Atletico Madrid President Enrique Cerezo has been active in the media this week following the renewal of iconic coach Diego Simeone, and has not been shy of making bold statements. One of them he has walked back.
Earlier in the week Cerezo declared that Atletico only left the Superleague in order to avoid being sanctioned by UEFA. He noted that for Los Rojiblancos, the Superleague would have been better, and that it was the Premier League sides that had come out winners of the entire debacle.
However he ‘made the club position’ clear in an official statement on their website since.
“The club’s position is very clear and everyone knows it. Maybe I didn’t express myself adequately, so I want to make it very clear: Atletico Madrid is in favour of improving European competitions and generating greater income for all clubs with the consensus of the entire football family. We want the best possible competition and, as I have always said, any change must be controlled by UEFA and ECA, which is where the clubs are represented.”
🎙️| Enrique Cerezo: “The Super League is good for Spanish football; we [Atleti] left to avoid a sanction from UEFA.” pic.twitter.com/0JeXPs45Nd
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) November 15, 2023
Clearly, Cerezo’s words did not sit well with everyone. Whether the Superleague is the right alternative has been answered in no uncertain terms by a number of parties, but Cerezo’s point hit on the fact that UEFA are showing no sign of implementing stricter financial controls, and thus it looks as if the Premier League is set to enjoy financial dominance over the rest of Europe for the foreseeable future.
