Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has admitted that the European Super League is “on hold” after eight of the 12 clubs involved announced their retirement, although he said the current Champions League format was “obsolete” and claimed the reaction to the project was “as if we had killed football”.
Perez, one of the main instigators of the pro-independence competition, named as its first president, also rejected fan protests, such as those seen outside Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, saying there were only “40” fans involved and suggesting that they had been “mobilized” by Super League opponents.
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“I’m sad and disappointed,” Perez told Spanish radio show El Larguero, following Real’s 3-0 win over Cadiz. “We’ve been working on this project for three years … I’ve never seen so much aggression, it’s like being orchestrated, it surprised us all. I’ve been in football for twenty years, it’s an aggression I’ve never seen in my life “We’ve had threats, it’s like killing someone, killing football.”
The six Premier League clubs that had initially entered the competition (Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur) withdrew on Tuesday before Atletico Madrid and Internazionale followed suit. day later.
“Someone from the English group didn’t have much interest and that was contagious,” Perez said. “One of them was never convinced … [The English clubs] left because of the atmosphere. UEFA put on a show. It was like dropping an atomic bomb. We may not have presented it and explained it well, but they haven’t given us a chance either. “
Regarding protests outside Chelsea’s 0-0 Premier League draw with Brighton on Tuesday evening, Perez apparently inferred that League president Javier Tebas played a role in those demonstrations.
“There were 40 of them [Chelsea fans] and I can tell you who put them there, “he said.” The same person who gave Cadiz [anti-Super League] t-shirts, “Perez said in a veiled reference to Thebes.” This is not normal. Football is a world of values. “
Although AC Milan and Juventus issued statements on Wednesday in which they admitted that the competition was unlikely to continue as planned, Real Madrid and Barcelona had remained silent.
“The project is on hold,” Perez said. “Juventus has not left, neither has Milan. We are all together. Barcelona is reflecting. The first thing we agreed on yesterday was to stop, to explain, as we should have done from the beginning … Nobody has paid [a penalty to leave], the 12 are still there, they have not left. We signed a binding agreement after a lot of work. “
Perez insisted that the reduction in revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with declining interest from new generations of fans, must be met with radical changes in European football beyond those proposed by UEFA in its new Champions League format unveiled on Monday.
“[Big signings] it will not exist without the Superliga, “he said.” Not for Madrid or anyone. It is impossible if money does not flow. “
Perez denied this Real Madrid, which is a club owned by its members or partners, like Barcelona, should vote on the plans at its annual assembly.
“You think [the members] are you stupid “, He said.” If you tell them every Tuesday or Wednesday you will play against Manchester [United] or Barcelona … Won’t they prefer it? Don’t you think fans would prefer to play against big clubs from the start? Do you think I should ask them this? “