced this week that players can be banned from representing their countries for competing in the new breakaway league. Should they extend this ban into the women’s game it will prove to be incredibly damaging to a sport that is starting to find its feet.

United’s internationals, Millie Turner, Ella Toone and Katie Zelem would not be allowed to represent England in next years Euro 2022, providing United follow the men’s team and join the new league.

It is hard to imagine a Women’s Super League without the big four, but that is something we all might have to get used to with the FA also looking to remove any of the founders from the competition.

Across all football fans, the general feeling is that the game has been lost due to an accumulation of greed and selfishness from those who are higher up. Can we see a U-turn from those clubs that have committed to the Super League or is this the new reality we need to get used to?