Man City's European Super League stance should be clear

Just when you thought the monstrous idea of a European Super League was dead and buried, a ruling on Thursday could see it revived.

Back in 2021, the world of football was shaken when 12 of Europe's 'leading clubs' announced their intention to break away from UEFA and form their own 'Super League.' Manchester City were one of them.

There were protests outside the Etihad Stadium - and other stadia around Europe - amid an almost-universal backlash to the plans from supporters. Fans simply did not want to see a closed league where places were not awarded on merit. City were the first club to withdraw from the plans three days after they were announced, with nine others following suit.

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Pep Guardiola made it clear he opposed the plans before City's withdrawal, becoming the first manager to hit out against the proposals - opening the door for others and signalling the beginning of the end. "It is not a sport where success is already guaranteed or it is not a sport when it doesn’t matter where you lose," he said.

In one sense, City came out of the crisis as one of the clubs who suffered the least, reputation-wise. They were last in and first out, and their apologies were clear and sincere. Fans seemed to accept the club simply made a mistake.

Still, they faced a £22million fine from the Premier League and a £13.4m fine from UEFA. A Premier League and FA statement at the time said City and the other five English clubs involved 'accepted their actions were a mistake, and have reconfirmed their commitment to the Premier League and the future of the