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‘You’re laughing at us,’ said the fuming Spanish radio pundit Axel Torres when A22 chief executive Bernd Reichart tried to make the claim that smaller clubs would prefer to be dropped into a third tier of a new European Super League than go straight into the Champions League.
Riechart was claiming Union Berlin had seen a place in the Champions League as a ‘punishment’ and that they would be better off in the new plan. Torres’ reaction was a reminder that by no means is everyone in Spain behind the breakaway plans despite the way Real Madrid and Barcelona trumpeted the court ruling on Thursday.
Atletico Madrid came out in support of clubs in England, Germany and France against the breakaway with a statement that argued that UEFA is not a monopoly because of influence wielded by the European Club Association (ECA).
It cited ‘agreements adopted within this joint venture, deciding on a 50/50 basis to whom the sponsorship and TV rights are sold and the distribution of these revenues, as well as the competition formats.’
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, left, and Barcelona counterpart Joan Laporta, right, have been vocal in their support of the Super League project
The Spanish giants remain isolated in their support of the Super League in Spain, after a proposed new format was unveiled after the European Court of Justice decision
Atletico Madrid, led by president Enrique Cerezo, have criticised the Super League and have spoken in their support of protecting domestic leagues and European competitions
Atletico Madrid pulled out of the Super League project shortly after the English clubs stepped back from it.
‘The European football family does not want the European Super League. Germany, France, England, Italy, Spain (with the exception of Real Madrid and Barcelona), etc. do not want the Super League,’ Atletico’s statement continued.
‘We are in favour of protecting the big European football family, protecting the domestic leagues and through them qualifying for European competitions on the pitch every season.’
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Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga, also weighed in on the side of those rejecting the breakaway.
Tebas said: ‘This story created by Madrid and Barcelona, that their competition would be open is not true. There are three categories and the national leagues only have access through the third category.
‘It is easy to see that in that first category the same clubs will always be there. It is an almost closed league. Our support is for UEFA as the regulator and our utmost rejection is for this model of competition.’
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has accused Barcelona and Real Madrid of putting their own spin on the verdict announced by the European Court of Justice on Thursday
Tebas also accused Madrid and Barcelona of putting their own spin on the verdict. He said: ‘The ruling does not authorise the Super League, far from it. What it says is that UEFA and FIFA must have clear, transparent, non-discriminatory rules and must give reasons when they deny competition.’
Asked if he still thought this was the kind of idea dreamed up at 5am in a bar, as he had once said, Tebas added: ‘No, now it’s six o’clock in the morning. I’ve seen the proposal they’ve sent out.
‘I’ll bet a dinner; no, 25 dinners, that not in two years, not in six, nor in eight years will there be a Super League.’
