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Chelsea have begun the documentation process to withdraw from the European Super League, as per an exclusive from BBC Sport.
Thomas Tuchel's men are one among 12 clubs in Europe who have reportedly signed up for the breakaway league, including Premier League sides Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur.
The news was met with massive backlash, with several Blues fans gathering in front of Stamford Bridge in the build-up to Chelsea's Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion to protest their participation in the European Super League.
After Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck held a meeting with players and club members about the ESL proposal, the club's billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich, has given the go-ahead for Chelsea to begin documentation to pull out of the competition.
The news came on the back of several other reports claiming that certain clubs from the Premier League are unhappy with the way things have been handled.
However, it will be interesting to see how the legal battle between the clubs and the European Super League unfolds as Real Madrid and ESL president Florentino Perez claimed that all 12 clubs have already signed binding contracts and that none of them will leave the competition. He said;
"The contract of the Super League is binding. Nobody can leave, we will work all together. All the clubs signed the contracts last Saturday, there's no problem"
It is also important to note that Chelsea are the only club out of the 12 ESL sides that do not have any financial debt as of June 2020.
Chelsea fans' protests outside Stamford Bridge quickly turned into celebrations soon after the the decision from the club to pull out of the competition broke out.
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Chelsea's announcement sparks ESL uncertainty with other clubs following suit
Soon after news of Chelsea pulling out of the competition broke, it was reported that Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona are also set to pull out of the competition.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that Barcelona will not join the league, saying;
"Barcelona will NOT join the Super League until our socios vote for it. It's their club, so it's their decision."
Following the news of four of the 12 clubs pulling out which began with Chelsea, talkSPORT reported that all the founding members will be set to meet on Tuesday night to discuss the future of the ESL.
