MADRID, 5 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, charged this Wednesday against the European Super League, of which he warned that “it has become a character from Little Red Hood: a wolf disguised as a grandmother ready to devour” European football, at the same time that He attacked Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus -precursor clubs of the project-, which he described as “cartels above meritocracy and democracy”.
“Those who promote this project say they want to save football. The Super League has become a character from Little Red Hood: a wolf disguised as a grandmother ready to devour you. Who are they kidding? Nobody. They are cartels above meritocracy and democracy. It is money above titles. Domestic leagues must continue to be the cornerstones of football. We need everyone’s support to protect the model,” Ceferin said during his speech at the organization’s 47th Congress.
The Slovenian, appointed president of UEFA in September 2016, was re-elected as president of the governing body of European football until 2027, after the meeting held at the Palacio de Congresos in Lisbon (Portugal). It will be his third and last term, because by UEFA regulations you cannot aspire to more.
During his speech at the congress, Ceferin, reinforced by his fight against the Super League, insisted that the project led by Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus is “cynicism over morality, selfishness over solidarity, greed over benevolence”. We must never forget how fragile football is,” he recalled.
“There is no room for cartels in European football. Football does not belong to anyone, in reality it belongs to all of us. The general interest must be above the individual interest of three clubs, two financiers and their spokesperson,” Ceferin reiterated against the three founding clubs of the Super League.
In addition, the president of UEFA defended the “egalitarian and supportive” model of the Premier League. “Jealousy is bad advisers. Before it was UEFA that was criticized, now it seems that it is the Premier that is demonized and should be overthrown. More than a model that must be destroyed, it is one that must be imitated”, he claimed.
Finally, Ceferin warned of a change in European football, which he now described as “unrecognizable”. “Clubs have been bought by investment funds, local identities have been lost and spending has skyrocketed, with certain clubs run in a risky, even reckless way that defies all logic and principle,” he warned.
“We must put an end to the myth that the privatization of football is an unstoppable process. It is a present danger, as we have seen, but together we can and will inevitably change the course of history. Football is and will always remain the people’s sport “, settled Ceferin.
