Leeds United players, fans protest Super League before Liverpool clash

Leeds United players protested the newly announced European Super League before their Monday encounter against Liverpool, one of the founding members of the proposed breakaway competition.

As Marcelo Bielsa's men warmed up at Elland Road, players expressed their disapproval with shirts that read, "Earn it." The words were situated below the Champions League logo.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who led the Reds to a Champions League title in 2019, wasn't a fan of the stunt and criticized Leeds for the demonstration.

“We will try to focus on the game. I heard that there are warm-up shirts," he said before the game, according to The Guardian.

"We will not wear them, we cannot. But if somebody thinks they have to remind us that you have to earn the right to play in the Champions League, that's a joke - a real joke - and it makes me angry. They have put them in our dressing room.

"If it was Leeds' idea, thank you very much. Nobody has to remind us; maybe they should remind themselves."

Roughly 200 fans outside the stadium also expressed anger at the English clubs involved - Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Manchester City - with banners and chants.

There was also a banner inside the stadium that read: "Earn it on the pitch. Football is for the fans."

Supporters have staged similar demonstrations outside the stadiums of some of the other English clubs involved, including Anfield:

The other six teams involved in the proposed breakaway tournament include Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid.