UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has once again hit out at the rebel Superleague clubs: ‘The project is only still standing for the interest of the newspapers and the ego of some people involved.’ Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona are the only three teams still committed to the project, but all have met with stern criticism from European footballs governing body, with Ceferin once again singling them out in a recent interview with Ekpia (as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport):
“The Negreira case represents one of the most serious situations I have ever seen. At the level of the Spanish La Liga, the case is time-barred and therefore cannot have sporting consequences. However, civil proceedings are underway at the Spanish court level, and as far as Uefa is concerned there is nothing prescribed. I can’t say much more for two reasons, because there is a UEFA commission investigating the matter and because I don’t know all the details of the case, but I can add that I have been informed and the situation is extremely serious.
“The Superleague? It’s a project that is still standing only for the interest of the newspapers and the ego of some people involved. They are trying to do something just to improve their position in a possible negotiation with us, but they have not understood that there is nothing to negotiate. I agreed to meet with their representative agency, A22 Sports, and invited representatives of the clubs and fans to be present. Karl Heinz Rummenigge was clear: ‘This is your Waterloo for you.’
“Juventus? The history of the Bianconeri had to end as it did. Because everything was wrong. I don’t have an affectionate relationship with Agnelli, but I would like to stress that I respect Juve as a club and that I have a lot of respect for everyone involved in the Super League in general. They are great clubs that encompass and represent much more than the movements of their coaches. If a club has a board that makes bad decisions, it does not mean that I am against that club as such, let alone its fans or players. However, it is interesting to note that of the three clubs that claim to be the saviours of football, one is in criminal proceedings for cleaning up its balance sheet, and the other for transferring money to one of the leaders in organising arbitration. We will see if the third one has anything too. It’s interesting to see how they would save football.”
