The reactions are multiplying after the announcement this Sunday of the project of twelve major European clubs to create a competing Superleague of the Champions League, managed by UEFA.
After the sportsmen, like the Spanish midfielder of PSG Ander Herrera, the supporters, the opposition rose a notch on Monday with several statements in the world of politics.
Several governments, starting with that of France, have stated their disagreement.
Emmanuel Macron first welcomed the position of French clubs to refuse to participate in such a project: "The French State will support all the steps taken by the LFP, the FFF, UEFA, and FIFA to protect the "integrity of federal competitions, whether national or European," said the Elysee. Roxana Maracineanu, the Minister for Sports, for her part reacted strongly to AFP: "A system without sporting criteria for accession which brings together a VIP club of a few powerful represents not only the negation of sporting merit but also a real danger. for the world of football. I am deeply attached to our system of solidarity. France is in support of UEFA and world bodies to protect football from this market madness. "
The Minister for Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, reacted in a statement: "A system without sporting criteria for accession which brings together a VIP club of a few powerful represents not only the negation of sporting merit but also a real danger for the world of football "
- RMC Sport (@RMCsport) April 18, 2021
In England, the country with the most starting representatives for the Superleague (six clubs: Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal), Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, has also stepped up to the plate: “We will see what we can do with the football authorities to be sure that this project does not go any further.
In any case, I don't think this is good news for the fans and British football.
Competition law was also highlighted.
Spain and Italy also in support
In front of the Parliament, the British Minister for Sports, Oliver Dowden, drove the point home: “These six clubs announced this decision without any consultation with the authorities of football, nor with the government. But worst of all, they announced it without any dialogue with their own fans. This move goes against the very spirit of the game (...) We will not sit idly by and see football being cowardly stripped of what makes millions of people across the country the love. We will not hesitate to protect one of our biggest national institutions: football (...) The football authorities (UEFA) have put in place strict rules to deal with this,and I know from my conversations today that they are rightly considering a wide range of sanctions and measures to stop this movement in its tracks. My message to them is clear: they have our full support. (...) If the past year has taught us anything, it's that football is nothing without its supporters. These owners must remember that they are only temporary custodians of their clubs and that they forget about the supporters at their own risk. "These owners must remember that they are only temporary custodians of their clubs and that they forget about the supporters at their own risk. "These owners must remember that they are only temporary custodians of their clubs and that they forget about the supporters at their own risk. "
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"I hope it will be Super fiasco": European fans mad with rage against the Super League
Beyond the Pyrenees, the Spanish government expressed itself in a press release: “It does not support the initiative to create a football Super League promoted by several European clubs, including three Spanish (
Editor's note: Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid).
Culture and Sports Minister Jose Manuel Rodríguez Uribes held meetings and conversations throughout the day with representatives of Spanish and continental football, as well as the presidents of FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid.
The Spanish government, through its Minister of Culture and Sports, defended before the latter that they should return to the path of dialogue and agreement in the decision-making and organizational spheres to which these same clubs belong to. reach a concerted solution.
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Finally, in Italy, Prime Minister Mario Draghi declared, in a press release, “to follow closely the debates around the Super League and firmly support the positions of the Italian and European football authorities to protect national competitions, meritocratic values and the social functions of sport ”. On the transalpine side, three clubs (Juventus Turin, AC Milan, Inter Milan) are also at the origin of the project.