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PARIS. — The cloud of a collapsed Super League project hangs over this week’s Champions League semi-finals.

Three of the four clubs involved — Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea — will feature in the last four.

Paris Saint-Germain did not sign up to the proposals, which crumbled within 48 hours of being announced last week due to a fierce backlash from fans, players, governments, national leagues, Uefa and FIFA.

However, the clash between PSG and City tomorrow is illustrative of the forces which drove some of European football’s more established powers, led by Madrid president Florentino Perez, to seek the financial reassurances of a closed league format.

Under the proposals, 15 founding members would be guaranteed their place in a 20-team competition, split into two leagues of 10 with the top sides in each progressing to the quarterfinals. On top of ensuring revenue from TV rights and sponsorship of more games between the European elite, a key part of the breakaway plan concocted by the “dirty dozen” was to control costs.

Backed by the state wealth of Abu Dhabi and Qatar respectively, City and PSG have played leading roles in the inflated costs of player transfers and wages in recent years, and been far less affected by the economic crunch of the coronavirus pandemic over the last 12 months.

City’s spending power has blown away the competition even in the lucrative Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s men are closing in on a third league title in four years and on Sunday won a fourth consecutive League Cup. PSG’s €222 million (US$269 million) capture of Neymar from Barcelona in 2017 more than doubled the world record transfer fee and sent the entire market into hyper-inflation.

Barca’s reaction to losing the Brazilian was to spend over €100 million on each of Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann, while tying down Lionel Messi to a contract worth a reported €555 million over four years. As a result, the Catalan giants have become saddled with a €1 billion debt.

Despite their rivalry, Barca and Madrid remain united as the two major forces yet to withdraw from the ESL project. — AFP.