Chelsea and Manchester City were both 'hesitant' about joining the doomed European Super League and only planned to do so through fear of being left behind, claims UEFA president Alexander Ceferin.
Almost two years ago European football was rocked to its core when 12 major clubs from England, Italy and Spain announced their intentions to join the Super League, a controversial breakaway tournament spearheaded by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus chiefs.
As part of the proposed format, 15 founding-member teams would drop out of UEFA competitions and become permanent fixtures in a new league of 20, leaving them exempt from relegation, while five other clubs would join through a qualification system based on their domestic performance.