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LONDON (AP) — UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin said Thursday he was fed up with talk of a breakaway European Super League, accusing club bosses of remaining committed to the idea of living in a “parallel world.” .
Twelve of Europe’s biggest clubs signed up for the proposed new competition last April, but it collapsed within days after a fierce backlash from its own players and fans, as well as governments and football’s governing bodies.
Nine clubs have distanced themselves from the project, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus remain in agreement with the concept and former England full-back Gary Neville warned this week that he could return.
Ceferin, addressing the Financial Times Business of Football Summit in London via video conference, said he was “sick and tired” of talking about the Super League.
“Look, they first launched this nonsensical idea in the middle of a pandemic,” he said, speaking from the European governing body’s headquarters in Switzerland.
“Now we are reading articles every day that they plan to launch another idea in the middle of the war (in Ukraine). They obviously live in a parallel world.
“While we’re saving players, along with other stakeholders, and working to help in a terrible situation, they’re working on a project like that.”
He added: “This is complete nonsense and everyone but them knows it.”
Ceferin took aim at Juventus supremo Andrea Agnelli, the former president of the European Club Association, who was one of the driving forces behind the original Superliga proposal, with the help of Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez.
“Last year was the first time that not one, not two, not three, but 12 clubs made a statement, which was a deep cry of alarm to the system, that we have to do something to create a sustainable industry,” Agnelli said. . , who addressed the conference in person.
Ceferin said clubs were free to organize their own competitions but could no longer expect to take part in UEFA competitions such as the Champions League if they broke away from the existing football structure.
He also rejected comparisons between the Champions League reform proposals scheduled for 2024 and the Super League.
Barcelona have already missed out on the Champions League in the group stage for the first time since the 2000/01 season, while Madrid and Juventus have failed to win the first legs of their last 16 ties.
All three are feeling the financial pressure of trying to compete with Gulf state-backed Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, while England’s Premier League clubs have a huge lead over their European rivals due to sales of television rights.
The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, accused those who still promote the Super League of being more deceitful than the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
“Every time I hear communications from these (Super League) clubs I get angry, to be honest, they lie more than Putin,” Tebas said through a translator.
“All the national leagues, we must be fools. All unanimously, we all say that (the Super League) harms the national leagues. But now these three are saying ‘no, no, no, don’t worry’. For me it is an insult. They do great damage.”
Tebas also alleged that there was recently a meeting between the Spanish giants and Juventus at Agnelli’s house.
“What they say, especially the president of Real Madrid, is that they failed in the first attempt. They have seen that it was difficult for English clubs to participate,” added Tebas.
“They are trying to design a model where the English clubs are not there, the other four (big European leagues) will be there.”
Twelve of Europe’s biggest clubs signed up for the proposed new competition last April, but it collapsed within days after a fierce backlash from its own players and fans, as well as governments and football’s governing bodies.
Nine clubs have distanced themselves from the project, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus remain in agreement with the concept and former England full-back Gary Neville warned this week that he could return.
Ceferin, addressing the Financial Times Business of Football Summit in London via video conference, said he was “sick and tired” of talking about the Super League.
“Look, they first launched this nonsensical idea in the middle of a pandemic,” he said, speaking from the European governing body’s headquarters in Switzerland.
“Now we are reading articles every day that they plan to launch another idea in the middle of the war (in Ukraine). They obviously live in a parallel world.
“While we’re saving players, along with other stakeholders, and working to help in a terrible situation, they’re working on a project like that.”
He added: “This is complete nonsense and everyone but them knows it.”
Ceferin took aim at Juventus supremo Andrea Agnelli, the former president of the European Club Association, who was one of the driving forces behind the original Superliga proposal, with the help of Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez.
“Last year was the first time that not one, not two, not three, but 12 clubs made a statement, which was a deep cry of alarm to the system, that we have to do something to create a sustainable industry,” Agnelli said. . , who addressed the conference in person.
Ceferin said clubs were free to organize their own competitions but could no longer expect to take part in UEFA competitions such as the Champions League if they broke away from the existing football structure.
He also rejected comparisons between the Champions League reform proposals scheduled for 2024 and the Super League.
Barcelona have already missed out on the Champions League in the group stage for the first time since the 2000/01 season, while Madrid and Juventus have failed to win the first legs of their last 16 ties.
All three are feeling the financial pressure of trying to compete with Gulf state-backed Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, while England’s Premier League clubs have a huge lead over their European rivals due to sales of television rights.
The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, accused those who still promote the Super League of being more deceitful than the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
“Every time I hear communications from these (Super League) clubs I get angry, to be honest, they lie more than Putin,” Tebas said through a translator.
“All the national leagues, we must be fools. All unanimously, we all say that (the Super League) harms the national leagues. But now these three are saying ‘no, no, no, don’t worry’. For me it is an insult. They do great damage.”
Tebas also alleged that there was recently a meeting between the Spanish giants and Juventus at Agnelli’s house.
“What they say, especially the president of Real Madrid, is that they failed in the first attempt. They have seen that it was difficult for English clubs to participate,” added Tebas.
“They are trying to design a model where the English clubs are not there, the other four (big European leagues) will be there.”
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