Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has slammed the newly proposed 'European Super League' as "a disgrace".
Neville reacted furiously to news of the new league during Sky's coverage of Manchester United's 3-1 win over Burnley on Sunday.
United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are six of the 12 European clubs to announce the formation of a new Super League competition. Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid are the other clubs involved in the controversial announcement.
"Twelve of Europe's leading football clubs have today come together to announce they have agreed to establish a new mid-week competition, the Super League, governed by its Founding Clubs," an official statement read.
"AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid CF and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as Founding Clubs. It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable.
"Going forward, the Founding Clubs look forward to holding discussions with UEFA and FIFA to work together in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for the new League and for football as a whole."
Neville says he is disgusted by the prospect of the new elite competition, and was particularly unhappy that both United and bitter rivals Liverpool were involved.
“I’m a Manchester United fan and I have been for 40 years of my life, but I’m disgusted, absolutely disgusted," he said.
"I’m disgusted with Manchester United and Liverpool the most. Liverpool - they pretend ‘You‘ll Never Walk Alone'; the 'people club', 'the fan’s club'. Manchester United -100 years born out of workers here, and they’re breaking away into a league without competition, that they can’t be relegated from?
"It’s an absolute disgrace and honestly, we have to wrestle back the power in this country from the clubs at the top of the league, and that includes my club. I’ ve been calling for 12 months, as part of another group, for an independent regulator to bring checks and balances in place to stop this happening. It’s pure greed.
"They're imposters. The owners of this club, the owners of Liverpool, the owners of Chelsea, the owners of Manchester City, they have nothing to do with football in this country. There are a hundred odd years of history in this country from fans that have lived and loved this club.
"The fans need protecting. I have benefitted from football hugely, I've made money out of football, I've invested money into a football club.
I'm not against money in football, but the principles and ethos of fair competition and the right to play the game so that if Leicester win the league, they go into the Champions League.
"Manchester United aren't even in the Champions League! Arsenal aren't even in the Champions League, if you watched them earlier on today, they are an absolute shamble of a football club at the moment. Tottenham aren't in the Champions League, and they want a god given right to be in there? They're an absolute joke.
"Honestly, the time has come now for an independent regulator to stop these clubs having the power base. Enough is enough.”