La Liga President Javier Tebas continues to campaign against the Superleague, and this week has told the World Football Summit that the problems with the proposed competition go far beyond just the format.
Tebas has had a busy week, hosting the La Liga assembly on Wednesday, where the Caso Negreira was one of the key topics of conversation.
At the WFS, Tebas told the media, including Marca, that he was no longer on speaking terms with Real Madrid President Florentino Perez. He regards Perez as the mastermind, to coin a phrase, of the Superleague.
“Until two years ago, I could have a fluent conversation with Florentino Perez, now I can’t. I keep speaking with other executives from his club. I know what he really thinks of European football,” Tebas shot.
His view was that UEFA would not just be replaced in terms of hosting the competitions, but in terms of the running of European football itself.
“The Super League is not a concept of format. We have focused a lot on the fact that if they close the competition, there are no promotions and relegations… That is not the Super League. The Super League is that those clubs that have the most assets govern European football. That’s what they want. They control, they decide, how to distribute the money…”
And detailed the timeline behind the project, which he dates back to 23 years ago.
“This idea began in the year 2000, with Florentino Perez at the helm. It has been his obsession throughout all this time. In the year 2000 the G8 was created, then the G14 and after all that the ECA (European Clubs Association) was created. With the Super League let’s focus on the fact that it’s not only a sports competition model, it’s a model of who will govern football. In this case, for them, they have to be the richest in Europe. And against that you have to be clear.”
Tebas has been a vociferous critic of the Superleague, and part of the CVC deal, which was signed by all but three La Liga clubs (Barcelona, Real Madrid and Athletic Club), prevented teams from signing up for new competitions.
Perez and Tebas have been at war over the issue for some time, and there appears little end in sight. Despite it’s failure so far, Real Madrid, alongside Barcelona and Juventus remain committed to the project.
