UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has continued his war path against the much-maligned European Super League, while publicly urging the Premier League’s Big Six to perform a dramatic U-turn on their plans.
On Sunday night, shockwaves reverberated around the football world when the European Super League plans were announced – a breakaway tournament that would replace clubs’ European commitments with UEFA, such as the Champions League.
England’s Big Six – Manchester United, Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham – alongside Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan are founding members of the controversial Super League.
Aleksander Ceferin continued his war path against the European Super League on Tuesday
Ceferin launched a scathing attack on the plans on Monday – blasting those ‘snakes’ and ‘liars’ for making it happen – and just one day on he continued to make his resentful feelings known in his address to the 45th UEFA Congress in Montreux, Switzerland.
And the UEFA president also directly appealed to the Premier League’s ‘greedy’ and ‘arrogant’ Big Six to backtrack on their controversial decision to join the Super League.
‘At this point I would like to address the owners of some English clubs,’ Ceferin said during his powerful address on Tuesday.
‘Gentlemen, you made a huge mistake. Some will say it is greed, others disdain, arrogance, flippancy, complete ignorance of England’s football culture. But actually it doesn’t matter.
‘What matters is there is still time to change your mind, everyone makes mistakes. English fans deserve to have you correct your mistake, they deserve respect.’
All 12 clubs have come in for immense criticism for signing up to the Super League – which will see the founding members receiving up to £300million each when it starts.
Along with the Spanish and Italian clubs, United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal and Tottenham are looking to create a near closed shop to replace UEFA’s Champions League and Europa League.
Liverpool owner John W Henry has come in for immense criticism for his role in the plans
The Glazer family (Avram – left, and Joel – right) that own Man United are also under-fire
Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has also got the Gunners on the top table despite their big slump
The plan is to expand the competition to 15 founder members – with a further five annual qualifiers – but there will no relegation for the big founding clubs, even if they finished bottom which would take away the competitive instinct that makes football so special.
Currently, teams have to qualify each year for the Champions League through their domestic leagues, but the Super League would lock in 15 places every season for the founding members.
The Super League plans – which is being bankrolled to the tune of £4.3billion by the Wall Street giant JP Morgan – have made a mockery of football’s fair play and competitive nature, leading to widespread backlash from the media, pundits, fans and Governments – with Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemning the proposals.
‘All the Governments are with us, all the fans are with us, all the media, only some greedy people, a few, are on the other side,’ Ceferin added during his damning speech.
‘Are we allowing them to take football? No. You can trust me, we will not allow it.’
Ceferin added on Tuesday: ‘The ultimate aim for some is no longer to decorate the club’s trophy cabinet with silverware but fill the bank account with cash. Contempt for smaller clubs, for supporters respectful of traditions is replacing ethics.
Liverpool fans protest outside Anfield on Monday amid the European Super League plans
Arsenal fans also hung banners outside the Emirates Stadium in protest at the proposals
‘Selfishness is replacing solidarity. Some CEOs change clubs like they change their shirts, or even faster. Money has become more important than glory, greed more important than loyalty and dividends much more important than passion.
‘We hear day and night about owners. What or whom do they own? Football does not belong to anyone, rather it belongs to everyone. Football is part of our heritage. The Champions League is part of our heritage. Everyone here is just passing through but our purpose is perennial, we are custodians of an idea, that of open competitions in which everyone can dream.
‘Respect for history, respect for tradition, respect for others. This means something to us, this means a lot. Some think that in order to succeed we need to copy another model but there is a reason European football leads the world at both club and national team level. It is based on a clear model that has stood the test of time. A model based on diversity.
‘UEFA competitions needs Atalanta, Celtic, Rangers, Dinamo Zagrebs and Galatasarays of this world. People need to know that everything is possible. People need to know everyone has a chance. We need to keep the dream alive.
‘The big clubs today were not necessarily big clubs in the past and there is no guarantee they will be big clubs in the future. Football is dynamic and football is unpredictable, this is what makes it such a beautiful game, so popular and so successful.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also slammed the European Super League plans on Tuesday
‘Where were Manchester United in the decade before Sir Alex arrived on the scene? Do you remember? Where were Juventus 15 years ago? In Serie B. If the clubs that dominated European football 30 or 40 years ago had decided to form a Super League, what would it have looked like?
‘We would have Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Hamburg, Steaua Bucharest, Porto, PSV and Red Star. These were Europe’s cream of the crop back then. That would be a Super League back then. But football changes. Some don’t understand, they see only the changes on their bank accounts and nowhere else.
‘Those clubs who think they are big and untouchable now should remember where they have come from. They should realise that if they are European giants today, it is partly thanks to UEFA which over 60 years has been protecting competitions based solely on sporting merit. Without UEFA, who knows where they would be.
‘It seems a tiny handful of club bosses have been trying to profit from the situation of late, to get their hands on this heritage of ours. They have been trying to privatise football. One of society’s last remaining collective essences. Someone wants to privatise it.
‘But we are ready, we even expected them. We didn’t know when they would come but it was no surprise. We had already developed our vision, a vision we have been working on for two years and we have the backing of the vast majority of clubs.’
The UEFA president had described the Super League plans as a ‘spit in the face’ for football and society on Monday – which was supposed to be a celebration for Ceferin having finally forced through plans to expand the Champions League competition from 32 to 36 clubs, with 100 extra matches.
UEFA expected the reformed tournament to be a money-spinner, which would allow three of the four new places to go to clubs with a history of European success based on UEFA coefficient rankings.
But the Super League formation has scuppered Ceferin’s Champions League plans with a civil now taking place within football.
On Tuesday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino also slammed the proposed new European Super League, making clear to clubs wishing to breakaway they cannot be ‘half in, half out’.
Warning the 12 founder club members of the controversial project they must ‘live with the consequences of their choice’, Infantino said world football’s governing body stood in solidarity with UEFA and others in opposing the plans.
However, he stopped short of confirming that any players involved in the Super League would be banned from playing international football or competing in the World Cup.