Joan Laporta has spoken publicly about the Super League for the first time. Remarkably, the Barcelona president continues to defend the private elite competition. Barça and Real Madrid are the only clubs that have not renounced their participation. “We have to be careful,” Laporta opens his statement opposite TV3.
The six English top clubs were the first to leave the Super League on Tuesday and the three Italian clubs have now also withdrawn from participation. Atlético Madrid also no longer sees the super competition, leaving Barcelona and Real Madrid alone. Yet Laporta refuses to throw in the towel. “It is necessary,” said the president, who does have a reservation. “The last word is up to our socios.” In other words, the members of Barcelona would be allowed to vote on their club’s participation in the Super League. TV3 reported earlier that Barcelona can exit through a clause if the socio’s disapprove the plans.
Laporta is championing the elite clubs behind the Super League. “The big clubs provide a lot of income and we have to take into account the financial differences,” said the chairman. “We need more income to keep making football a great show.” Laporta seems to have an eye for the criticism of the closed nature of the competition. “It must be an attractive competition, based on sporting merits. We support the national competitions and are open to dialogue with UEFA.”
According to Laporta, the Super League is still not off the track. “There has been a lot of pressure on some clubs, but the proposal is still on the table. We are making big investments, the salaries are very high and this all needs to be taken into account, taking into account the sporting aspect.”
Reaction Javier Tebas from LaLiga
Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga, is diametrically opposed to Laporta. “The Super League is dead. Let’s be realistic, the competition is dead,” said Tebas. “The English and German clubs are never going to participate, so they can try to create whatever they want.” The chairman of the Spanish league further says that certain clubs were only added to the Super League at the very last moment. Thus Atlético Madrid and some English clubs became last minute asked according to Tebas.
Related
More sports news