Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final clash with Real Madrid may yet be in doubt.
Both Chelsea and Real Madrid made the headlines off the pitch this week after becoming founding members of The Super League, a proposal put forward by Los Blancos president Florentino Perez.
Just 48 hours later, 10 of the 12 clubs involved, including Chelsea, had declared their intentions to leave the competition amid intense criticism from fans and governing bodies.
Real Madrid and eternal rivals Barcelona, however, are still trying to force plans through, but efforts off the pitch from Perez, who is the president of the proposed competition, may impact his team’s efforts on the pitch.
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La Gazzetta claim UEFA are still discussing the possibility of throwing Real Madrid out of this season’s Champions League, as well as potentially banning them from next season’s competition.
UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin recently said that there was only a ‘small possibility’ that the Chelsea vs Real Madrid clash would not go ahead with the first leg as soon as Tuesday.
But it seems conversations are still going on behind the scenes and that possibilities may still exist despite The Super League getting some sort of legal protection for its clubs.
The proposed competition won a legal case in Spain earlier this week against UEFA, protecting the clubs from ‘punitive measures’ by Europe’s governing body.
But that does not mean UEFA cannot punish the clubs, particularly if the clubs are found to be in breach of existing rules.
The legal battles will continue behind the scenes, but while Ceferin and UEFA remain completely at odds with Perez and Real Madrid, Chelsea’s place in this season’s Champions League appears to be safe.
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Ceferin said he was pleased to ‘welcome’ the English clubs ‘back into the European football family’ after they decided to change their decisions to join the Super League.
The Blues could yet face punishment, but for now, it seems UEFA’s anger is being pointed towards La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.