Italian football giants Juventus on Thursday announced that the club had initiated the procedure to pull out of the European Super League (ESL) project. 

Juventus said discussions had begun with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, the only other clubs remaining in the still-born project, because an exit would require their approval. 

What was the European Super League again? 

In April 2021, 12 of Europe's wealthiest football teams announced plans to set up a cross-European club competition for which only they would be eligible. 

The decision prompted angry protests from supporters, particularly in England, with half the teams hailing from the Premier League. It unraveled in the space of 48 hours.

Politicians like Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and even former Prime Minister Boris Johnson ended up weighing in on the debate and criticizing the plan. 

The project became a challenge to European governing body UEFA's control over competitive structures, and also a symbol of the commercialization and increasingly overseas-based ownership of major clubs in the modern era.

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund refused to join and spoke out against the plan, saying it risked undermining domestic competition and alienating local fans. 

As the outrage showed no sign of ebbing, participants in the project rapidly pulled out, soon leaving Juventus as the last Italian participant, along with the two Spanish behemoths Barca and Real. 

Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid all withdrew within a week.

No European Super League match has ever taken place and neither does one appear likely to in future. 

Decision days after ex-chairman Agnelli's ban

Juventus said it understood its exit would only be complete and effective if authorized by Real Madrid and Barcelona, but said talks seeking this outcome had begun. 

"Following such discussions, and given the existing discrepancies on the interpretation of the relevant contractual terms applicable to the Super League Project, Juventus confirms that it has initiated the procedure to exit," the club said. 

Former Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, one of the figures behind the ESL project, was given a 16-month ban from football on Monday in a case about irregularities in the club's payments to players.

Agnelli and the entire board had resigned from the Turin club in November.

msh/rm (Reuters, dpa)