Laporta sees it viable to start Super League in “one or two years”

Joan Laportapresident of FC Barcelonaassured this Monday that if the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is deciding the position of UEFA and the FIFA is contrary to European competition rules, the Super League Football could be a reality in a year or two. In an interview with EFE, Reporter He is in favor of maintaining a dialogue with UEFA if the Luxembourg-based court considers that the current European club competitions are against EU antitrust laws.

“If this happens, the first thing we need to do is start a period of reflection with UEFA. It should be done this way. UEFA should have the opportunity to participate in this new competition. The pace of the project is it depends on the dialogue, but in one or two years we will be able to run the Super League,” he explained. Reporterwho hoped that this dialogue would be “calm and constructive.”

The Barça president’s comments come with just days to go before the CJEU delivers its verdict. The Court will publish this Thursday, December 21, its answers to preliminary questions raised by the court in Madrid, which asked the EU’s highest administrative instance to clarify whether FIFA and UEFA abused a dominant position through of blocking the threat of sanctions to create an alternative contest, the Super League.

The letter, which cannot be appealed, comes a year after the general counsel assigned to the case, Athanasios Rantos, ruled that FIFA and UEFA had not abused their powers, a setback for the tournament they promoted. . some of the biggest clubs in Europe still support Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

For Reporterif the decision “ends the monopoly that currently exists” in continental football, the clubs will organize a new “more attractive” competition for the fans, all without forgetting the economic injection that will say it for the teams participating in it.

“The aim is for it to be more sustainable and for more clubs to benefit from the competitions in which they participate. This problem exists and, if it continues on the same path, football will end up in the hands of state clubs or some. clubs dominated by private people, millionaires and the state. This problem needs to be redirected,” he said. Reporterwho also taught that the Super League It will promote “meritocracy with promotions and relegations”, which will have a positive effect “on sports competitiveness” among the participants.

The project of Super League European football, legally constituted as a Spanish company with the name of European Super League Company (ESLC) and sponsored by the company A22 Sports Managementwas announced in April 2021 with the initial support of a dozen top clubs from Spain, England and Italy but finally the FC Barcelona and the real Madrid as advocates of new competition.