Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has launched a staunch defence of the European Super League, claiming its introduction will ‘save football’.
Perez is fronting the ambitious project, which has the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ on board, as well as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan.
AFP
The plans have received widespread condemnation, including from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who warned that players from European Super League clubs will be banned from playing at Euro 2020 and the World Cup.
It was also said that any Super League sides still in this season’s Champions League, with Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea occupying three of the final four spots in the competition, would be thrown out.
Perez, who will be the chairman of the ESL, bit back at Ceferin in an interview with Spanish TV show El Chiringuito de Jugones, also taking issue with comments made About Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, who was labelled a ‘liar’.
“Our players will NOT be banned from the World Cup. I guarantee it. 100% certain of it,” Perez said.
“Real Madrid and other Super League clubs will NOT be excluded from this 2020/2021 Champions League. It won’t happen, the law protects us. This is impossible.
“President Ceferin insulted Andrea Agnelli today, it is not possible. It’s crazy to discuss a president of a world club like Juventus. This is something unacceptable, UEFA must change, we don’t want a president who insults other presidents.”
Perez also claimed the Euro Super League is needed to ‘save football’ in an extraordinary defence of the controversial plans.
“Whenever there is a change, there are always people who oppose it. We are doing this to save football at this critical moment,” he added.
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“Audiences are decreasing and rights are decreasing and something had to be done. We are all ruined. Television has to change so we can adapt.
“Young people are no longer interested in football. Why not? Because there are a lot of poor quality games and they are not interested, they have other platforms on which to distract themselves.
“If we continue with the Champions League there is less and less interest and then it’s over. The new format, which starts in 2024 is absurd. In 2024 we are all dead.
“Together we have lost €5billion. In two seasons Madrid have lost €400m.
“When you have no income other than television, you say that the solution is to make more attractive matches that fans from all over the world can see with all the big clubs, and we came to the conclusion that if instead of having a Champions League we have a Super League we would be able to alleviate what we have lost.”
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