The leader of European football clubs has insisted a renewed Super League push will be repelled as a court prepares to rule on the legality of a breakaway.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News, European Club Association (ECA) chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said fans will “never let it happen” and the “stupid plan” will not succeed.
The rival to the UEFA Champions League floundered within 48 hours of its launch in 2021 after a backlash by fans of English clubs and within Whitehall.
But Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid have refused to give up on the rebellion – pinning their hopes on the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that European governing body UEFA has an unfair monopoly and market dominance on the running of the club competitions.
A non-binding opinion by the ECJ advocate general is due next week from Luxembourg. Ahead of it, the board of the ECA umbrella organisation led by Paris Saint-Germain chairman Mr Al-Khelaifi is meeting later this week in Qatar during the World Cup.
It comes after a new venture – A22 – was launched, seemingly with the backing of Barcelona and Madrid, to advocate for a reshaped Super League apparently without the guaranteed places for elite teams that sparked such anger with the original proposal.
“The fans will never let it happen. Clubs will never let that happen,” Mr Al-Khelaifi said in an interview in his native Qatar.
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“I’m not really worried about the [court] decision. Even I think they will vote in our favour against it. But if not, it will not change anything.”
What if the court did rule in favour of the Super League?
“Nobody will join them. Nobody will go to the stadium, fans. Nobody will organise anything,” said Mr Al-Khelaifi, a member of UEFA’s ruling executive committee who also runs key Champions League broadcasting rights holder beIN Sports.
“Who is going to play – three of them? Fantastic. Fantastic Super League.”
UEFA maintains the importance of running competitions that are open to all in a pyramid structure, providing funding throughout football – from the grassroots to the elite.
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UEFA has ceded some control of the Champions League by forming a joint venture with the ECA to sell commercial and television rights.
Pressed on the case by the rebel clubs, Mr Al-Khelaifi said: “I don’t understand them saying monopoly and it’s just their kind of lobbying and their PR which is the most stupid PR I saw in my life.”
It is unclear whether Italian club Juventus is still part of three clubs that still clung to the Super League after it collapsed last year, saying they can create more exciting games and generate increased revenue for clubs. The board of Juventus, including former ECA chief Andrea Agnelli, resigned last week amid an investigation by Turin prosecutors into alleged false accounting.
Juventus – along with Barcelona and Real Madrid – lost their membership of the ECA, which helps to shape the Champions League as part of a joint venture with UEFA.
But Mr Al-Khelaifi is going to ask the new Juventus leadership to rejoin the ECA and “just forget this stupid plan”.
He said: “I hope there will be smarter people there and I’d love to invite them to come back to the family.
“That’s what we want and I think (Juventus holding company CEO) John Elkann is a very smart, very nice guy. I know him and I’m going to have a chat with him.”
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Juventus and Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage last month, although Real Madrid is still in contention.
Mr Al-Khelaifi said: “Why are they still playing the Champions League if they don’t want? If they are really criticising the Champions League, let’s leave the Champions League – go play by yourself… play a Super Cup between the three of you.”
But Madrid are still pursuing glory in the UEFA competition – winning the Champions League last season by beating Liverpool in the final.
Mr Al-Khelaifi congratulated Madrid but said: “If I don’t like something, I say, ‘I don’t like it and I’m not going to do it.'”
Asked if the Super League idea has been killed off, he said: “Definitely. That’s gone.”
