Should the Super League actually materialize in the near future, it is certain of at least one participant: Barcelona. Josep Maria Bartomeu announced his departure as president of the top Spanish club on Tuesday and during his speech he reported that the club had accepted the offer to play in the Super League at the beginning of this week.

“I can announce spectacular news,” said the outgoing chairman. “We accepted an offer on Monday to play in the future European Super League. This guarantees the club’s financial stability. ” That was not the only news that Bartomeu brought out: “We have also accepted the future format for the World Cup for clubs.”

Speculations about a new European club competition have been circulating for some time. The Super League is a format that does not yet exist and should replace the Champions League. Top clubs from England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France have to participate in the tournament and relegation is impossible. Many European top clubs are behind the arrival of the Super League, while there are also many opponents of the idea. The richest clubs run even further away from the rest in this way.

Bartomeu’s announcement sparked a fierce response from LaLiga chairman Javier Tebas. “An unfortunate statement from Bartomeu on his last day at Barcelona about a weak, imaginary competition,” he writes on Twitter. “This just confirms that he knows nothing about the football industry. A sad ending for a chairman with many successes, but too many mistakes recently. ”