Peter Reid tells fans: 'Don't go to games' in protest of European Super League

19 April 2021, 14:34 | Updated: 19 April 2021, 14:40

By Fiona Jones

Ex-England footballer and former Premier League manager Peter Reid tells fans not to go to matches in protest of the new European Super League.

Plans for the Premier League's 'big six' football clubs to join a controversial breakaway European Super League have sparked fury from across football and politics.

The bombshell plan, announced on Sunday, saw Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and six other European clubs join together in creating a rival competition to the Champions League.

Three more clubs are expected to join the breakaway group as founding members of the new competition, which will begin "as soon as practicable" and eventually feature 20 teams.

Condemnation was almost instant throughout the game as plans emerged on Sunday afternoon, before the clubs officially confirmed the news just before midnight.

Peter Reid told Shelagh Fogarty, "I think supporters can play a big part in this: don't go to games. Don't buy the merchandise."

He continued: "These fans are fanatics, if they don't go to Super League games, I think it would be a problem especially for the owners.

"There's got to be a pyramid, football's not about the elite."

Of the European Super League itself, he said, "The thing that concerns me is this elite brand and the no relegation. I think in sport and in life, competition - you can have your disappointments and your relegations - but it makes winning sweeter.

"It just doesn't sit well with me at all."

Shelagh remarked, "The kick is in the competition, isn't it?"

"Without a doubt," Peter Reid said, branding this and fan support as the "lifeblood" of football.

Former United and England defender Gary Neville claimed the clubs should be relegated, while retired Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher labelled his club an "embarrassment".

The PM branded the plans "very damaging for football" and gave support for football authorities who wished to take action.

"They would strike at the heart of the domestic game and will concern fans across the country," he added.

Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Oliver Dowden is set to take questions from MPs at 5pm on the issue, which you can watch here or on Global Player.