European Super League statement: What did Oliver Dowden say in his speech to MPs today?
CULTURE Secretary Oliver Dowden issued an urgent Commons statement on the European Super League.
Football fans were shaken after several top clubs announced they were creating a super league, but what do MPs have to say about it?
What did Oliver Dowden say in his statement?
Oliver Dowden voiced his outrage as he addressed MPs in Parliament at around 5pm on Monday.
He said: "Football is in our national DNA.
"We invented it, we helped export it around the world and it has been at the heart of British life for over a century.
"Football clubs aren't just businesses - they define communities across the country.
"Along with almost every member of this house I suspect, I was appalled by the announcement made late last night that a handful of clubs are proposing to form their own breakaway European league.
"These six clubs announced this decision without any consultation with football authorities or with Government.
"Worst of all, they did it without any dialogue with their own fans. It was a tone deaf proposal."
He warned that top clubs may be banned from foreign transfers as he threatened to halt visas.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also slammed the move - which plunged football into the biggest crisis it has faced this century outside of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said: "Plans for a European Super League would be very damaging for football and we support football authorities in taking action.
"They would strike at the heart of the domestic game, and will concern fans across the country.
"The clubs involved must answer to their fans and the wider footballing community before taking any further steps."
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The Premier League has said: “This attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit which are at the heart of domestic and European football.
“Fans of any club in England and across Europe can currently dream that their team may climb to the top and play against the best.
“We believe the European Super League would destroy this dream."