Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund said Monday that the club and German rival Bayern Munich both rejected proposals to form a European Super League.
Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke said that the members of the European Club Association (ECA) had met Sunday evening and expressed "a clear opinion to reject the foundation of a Super League".
He added that the two German clubs on the ECA board, Bayern and Dortmund, had taken "100 percent" the same position "in all discussions".
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The announcement appears to confirm that neither of Germany's two biggest clubs will join the breakaway league, whose announcement on Sunday threw European football into turmoil.
PSG- another notable absentee
Germany's rules on fan ownership, known as 50%+1 for the voting stake which members must have, pose a problem for the Super League. Fan organizations at the English clubs have risen up in revolt at the plans but have little or no say in how their clubs are run. The Super League waited until after recent elections of club presidents at Real Madrid and Barcelona to launch its plans.
German fans could in theory block their clubs from being involved. Bayern was due to have its annual general meeting last week but it was postponed to the end of the year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Super League dispute complicates Qatar's efforts to win support across Europe for its hosting of the 2022 World Cup. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is well connected at UEFA, with a seat on its executive committee. He's also the chairman of Qatar-based broadcaster beIN Media Group, which holds Champions League rights for large areas of the world.
Overnight, 12 of Europe's most powerful clubs announced the launch of the so-called European Super League to oversee a new midweek competition.
Six of the breakaway clubs are from the English Premier League. Three are Spanish and three Italian. Three more are to be announced.
(With inputs from AP)
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