From the dark of a Super League, some light

Football's brave new world lasted all of 48 hours.

What started with a bombshell announcement on Sunday night - that 12 of the world's richest and most powerful clubs intended to form their own, brand-new competition - was all but over just two days later.

The move, which sent shockwaves around the game, saw the Premier League heavily invested with the ‘big six’ of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all on board.

The ambitious plans for a new 20-team midweek tournament were designed to rival Uefa’s Champions League and, in the words of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez - a key driver of the proposal - "save football".

But inside two days those plans were in tatters, the furious backlash from those inside and outside the game proving too much for the dozen 'founder members' to bear.

First to privately break ranks were Chelsea before Premier League champions-elect City became the first club to officially walk away later on Tuesday evening.

Those dual cards were all the whole European Super League house needed to topple completely with the four remaining English clubs withdrawing en masse later that night.

Inter Milan, AC Milan and chief instigators Juventus were forced to admit defeat soon after on Wednesday with Atletico Madrid's own backing out leaving Spanish rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid the only sides left. That's an awful lot of Clasicos to fill a league calendar.

The dream of a few money men is well and truly over, but while the last few days have shown just how dark the very top of football can be with corporate greed and unadulterated selfishness now king, it also highlighted some light too - that supporters, and what they want, still matter.

Make no mistake, it was the scenes at Elland Road on Monday and at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday that finally turned the tide as the full scale of what the group of absentee owners had done with their investments was laid bare.

This shouldn't be the end, however. This should only be the beginning.

"Appeasement of football's richest clubs doesn't work," The Football Supporters' Association said in a statement on Wednesday. "The vultures circle, they're always after more and they only get stronger when you feed their greed. This time the cabal of billionaire owners overplayed their hand and their rapacious appetite for more united an unprecedented array of opponents."

They added: "English club involvement in the Super League has collapsed and the concept itself teeters on the edge. At a continental level the FSA will continue to campaign with our friends at Football Supporters Europe to kill the competition for good. [Andrea] Agnelli's 'blood pact' has no place in football."

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At a time when individuals in the game can often feel powerless against the fantastical might of major clubs, the power of the collective shone through.

It is hoped that the actions of the last few days can prove a watershed moment for those who were there long before these owners were taking back some control of the institutions they so love.

"I don't think it means that much without further commitment for a change of ownership," Duncan Drasdo, chief executive of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust, said. "It is important to separate the football club and the owners because this decision was taken solely by the owners.

"So I think it's going to have to come from the owners' official statement. I think it's appropriate, if there is going to be an apology, that it comes directly from them. I think if there isn't an apology from the owners then obviously that's going to be a kind of open sore that's being pointed to for years to come."

"We don't just want to see a change of ownership for the sake of it," he added. "But we don't want the kind of owner that wants to use the club, purely to make money for themselves. And so that has to change.

"Arguably, their exit started as soon as they floated on the stock exchange and started to reduce their shareholding, it means there is an opportunity to do something that might actually change the path of their legacy.

"If they actually did something where they actually helped the supporters to take on ownership and there's a mechanism to do that."

Chelsea fans are no different.

"Our relations with Chelsea will remain frayed until we have a better understanding of why this decision happened and we are assured that change and safeguards are put in place," the Chelsea Supporters' Trust said.

"The CST will not rest until we are comfortable that change and protections are put in place. 116 years of history was jeopardised. This is our club and will remain our club. The past few days have shown football at its worst, but also more importantly at its best.

"Chelsea supporters across the globe should be proud that we did it together. All uniting against a disgraceful decision. Our voice was heard, and they listened."

It is imperative for the future of the game that they are made to listen again and again going forward. From darkness, some much-needed light.