A22 Sports, the company behind the creation of the Super League, has found a new general manager with Bernd Reichart. The German still sees merit in the establishment of the new top league and wants to enter into discussions with various clubs and supporters in order to create support.
The European football world was completely turned upside down in the spring of 2021 when twelve (top) clubs announced that they wanted to set up their own ‘super league’. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur withdrew just two days after the plans were announced. The Super League encountered a lot of resistance, especially in the Premier League. Many other clubs followed the English lead; only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus remained behind the plans.
“Football can do better”, states Bernd Reichart, our new CEO. That’s why we will organize a broad dialogue with clubs, fans and all those who want to build a better home for #EuropeanClubFootball. Watch his video statement: pic.twitter.com/TbHntRy0pv
— A22 Sports (@A22Sports) October 19, 2022
The three clubs are still fighting a legal battle with UEFA. Real, Barcelona and Juventus still have faith in the Super League and shared a video of Reichart on their own social media channels on Wednesday. The German tells what he thinks could be improved. “European club football has to deal with existential problems,” Reichart began. “It is losing its undisputed leading position in the global sports world.” The potential is not fully exploited according to the German, which according to Reichart is because the best matches are not played every week. “The painful thing is that the younger target groups find football less and less interesting and are turning to other forms of entertainment.”
The financial system would also be bad. “That’s broken,” Reichart continues. “It is untenable this way. Controls are not adequate enough and enforcement is not strict enough. The result is sporting imbalance and financial stress. Football must live on the money that is earned and not on external capital injections.” The latter fits in seamlessly with the opinions of Florentino Pérez and Joan Laporta, the presidents of Real and Barcelona respectively. The policymakers have previously indicated that they are annoyed by clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, which are financially supported from the Middle East. Reichart says the Super League can start from the 2024/25 season. “That is a realistic expectation.”