Politics
European Super League is ‘necessary’, insists Barcelona chief Joan Laporta as he confirms support despite Prem exodus
BARCELONA president Joan Laporta insists the highly-controversial European Super League is ‘absolutely necessary’ – despite its apparent collapse.
The football world was shocked on Sunday when 12 clubs revealed the formation of the proposed breakaway competition to rival the Champions League.
Barca chief Joan Laporta insists the highly-controversial European Super League is ‘absolutely necessary’[/caption]
Manchester United and City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham were the ‘Big Six’ from the Premier League.
Figures from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher and even players from the clubs involved slammed the idea and vowed to fight it.
And after widespread criticism and huge fan protests, all six Prem teams declared they were withdrawing from the project within 48 hours after the original announcement.
Italian giants Inter Milan and Spanish side Atletico Madrid soon followed suit.
However, Barcelona’s Laporta insists some form of Super League system is needed.
He told TV3: “It [a Super League] is absolutely necessary. We are supporters of the national leagues and we will talk to Uefa.
“We have a position of prudence. It is a necessity, but the last word in the end will be [from] the members.
“The big clubs contribute a lot – we must participate in the economic distribution.
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“It should be an attractive competition, based on sporting merits. We are open to an open dialogue with Uefa. I think there will be an understanding.”
Meanwhile, his Real Madrid counterpart and one of the ESL pioneers, Florentino Perez, has issued his own staunch defence of the seemingly scuppered tournament.
And he declared that the current Champions League format is ‘obsolete’.
He told El Larguero radio show: “We have been working many years on this project. We have not explained it very well, perhaps.
“They have not given us a chance either. Some do not want anything to happen. It cannot be that in England, the six lose money, and 14 make money.
“In Spain the top three lose money, and the others make money. It cannot continue – at the moment the rich are those who are losing money.
“I am a bit sad, disappointed. We have been working three years on this project, on fighting the current financial situation in Spanish football. You cannot touch LaLiga, so you look for more money midweek and the Champions League format is obsolete.
“I have never seen aggression greater on the part of the president of Uefa, it was orchestrated, it surprised us all. Insults and threats, as if we had killed football.”
Perez continued: “We are just working on saving football. We have worked very hard on something that would satisfy everyone.
“There was a campaign, totally manipulated, that we were going to finish the national leagues. That we were ending football, it was terrible.
“But we were working for football to survive. If you think the Super League is dead, you’re absolutely wrong.”
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