By Samindra Kunti in Brussels
January 12 – La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for “less declaration, more regulation” from European institutions of the continent’s sports model to prevent the Super League proposition from its continual resurfacing as a threat to football.
Anticipating the full verdict from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in spring, Tebas (pictured) said in defense of the European sport model: “Regardless of the ruling, we need to demand our European legislators to transcribe that into European directives. The European Union needs to pronounce on this and regulate the European sports model. Less declaration, more regulation.’
“This risk is going to continue for many years,” warned Tebas.
“The big European clubs have been putting pressure on UEFA, the institution that should maintain the competitive balance in Europe – if you don’t give us more, we are going to leave. They have ruined it – let’s not build up a sports model based on 20 clubs and 200 players. This is happening in football – lets maintain the one we have, defend it. If not the 15th of March (the moment from which the court can deliver a full verdict) will just be another phase in this battle.”
Last year, a cabal of clubs launched European Super League plans that disintegrated within 48 hours following widespread fan condemnation and protests from within football’s stakeholders against a closed breakaway league that would have fundamentally altered the outlook of the game.
But the Super League movers have returned in the form of A22 with Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus refusing to let the idea die.
The advocate general of the European Court of Justice delivered a major blow to Super League ambitions with his opinion, siding with UEFA in its role as the continent’s club competition organiser. It’s expected that the court will follow the opinion of the advocate general which was drawn from straightforward case law.
As ever, Tebas was in a robust mood, at an event in Brussels today, attacking Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and calling the Super League cabal ‘thieves’. Tebas said: “They are trying to deceive us with promotion and relegation. A22 is not a philanthropic company. They are not trying to improve European football. We should have open competition to guarantee protection and sustainability in European sports.”
“The highest representative of European Super League is Florentino Perez,” continued Tebas.
“I know exactly what he thinks about football and how it would like it to be: he wants the richest to govern football and distribute the money how they feel suitable. They think that they generate more money. We have come to save football, said Florentino Perez. Real Madrid has the historic view of saving football, he said. This is an attack on the European sports model, that is one part UEFA, one part the league, one part the fans, it is a complete attack on the European football model. The Super League will destroy the national leagues.”
Listing his grievances with zeal, including taking a swipe at how the ECA does not represent European football clubs, Tebas compared the Super League to a thief in the night at his house and argued that redistribution should be considered in the future. “I will be bashing (the thieves) with a walking stick. They want to steal from us, with our money,” said Tebas.
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