European Super League is not dead, the ideology remains, says LaLiga chief Javier Tebas-Sports News , Firstpost

File image of Javier Tebas, the president of the Spanish LaLiga. AP Photo

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has warned that the proposed European Super League “is not dead” and questioned FIFA’s involvement in the concept.

“The Super League is not dead. Not for me. That format may be dead but the ideology remains. It is a dream for some of these clubs especially the president of Real Madrid (Florentino Perez),” said Tebas at a summit in Madrid organised by The European Leagues, which represents domestic leagues across the continent.

Tebas has strongly advocated against the concept since it was announced in April. The 12 founding clubs faced backlash from respective leagues, fans and government before nine clubs pulled out. UEFA handed financial sanctions to the nine clubs with the remaining three — Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus — subject to disciplinary proceedings.

“What annoys me the most, personally, is that they think we’re naive, that we’re stupid,” Tebas said. “What they tried to do was very serious, a coup d’etat against European football.”

The six Premier League clubs — Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool — were the first to buckle under pressure amid fan protests.

“I want to thank (the) Premier League, (CEO) Richard Masters, fans, (because of whom) the Super League concept was quelled. We have to thank them and UEFA for maintaing a firm position. I am not going to get into the sanctions that might be handed down. What they (UEFA) did was very, very serious. I will respect any type of decision that is taken even if it comes down to the Spanish teams. What should be judged are the facts, not nationality,” he went on to add.

Premier League CEO Masters questioned the timing of the Super League even as leagues and clubs lose money owing to COVID-19 restrictions. “It created a lot of uncertainty when we didnt need it. In England, the reaction of the fans was divisive. There are issues that need to be resolved. Premier League is trying to ensure something like that doesnt happen again. The situation demands a reset, an openness, to get rid of threat of Super League.”

Tebas sought clarity on FIFA’s involvement in the Super League project. FIFA president Gianni Infantino last week acknowledged he had spoken to clubs about new ideas.

“Infantino should have informed Champions League organiser UEFA instead of keeping the talks secret. The danger is not just the words of these big clubs that failed, it’s also the words of the president of FIFA,” said Tebas.

The LaLiga chief questioned the need for an expanded 24-team Club World Cup and a feasibility study into holding the World Cup every two years instead of four years.

“We cannot move towards what they are taking about,” Tebas said. “It hasn’t finished with the failure of this Super League company.”

At the meeting, Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo suggested a Europe-wide salary cap on players. FIFAPro, which represents players, however argued that the salary issue has not been seen from the players’ perspective as they’ve lost money while football has gone on.

Representatives from La Liga’s Real Betis, Granada, Sevilla; Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb; German Bundesliga’s Bayer Leverkusen and Swiss League were also in attendance during the summit.