Arsenal have confirmed that they remain committed to UEFA competitions following Thursday's historic European Super League ruling by the European Court of Justice.
The Gunners were one of 12 continental powerhouses to sign up for the original plans in April 2021, which were met with fierce backlash from players, fans and governments.
Wide-scale protests erupted outside Premier League stadiums, including the Emirates, and Arsenal soon pulled out of the plans alongside eight other teams, including all other members of the Premier League's Big Six.
After Juventus also announced their intention to quit this summer, Barcelona and Real Madrid continued to reaffirm their commitment to the failed project, despite the threat of expulsion from FIFA and UEFA competitions.
However, the two governing bodies were found to have acted unlawfully in their attempts to block players from signing up to the European Super League after being taken to the European Court of Justice, offering hope of the breakaway competition being reignited.
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The original proposals included 12 teams in a closed league with no promotion or relegation, but A22 Sports - the principal backers of the European Super League - soon announced their plans for a revamped competition involving 64 men's teams and 32 women's teams.
The tournament would comprise three leagues named Star, Gold and Blue, and A22 have also said that all games will be made available to stream for free for fans, but support for the Super League remains scarce.
Arsenal did not react on Thursday, but just before Mikel Arteta faced the media on Friday morning, the Gunners confirmed that their position has not changed since they backed out of the 2021 plans.
"Arsenal Football Club notes the judgement by the European Court of Justice on Thursday, 21 December 2023 and our position in relation to the European Super League has not changed," the statement read.
"We will continue to play in UEFA competitions and continue to work with fellow European clubs and the European Club Association (ECA)."
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In his pre-Liverpool press conference, Arteta - who led Arsenal back into the Champions League after a seven-year absence last season - affirmed that his players "love" to compete in Europe's current premier tournament and emphasised the need to "look after" supporters.
"We love playing in the Champions League, and we will continue to do so," Arteta said. "The supporters, the passion they bring to the game is the main reason this game belongs to them. We have to look after them and their opinion is very important."
When asked if the Super League had a future without English teams, Arteta added: "I don't know. Everyone has their own opinion and commitments. Who knows how it's going to end up."
Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea all denounced the revamped Super League plans on Thursday, as did a plethora of European giants including Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Roma.
The Premier League has also insisted that they remain against the concept of a Super League, while UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has also laughed off the project's chances of succeeding.
Ben Knapton
