European Super League plan 'ignorant' and 'drawn up in a bar at 5am'

The controversial proposals which could change the shape of football have been met with stinging criticism

12:55pm on Wednesday 21st October 2020
By Paul Macdonald

La Liga president Javier Tebas has branded controversial European Premier League proposals under control of FIFA as 'a plan that was drawn up in a bar at five in the morning'.

On Tuesday it emerged that Liverpool and Manchester United, in conjunction with other powerful European clubs, were plotting a breakaway tournament separate from the UEFA Champions League and under FIFA's control

The new league competition would involve the elite clubs from each country and would be played during the regular domestic season.

But there has been fierce criticism of the plans from most quarters, particularly from fans groups, and Tebas has added his opinion, saying that the idea is 'ignorant'.

He said: “The authors of that idea - if they really exist, because there is nobody actually defending it - not only show a total ignorance of the organisation and customs of European and world football, but also a serious ignorance of the audiovisual rights markets.

“A project of this type will mean serious economic damage to the organisers themselves and to those entities that finance it, if they exist, because they’re never official. These ‘underground’ projects only look good when drafted at a bar at five in the morning.”

Man Utd & Liverpool defeated as Project Big Picture is dead

Manchester Utd and Liverpool have went back to the drawing board after being forced to back down on their initiative called 'Project Big Picture' which would have seen them being given more power than 'smaller' teams in English football.

The proposals for that were ultimately thrown out after a unanimous verdict from all 20 Premier League teams, but this revelation just days later suggests that both clubs are keen for reform.

Meanwhile the organisers of the European Super League are aiming to receive the initial funds from Wall Street bank JP Morgan, with repayments arriving via renewed, more lucrative broadcast contracts.

But with both Man United and Liverpool members of the European Club Association headed up by Andrea Agnelli and who signed a revised agreement with UEFA until 2024, it would appear difficult for such a groundbreaking change to happen any time soon.

In a statement on Tuesday, UEFA said of the proposals: “The principles of solidarity, of promotion, relegation and open leagues are non-negotiable.

“It is what makes European football work and the Champions League the best sports competition in the world. UEFA and the clubs are committed to build on such strength not to destroy it to create a super league of 10, 12, even 24 clubs, which would inevitably become boring.”

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