'Living in a parallel world' – UEFA's Alexander Ceferin outraged at timing of European Super League relaunch
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Updated 03/03/2022 at 15:35 GMT
Ceferin has helped players and coaches flee Ukraine in light of the Russian invasion, with some even visiting his home in Slovenia. In light of these efforts, news of a renewed bid to relaunch the Super League did not sit well at all with the UEFA boss. “We are helping in a terrible situation, they are working on a project like that. For them, the fans are customers. For us, the fans are fans.”
'First in a pandemic, now in middle of war' - Ceferin slams Super League project
UEFA president Alexander Ceferin was left outraged at the timing of another bid to relaunch the much-maligned European Super League and claims club owners are "living in a parallel world".
The original European Super League proposal included 12 clubs from England, Spain and Italy in April last year, but nine of those teams soon dropped out after a huge raft of criticism from UEFA, fans and other national associations.
But Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are still eager to relaunch the concept, and Ceferin did not hold back in his criticism of three clubs.
Speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit in London, he said: “I have to say that those speaking about the Super League are not speaking about football. I am sick and tired of this non-football project.
“First, they launched their nonsense of the idea in the middle of a pandemic. Now, we read articles that they are planning to launch another idea now in the middle of a war.
“Do I have to speak more about these people? They obviously live in a parallel world.”
Ceferin has helped players and coaches flee Ukraine in light of the Russian invasion, with some even visiting his home in Slovenia. In light of these efforts, news of a renewed bid to relaunch the Super League did not sit well at all with the UEFA boss.
“We are helping in a terrible situation, they are working on a project like that. They can pay whoever they want to write 'this is a nice project, they are full of solidarity, there will be charity to small ones'.
“This is nonsense and everyone knows it. One of them, after it, called me and apologised - but then they go again. For them, the fans are customers. For us, the fans are fans.”
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Andrea Agnelli
Image credit: Getty Images
Ceferin was particularly scathing in his assessment of Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, and added that any club electing to play in a European Super League would not be allowed to play in the Champions League – a competition which is set for further reforms.
“They criticised UEFA and the ECA, one of them was chairman of the ECA," he continued.
“I have quotes from where he [Agnelli] was praising the system a week before they launched the Super League.
“They can play their own competition, nobody forbids them. But if they play their own competition, they can’t play in our competition.
“For anyone to compare the reform of the Champions League with the Super League is not serious.
“We have 32 teams in the Champions League now, the plan is to have 36 with more places for smaller and mid-placed leagues.”
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