Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has his say on European Super League as he hopes 'common sense' prevails and thinks burden on players re international ban is 'deeply unfair'

Europe’s football community has been in collective uproar following the 12-club breakaway announcement on Sunday, involving the self-proclaimed ‘big six’ in the Premier League

Governing bodies, clubs, fans, players, the media, former pros and pundits have all come together to condemn the ESL and their hope of creating a closed shop at the top table of European football, which would adversely devalue domestic competitions in the likes of England, Spain and Italy.

And Shearer, speaking to the BBC, made it clear that he hopes there is some head scratching going on at the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur – three of England’s mutinous six, following the unanimous condemnation of the plans.

“When you look at the reaction over the last 36 hours, common sense would tell you that these clubs will have to go away and think, ‘Have we really done the right thing here?’,” he said.

"Where are these owners? Why don’t they come out and face the media and tell us why they’ve done it, why they want a closed shop that no-one else can get into?

“Some of these clubs that have been announcing this Super League – AC Milan, no league title since 2011; Inter Milan, no league title since 2010; Juventus are currently fourth in Serie A; Atletico, no title since 2014; Arsenal, no title since 2004, the list goes on.

“Let’s not get on to Arsenal and where they are in the league at the moment, where Tottenham are in the league at the moment and the situation that they’re in. It’s clearly not right.”

Former England international Shearer, who scored 30 goals in 63 caps for his country, does feel, however, too much burden and pressure is being placed on the players who, he says, are blameless in the whole thing – especially when it comes to a potential ban from international football should they compete in the ESL.

He said: “That’s deeply unfair. Everyone will come out and look at the legalities – I’m sure that the Premier League will do that, I’m sure that UEFA and FIFA are doing that – and it’s just not fair on the players to be put under this pressure.

“They want to go out and play football, they don’t want to read about the threat of not being able to play for their national team in huge competitions, because that’s what you want to do as a young boy, you want to come up and you want to represent your country.

“For people to be talking about them being barred from doing that when it’s got nothing to do with the players whatsoever, it’s just not right.”

Yesterday UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: “The players who will play in teams that might play in the closed league will be banned from playing in World Cup and Euros.

"They could not represent national team in any matches."

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