Aleksander Ceferin has with a damning interview in the German weekly of the mirror lashed out at Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid. The three European superpowers have not yet given up on their dream for a European Super League, despite the fact that the initiative exploded in April this year due to the enormous resistance to the plan. UEFA president says he has no problem with Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid leaving the European Football Association.
“I would have no problem with them leaving UEFA. It’s very funny that they wanted to set up a new league and at the same time play in the Champions League this season,” said Ceferin. The Slovenian president of UEFA is lashing out at the presidents of Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid: Andrea Agnelli, Joan Laporta and Florentino Pérez. “They simply have incompetent leaders. Those guys tried to kill football.”
Ceferin aims his arrows specifically at Pérez. “He says the club can only survive through the Super League and then tries to get Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid for 180 million euros,” Ceferin said. Real Madrid tried unsuccessfully in the last transfer window to untie Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain for an astronomical transfer fee.
The UEFA president also reveals that he has been threatened by telephone by a Super League adviser. Ceferin was told that he would have to agree to host the Super League under the UEFA banner. If not, involved clubs with a lot of money and influence would cause him to be charged. Reported last week RMC Sports and The Sun that Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid had engaged a major PR agency to map out the ambitious ideas for the Super League.
Barcelona, Juventus and Real seem to be alone with their plans for the much-discussed Super League. The three top clubs no longer belong to the European Club Association (ECA) due to the ambition to secede. This organization has recently been led by Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president and owner of Paris Saint-Gerrmain. The French were not involved in the new European competition earlier this year. The other nine clubs that left the Super League prematurely have also rejoined the ECA: Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, AC Milan, Internazionale and Atlético Madrid.