THREAD on Downing Street involvement in European Super League, from multiple sources.

Man Utd boss Ed Woodward met Dan Rosenfield, No10 chief of staff, on Wed of last week. Rosenfield also MU fan. No10 claim meeting was to discuss safe return of fans and Covid certification.../1

Rosenfield understood to have told Woodward that Downing Street wd not stand in way of SL plan. It is alleged this was done without consulting PM. No10 claim ESL not raised at the meeting - surprising given clubs preparing plans, under instruction from CEOs, from April 13... /2

(Club owners had wanted to launch SL on Thursday April 15 but this was rejected by Liverpool, who did not want do it on Hillsborough anniversary.) Woodward went back to people planning SL + effectively said the PM's chief of staff had given project the green light... /3

Positive noises from Downing Street were understood to have been communicated to those behind the ESL on the Saturday, and was apparently important in the final decision to launch. This has been denied by Ed Woodward... /4

When story broke on Sunday + DCMS went hard against the plans, Rosenfield is understood to have intervened to get them to tone down response. Apparently this was done in the form of emails. He also allegedly intervened the next day + tried to get Oliver Dowden... /5

.... to tone down his statement. DCMS deny this and claim they at no point did anyone try to persuade them to change their response.

Boris Johnson is always said to have been against plans, and he asked Eddie Lister to communicate that directly to some SL backers /6 ENDS