European club soccer still faces threats from leaders of the failed Super League project and the FIFA president, Spanish league CEO Javier Tebas claimed Thursday.
тАЬThe concept of the Super League hasnтАЩt died,тАЭ Tebas warned club and league officials in an online meeting hosted by the 30-nation European Leagues group.
The Spanish official targeted presidents of the three Super League founders who refuse to renounce it тАФ Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus тАФ and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who acknowledged last week he had talked to clubs about new ideas.
Infantino should have informed Champions League organizer UEFA instead of keeping the talks secret, insisted Tebas, who now represents leagues on the European soccer bodyтАЩs executive committee.
тАЬThe danger is not just the words of these big clubs that failed, itтАЩs also the words of the president of FIFA,тАЭ Tebas said in translated comments.
The Super League project was announced last month by 12 founding clubs, including six from England, but it then collapsed within 48 hours amid a fierce backlash from fans and threats of legislation from the British government.
Had the breakaway succeeded, domestic leagues in Europe would have lost relevance and revenue.
Even UEFA-approved changes to the Champions League taking effect in 2024, with up to four extra games for each team, put pressure on domestic league schedules in the congested fixture calendar.
Tebas warned that FIFAтАЩs delayed launch of an expanded 24-team Club World Cup and a feasibility study now looking at playing the World Cup every two years also threaten domestic leagues and clubs.
тАЬThese are studies that have an objective тАФ we know what that is,тАЭ he said, suggesting they include cutting the size of national leagues. England, Spain and Italy have 20-team top divisions with lucrative broadcasting deals worldwide.
тАЬWe cannot move towards what they are taking about,тАЭ Tebas said. тАЬIt hasnтАЩt finished with the failure of this Super League company.тАЭ
The La Liga chief executive said European soccer needed no lessons from Madrid president Florentino P├йrez, BarcelonaтАЩs Joan Laporta and JuventusтАЩ Andrea Agnelli.
тАЬThey think that we are totally na├пve and stupid,тАЭ Tebas said, calling their clubs тАЬcomplete failures.тАЭ
UEFA this week opened disciplinary cases against the three Super League holdouts who face being banned from the Champions League. The clubs have taken their case to a court in Madrid.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
