Clubs contradict Barcelona president Joan Laporta over Super League involvement
The Barcelona president’s claim has been rejected by several clubs
FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta is one of the main boosters of the European Super League concept, but his attempt to show off how much support the idea has is backfiring.
Some of it may have been lost in translation, to be fair. But regardless, the fallout has been embarrassing for the SuperLeague.
“Whether or not the English come, I don’t care. They already have a SuperLeague with the Premier League,” Laporta said during an interview with RAC1 when asked if the British teams would join the European SuperLeague.
“In addition to Barça and Real Madrid, there would be the Italians: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Napoli, and AS Roma. Also French teams such as Olympique de Marseille, and the three Portuguese, Sporting CP, SL Benfica, and FC Porto, who would be delighted to come.
“And there are the Dutch teams (AFC Ajax, Feyenoord, and PSV) and Bruges and Anderlecht from Belgium. A 16-team competition would be better… any team in La Liga, except Atlético Madrid.
“The players, the agents, UEFA, and the state clubs are getting rich, they are playing wherever they want, while the clubs are ruining us. We are not getting enough, from the Europe’s top competition.”
AS Roma, Feyenoord, Marseille, and AFC Ajax are just some of the clubs to publicly refute the claim that they have already agreed to sign onto the SuperLeague. The statements made by the clubs sometimes used harsh language, calling it “nonsense” and “wild claims.”
Going over Laporta’s initial claims, it’s unclear if he meant that those teams had signed onto the SuperLeague project or if he was merely listing possible allies he’d hope to secure.
Others have said that it’s possible that the clubs will not publicly divulge that they support the SuperLeague project, as they could face penalties of some kind from UEFA for “rebelling.”
Regardless, Laporta’s latest comments were a bit careless and the PR damage the SuperLeague is receiving right now is evident.
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