English Super League rebels apologise

LONDON, England (AP):

England's Super League rebels finally listened to their fans, just a bit too late. Even the apologies -- on camera from Liverpool owner John Henry and in a letter from Manchester United co-owner Joel Glazer -- couldn't placate anger that their clubs tried to split to form a largely closed European competition.

Under a weight of pressure from supporters, the government and some of their players, the English Premier League's (EPL) Big Six withdrew from the breakaway on Tuesday night, imploding the project as the Spanish and Italian elite clung on.

"The cabal of billionaire owners overplayed their hand, and their rapacious appetite for more united an unprecedented array of opponents," the Football Supporters' Association said.

The mutineers, who also included Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham, didn't just fail to consult their supporters. Even players and coaching staff at the EPL champions were left in the dark before the announcement on Sunday that they were quitting UEFA's Champions League structure to form the Super League.

Unnecessary negativity

"I'm sorry, and I alone am responsible for the unnecessary negativity brought forward over the past couple of days," Henry told Liverpool fans in a video message.

Liverpool players publicly voiced their opposition in a wave of coordinated tweets on Tuesday night to intensify the pressure on Henry to keep the six-time European Cup winners within the long-standing, open competition.

Henry directly apologised to manager Jurgen Klopp and the staff.

"They were the most disrupted, and unfairly so," Henry said. "This is what hurts most."

Being ignored is something Manchester United fans have grown used to in the 16 years that the Glazer family has owned the club. That made the open letter from Joel Glazer rare, acknowledging the deep wounds caused.

"In seeking to create a more stable foundation for the game, we failed to show enough respect for its deep-rooted traditions -- promotion, relegation, the pyramid -- and for that we are sorry," he wrote about 10 hours after Henry's video message was posted. "This is the world's greatest football club and we apologise unreservedly for the unrest caused during these past few days."

There were calls from Arsenal fans for their American owner to also sell up. Club great Ian Wright has backed the calls to oust Stan Kroenke, who also owns the Los Angeles Rams. Arsenal posted a club statement on Tuesday apologising for distressing supporters, but Kroenke has remained silent.