Arsene Wenger ‘not surprised’ by collapse of Super League

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Former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has said he is “not surprised” to see The Super League falling apart.

Chelsea and Manchester City are set to withdraw from the planned breakaway tournament, in which fellow Premier League clubs Liverpool, Man United, Tottenham and Wenger’s old club Arsenal are due to take part.

La Liga giants Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are also set to be involved, as are Serie A’s Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, but the competition is in tatters, with news of Chelsea and City’s expected withdrawals surfacing on Tuesday evening – just two days after plans for The Super League emerged.

Meanwhile, Man United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward resigned from his role and is set to leave at the end of the year.

“I’m not surprised it didn’t last long,” Wenger told beIN Sports.

“I never believed from the start it would happen.

“It ignored the basic principles of sporting merit. If you ignore that you kill the domestic leagues, fans would never accept that. Rightly so.”

The proposed Super League was immediately met with widespread criticism from fans, players, clubs and coaches around the world.

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp and Man City manager Pep Guardiola spoke out against the tournament despite their clubs’ expected involvements, with Liverpool players joining United’s Luke Shaw and City’s Kevin De Bruyne in expressing their opposition to The Super League on Tuesday evening.