Twelve of Europe’s leading football clubs have agreed to establish a Super League, it has been announced.

A statement said: “AC Milan, Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid 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.”

Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid CF and the first chairman of the Super League, said: “We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world.

“Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires.”

Andrea Agnelli, chairman of Juventus and vice chairman of the Super League, said: “Our 12 founder clubs represent billions of fans across the globe and 99 European trophies.

“We have come together at this critical moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting the game we love on a sustainable footing for the long-term future, substantially increasing solidarity, and giving fans and amateur players a regular flow of headline fixtures that will feed their passion for the game while providing them with engaging role models.”

Joel Glazer, co-chairman of Manchester United and vice chairman of the Super League. said: “By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid.”

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But the plans were earlier criticised by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said that they “would strike at the heart of the domestic game, and will concern fans across the country”.

He added: “The clubs involved must answer to their fans and the wider footballing community before taking any further steps.”

Also among the critics, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports: “I’m not against the modernisation of football competitions, we have the Premier League, the Champions League, but I think to bring forward proposals in the midst of COVID and the economic crisis for all clubs is an absolute scandal.

“United and the rest of the ‘Big Six’ that have signed up to it against the rest of the Premier League should be ashamed of themselves.”

Neville added: “They should deduct six points off all six teams that have signed up to it. Deduct points off them all. To do it during a season? It’s a joke.”

The project is being launched to rival UEFA’s Champions League format which currently dominates European football and it comes as UEFA was due to sign off on plans for an expanded and restructured Champions League on Monday.

The English FA said the move would be “damaging to English and European football at all levels” and that it would “attack the principles of open competition and sporting merit which are fundamental to competitive sport”.

UEFA, the FA, and the Premier League – as well as football authorities in Spain and Italy – have expressed their opposition to a breakaway European super league.

In a joint statement they said they “remain united in our efforts to stop this cynical project”, adding: “We thank those clubs in other countries, especially the French and German clubs, who have refused to sign up to this.

“This persistent self-interest of a few has been going on for too long. Enough is enough.”

The Super League competition will see 20 participating clubs – 15 founding clubs and a further five teams able to qualify annually based on their achievements during the previous season.

It will begin in August with clubs participating in two groups of 10, playing home and away fixtures, some during the week, with the top three in each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Teams finishing fourth and fifth will compete in a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final spots before a knockout format is used to reach the final at the end of May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue.

Club players will be able to continue competing in their national leagues and, as soon as possible after the men’s competition begins, a women’s league will also be launched.

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