Fact Check-The World Economic Forum is not behind the European Super League

Unfounded claims that the collapsed European Super League is part of a sinister plan by the World Economic Forum (WEF) are spreading online.

Social media users have suggested the failed breakaway football project is part of the Great Reset, a sustainability plan proposed by the WEF (here) that has repeatedly been misrepresented in conspiracy theories as a ploy by global elites to control people and crush private ownership (here , here and here).

One Facebook post suggested British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s criticisms of the Super League were disingenuous and the project was “all ‘Gre@t Reset’ related” (here), while a YouTube video stated more explicitly: “They call it a ‘Great Reset’, but what it really is the 1% consolidating their wealth and eliminating any opportunity for the 99% of ever challenging them, and that is what we see with this football Super League” (here, timestamp 1.19).

However, there is no evidence to support the ‘Great Reset’ conspiracy and no evidence that the WEF, which runs an annual gathering of political and business leaders to discuss world issues, was involved with the establishment of the European Super League.

The breakaway group aimed to have 15 founding members with a guaranteed place and five other clubs qualifying each season. The plan was widely criticised as going against a core principle of European football that allows all clubs – no matter their wealth or fame – the opportunity to play in the Champions League (here).

The new competition was established by the big-six clubs of England’s Premier League (Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham) and other European giants (here), with financing from the U.S. investment bank JP Morgan (here). The deal was also brokered with the help of major law firms like Clifford Chance, according to the media platform Law.com (here).

Following outrage from fans and high-profile figures like Boris Johnson, eight of the 12 founding members abandoned the project on April 21 and one of the founders, Andrea Agnelli, called time on the new league (here).

VERDICT

False. There is no evidence the European Super League is part of an ominous plan by the World Economic Forum.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts www.reuters.com/fact-check/about .

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