UEFA again unanimously REJECTS plans for a European Super League

UEFA met on Tuesday with A22 Sports, the company backing a proposed European Super League, in Nyon and again flatly rejected the idea of ​​a breakaway competition.

The meeting involved UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and officials from Europe’s top leagues during a meeting with A22 Sports’ new CEO Bernd Reichart and founders Anas Laghrari and John Hahn.

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, President of the European Club Association (ECA) and President of Paris Saint-Germain, as well as LaLiga President Javier Tebas, also attended the meeting, along with the CEOs of several clubs and representatives of supporters associations.

UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin met on Tuesday with A22 Sports, the company that continues to support the creation of a European Super League.

PSG chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi (left) and LaLiga chairman Javier Tebas (right) were at the meeting

“In line with the unity of European football, UEFA and participating football stakeholders have once again unanimously rejected the rationale of projects such as ESL during today’s discussion,” UEFA said in a statement.

“Participants were surprised to learn of the A22 Sports CEO’s claims that this company does not represent any club in any capacity, including the three clubs that continue to openly support the project.”

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus were among the 12 clubs to announce a break from the Super League last April, but after a hostile reaction from across the game, including fans and governments, the move immediately collapsed.

All six English clubs – Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – plus Inter Milan, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid withdrew from the project.

However, Real, Barca and Juve have gone ahead with the idea, and after a court in Madrid stopped UEFA from punishing the breakaway clubs, the case was referred to the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice.

UEFA added that English clubs did not attend the meeting on Tuesday as they were due to attend a Premier League shareholders’ meeting.

Fans rioted en masse to protest the formation of the controversial league in 2021

Reichart, the former CEO of media company RTL Deutschland, was appointed as the new CEO of A22 Sports Management last month and had said European football clubs were ‘lacking behind in their chances’.

While the original idea for the Super League suggested it would be a closed league of wealthy clubs, Reichart said there would be promotion and relegation.

Reichart said on Tuesday: “Our conclusion from the meeting was that the status quo is satisfactory for UEFA.

This position was foreseen as UEFA has been the sole dominant operator of European club competitions since 1955.

“This monopoly structure is currently under review by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which is expected to issue its conclusions in the spring of 2023.”

Tebas tweeted: ‘Spectacular! For A22 Sport [those from the Super League]“Real Betis and their fans cannot play in the Super League like so many clubs in Europe. “They say they don’t make money and their matches aren’t ‘interesting'” [crying face emoji]. What they need to learn.’

He added: ‘A22 will continue its efforts to reform football informed by the views of a wide range of stakeholders, including clubs, fans, players, leagues, policy makers and other parties.

“We are buoyed by the fact that we have already been approached and are in talks with many clubs who want to participate in this dialogue to develop a sustainable foundation for European club football.”

One of the most outspoken critics of a Super League breakout, Tebas recently tweeted, “Spectacular! For A22 Sports, Real Betis and their fans cannot play in the Super League like so many clubs in Europe.

“They say they don’t make any money and their matches aren’t ‘interesting’. What they need to learn.’