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MANCHESTER, England, April 20 (Reuters) - England's Premier League teams withdrew from the European Super League on Tuesday leaving the project in tatters just 48 hours after it was launched.
Manchester City were the first to leave followed by Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur with Chelsea reported to be also preparing to abandon the breakaway.
Chelsea are yet to confirm their departure, but will join their fellow Premier League sides soon, according to British media reports.
Fans gathered in large numbers outside Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium ahead of their Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion to protest against proposals to form a 12-team breakaway league to rival the Champions League.
English football's 'Big Six', along with Spain's Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid and Italy's AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus , announced on Sunday they were launching a breakaway Super League.
There has been no confirmation from the other clubs yet over whether they will also withdraw.
The Super League has faced widespread opposition from within the game and beyond.
The sport’s governing bodies, other teams and fan organisations said it would increase the power and wealth of the elite clubs and the partially closed structure of the league goes against European football's long-standing model.
United had announced earlier on Tuesday that executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward will step down at the end of the year.
(Reporting by Simon Evans Editing by Toby Davis)