Josep Maria Bartomeu says Barcelona have already agreed to join, but the head of the continent’s football body insists it would be a terrible idea
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has criticised the idea of a European Super League, saying it would be “one of the most boring projects in the world”.
Outgoing Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says the club have already agreed to proposals for a league that would consist of Europe’s top sides and replace the Champions League.
The idea has faced heavy criticism since Bartomeu’s announcement, with UEFA voicing its strong opposition to any such project while FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he is “not interested”.
La Liga chief Javier Tebas criticised the people behind the proposals, saying they have shown “total ignorance of the organisation and customs of European and world football”.
Ceferin has added his voice to the growing list of critics of the super league plans and says there are no serious discussions taking place.
“There’s a strong cooperation between us and the Leagues. The positive thing in this situation is the dialogue and solidarity,” he told SportLab, created by Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport.
“The so-called Super League is an invention of some clubs and some Italian media, not our proposal.
“It would be one of the most boring projects in the world. Two or three clubs talk about it, who believe they deserve more than others but who actually win little and believe that they could be winners in a Super League.
“It’s not a serious discussion, these kinds of ideas would kill football. I’m strongly against a Super League and the Superchampions is mainly invented by Italian press.”
Current and former managers have also lambasted the idea of a European league being introduced at the expense of the Champions League.
Ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has denounced it as a plot to tackle the “superiority” of the Premier League, while Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp also hopes that it will “never happen” as he feels it would not be as exciting as the Champions League.
“For me, the Champions League is the Super League, in which you do not always end up playing against the same teams,” he said. “Of course, it is economically important, but why should we create a system where Liverpool faces Real Madrid for 10 straight years? Who wants to see that every year?”
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