Chelsea legend Didier Drogba reacts to collapse of European Super League

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba says he’s pleased to see the collapse of the proposed European Super League as the breakaway competition threatened the core values of football and ‘discriminated’ against smaller teams.

Late on Sunday night, 12 of Europe’s powerhouse clubs – the Premier League’s so-called ‘big six’, plus Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan – unveiled their plans to start the controversial project which offered immunity from relegation for founding members.

But just 48 hours later, Chelsea and Manchester City were the first of the dominoes to fall amid widespread condemnation from supporters, pundits, politicians and the sport’s governing bodies.

And while Real Madrid president Florentina Perez is adamant the league is not yet ‘dead’, legendary former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Drogba was one of the many celebrating it’s demise on Wednesday evening.

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‘Promotion, relegation, unexpected results is what drives the emotions of the game. Being together, as players, as fans… that’s what makes it the beautiful game,’ he told his 2 million followers on Twitter.

‘“Little” Greece beating the “big” Portugal few years ago, Red Star Belgrade beating my team Marseille or even Leicester City working hard to win the Premier League title in front of the “big four” is what makes football the beautiful game.

‘Imagine all this effort and not being allowed to compete against other teams because you’re not one of them despite playing the same game.

‘It’s a kind of discrimination and I’m glad this project is not happening for the sake of the beautiful game and our amazing fans all around the world.’

The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust want chairman Bruce Buck sacked for his involvement in the failed European Super League but Roman Abramovich has reportedly decided to ignore their calls and the American will not step down.

Thomas Tuchel – speaking after Chelsea’s goalless draw with Brighton – refused to be drawn into the ferocious backlash, even defending owners of the ‘big six’ while enraged fans made their voices heard outside Stamford Bridge.

Asked whether clubs must now accept the necessity for competition and integrity in the game after the league’s collapse, Tuchel said: ‘I think that the owners and the presidents or the people responsible in the clubs know this.

‘I cannot think anything else other than they love competitions because they like to win big trophies and they have a passion for football.

‘Look at the owners here in your league, the Premier League, what they invest, what teams they built, what clubs they built – this is the most competitive league in the world and this is also because of the owners to build such strong clubs and strong teams, so don’t forget it.

‘So I would like to hear arguments and I would like to hear the points behind [the Super League], the real points behind it, and the ideas and details.’

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