Barcelona and Real Madrid welcomed the European Court ruling that allowed them to form a Superleague without sanctions from UEFA or FIFA on Thursday, but for the most part, it was met with widespread rejection from football’s major players. However A22 CEO Bernd Reichart, the organisers behind the Superleague, claims there is more to it than meets the eye.
In Spain a number of La Liga and Segunda clubs backed the ‘Earn it on the pitch’ campaign, rejecting the Superleague. The likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Roma did the same, while founding members Manchester United and Atletico Madrid were quick to state their opposition publicly. Yet speaking to Cadena Cope, Reichart said that some of these teams had called him about the project.
“Some of those who said ‘no’ today have called me and told me ‘we say no, but here we are’,” he remarked.
He was also keen on getting the English clubs back involved, despite the British Government claiming they will have clubs that do so thrown out of the Premier League.
“We have to convince the clubs to lose fear of change. You have to have the support of clubs and fans but it is an unbeatable proposal. Another era of dialogue begins and we will communicate the clubs that will constitute it. We have just knocked down walls, now we are not going to force the clubs.”
Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin was one of those to declare a stance, and Reichart said he would wave the money in his face.
“Let’s explain to him what our ambition is, at least surpassing what the clubs in Europe expect in the next century; I can guarantee it with the money from a North American investment fund that is negotiated.”
The biggest criticism of the Superleague’s new proposal has been the qualification system. Any club that is not already in Europe would start in the third tier of the competition, meaning the same sides would be playing each other constantly, and smaller or growing sides would have a significantly reduced capacity for mobility.
