Reuters/dpa/Marca – European ruling body UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has criticised Real Madrid president Florentino Perez again following the meltdown of the European Super League.
“Perez is the president of a Super League that didn’t exist, and at the moment he’s the president of nothing,” Ceferin told Slovenian broadcaster Pop TV.
“It’s been clear to me for a long time that he doesn’t want a UEFA president like me. This is just an even bigger incentive for me to stay.
“He would like to have a UEFA president who obeys him, who listens to him, who does what he wants,” Ceferin added.
Led by Perez and Juventus chief Andreas Agnelli, 12 major European elite clubs attempted to create their own Super League, which would compete directly with the Champions League.
However, after massive protests from governments, officials and fans,the six English clubs, the three Italian clubs and Atletico Madrid turned their back on the project.
“In my opinion, the Super League never existed. It was an attempt to create a phantom league of the rich that wouldn’t follow any system, that wouldn’t take into account the pyramid structure of football in Europe, its culture, tradition or history,” Ceferin said.
The UEFA president insisted he believes in the power of football, saying: “Football can trigger considerable social movements and I was sure that would be the case in England.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin also praised UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government for helping to force six English clubs to pull out of the breakaway Super League venture, saying they had taken the side of a fan revolt.
Twelve of Europe’s top clubs announced on Sunday they were setting up a breakaway competition to rival UEFA’s Champions League but the ‘Big Six’ English clubs pulled out on Tuesday after a wave of criticism, protests and political pressure.
Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur all signed up to the Super League before changing their minds after 48 hours.
Ceferin, who runs European soccer’s governing body, said he had been in touch with Johnson and his government after the breakaway was announced.
“They responded excellently; I must say I was impressed by their effectiveness. They immediately said they were available to us, for anything, to release a very sharp statement. And that reaction from the British government has helped a lot,” he told Slovenian television station POPTV in an interview.
Meanwhile European ruling body UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has criticized Real Madrid president Florentino Perez again following the meltdown of the European Super League.
