Football news: 'Failures' - Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi hits out at Super League clubs
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Updated 06/09/2021 at 18:04 GMT
Ligue 1 runners-up Paris Saint Germain's chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi has spoken for the first time as the European Club Association's president, launching a broadside at the clubs who proposed a European Super League in April. He dismissed them as 'fantasists and failures' after the proposal quickly collapsed.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi
Image credit: Getty Images
Paris Saint-Germain’s chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi called the 12 clubs proposing a European Super League “fabulists and failures”.
Premier League sides Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham were part of the plans announced earlier in the year as the impact of the coronavirus hit home, but they each withdrew from the plans within three days.
A further three teams - AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid - also withdrew. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are yet to pull back.
"I will not spend much time talking about April 18 and the 'not-so-Super League' because I do not like to focus on fabulists and failures," said Al-Khelaif in his first major speech as the new head of the European Clubs' Association (ECA).
The nine clubs who have withdrawn from April’s plans have now rejoined the ECA, but Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid remain outside the group.
Al-Khelaifi continued: "Together we defended the interests of European football for everyone. We relied on the resolve and strength of [Uefa] president [Aleksander Ceferin], who stood up to the midnight coup. He said 'we will win' and we did.
"While the three rebel clubs waste energies, twist narratives and continue to shout at the sky, the rest of us are moving forward."
There were more harsh words at the meeting, with UEFA president Alexander Ceferin appearing to criticise former ECA chairman Andrea Agnelli, who owns Juventus.
"When passing through a storm, you need a good captain, not like the one in the past, who went away from the ship," he said. "The ECA has a good captain. Your future is bright."
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