View source for Soccer-Man City Become First To Confirm Quitting Super League

<br>By Martyn Herman<br> <br>LONDON, April 20 (Reuters) - Premier League leaders Manchester City became the first of the 12 founder clubs to withdraw from the new [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/European%20Super European Super] League (ESL) on Tuesday as the project started to disintegrate.<br> <br>Chelsea were earlier reported by the BBC to be preparing the paperwork to quit the controversial new competition but City made it official.<br> <br>A brief statement on the club's website read: "Manchester City Football Club can confirm that it has formally enacted the procedures to withdraw from the group developing plans for a European Super League."<br> <br>Abu Dhabi-owned City were one of six English clubs to join the new competition on Sunday, triggering a torrent of condemnation from within the game and beyond and threats of sanctions by European soccer's governing body UEFA.<br> <br>The move was praised by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.<br> <br>"I'm delighted to welcome City back to the European football family... It takes courage to admit aa mistake but I never doubted they had the ability and common sense to make that decision. City are a real asset for the game," he said in a statement.<br> <br>The English FA also welcomed the news.<br> <br>"English football has a proud history based on opportunity for all clubs and the game has been unanimous in its disapproval of a closed league," it said in a statement.<br> <br>Unlike Europe´s current elite Champions League competition, where teams have to qualify through their domestic league, the founding Super League teams would guarantee themselves a place in the new competition every year.<br> <br>City's dramatic U-turn came hours after manager Pep Guardiola spoke out against the new competition which would have been almost a closed shop for elite clubs.<br> <br>The Spaniard said the ESL went against the ethos of sport as 15 of the 20 clubs involved would be permanent members without the threat of relegation.<br> <br>GUARANTEED SUCCESS<br> <br>"It is not sport when the relation between the effort and the success, the effort and the reward, does not exist," Guardiola told a news conference ahead of his team's Premier League clash at Aston Villa on Wednesday.<br> <br>"It is not a sport where success is already guaranteed or it is not a sport when it doesn't matter if you lose.<br> <br>"It is not fair when one team fights to arrive at the top and  [https://katz.to extratorrent] cannot be qualified because the success is already guaranteed just for a few teams."<br> <br>Guardiola said he had been told of the ESL proposal hours before it was announced on Sunday, and called on Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to explain his position.<br> <br>"I would love the president of the committee to go out around the world and explain how we got this decision," Guardiola said.<br> <br>The club's website carried Guardiola's candid quotes, a hint of what was to come later.<br> <br>City and their fellow English breakaway clubs -- Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur -- have come in for fierce criticism for their plan to join the ESL even from their own fans.<br> <br>Earlier on Tuesday, the Premier League's 14 other clubs met to discuss the crisis along with the Football Association.<br> <br>The Premier League issued a statement saying it "unanimously and vigorously rejected" the plans and were considering action to bring the six clubs to account.<br> <br>With City pulling out and Chelsea set to leave, while Liverpool's players posted a shared twitter message saying they want no part of the new league, the project looks doomed.<br> <br>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had threatened legislation to stop the six English clubs taking part, said shortly before City confirmed their exit that it would be welcome news.<br> <br>"The decision by Chelsea and Manchester City is -- if confirmed -- absolutely the right one and I commend them for it," he said. "I hope the other clubs involved in the European Super League will follow their lead." (Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Toby Davis/Christian Radnedge/Ken Ferris)<br><br><br>            adverts.addToArray("pos":"inread_player")Advertisement