Some of Europe’s biggest teams have long advocated for a new European competition featuring only the largest teams on the continent. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says that it is unlikely this will ever happen.
Ceferin commented on the ongoing rumors that these teams would form their on competition, apart from the Champions League. He said that UEFA was not going to be “blackmailed” into supporting such a competition.
Plans for a so-called “Super League” have been discussed since the emergence of the new Champions League formats. Europe’s football giants demanded more control over the competition. In a meeting held in February last year, UEFA agreed to make changes to the UCL. The changes see the most important leagues receive additional slots in the contest.
Ceferin says that UEFA will not be intimated by the financial power of these clubs. We was adamant that a “Super League” competition was never going to happen.“Quite simply, money does not rule and the football pyramid must be and will be respected,” he said.
“To some leagues, I will say: we will never give in to the blackmail of those who think they can manipulate small leagues because they think they are all powerful because of the astronomical values they generate.
“Why be afraid of dialogue? Why be afraid of telling them face to face how we could shape the future together, hand in hand, in the best interests of football?And why be afraid to tell them openly what we will never accept?
“We will work together to rectify the imbalances as much as possible – problems and imbalances for which you are also responsible. Sharing must not be considered a dirty word.”
The idea to create a “Super League”, with only the richest/most important European sides participating, was closest to come into fruition in 1998. An important media company even participated in discussions with UEFA about organizing the competition. The “top teams” would have remained qualified for the competition for a five-year term regardless of results in their domestic leagues.
The proposal was analyzed again in 2009. Real’s president Florentino Perez suggested his team would be keen on the idea. The reason given was that this competition would spare the larger teams from fixtures against lower ranked clubs. Recent years have seen various proposals, from important European teams, for UEFA to organize the Super League competition.
