Barcelona maintains support of Super League despite backlash

Both Juventus and AC Milan left open the possibility of joining a Super League at a later date in its statements on Wednesday.

Published : Apr 22, 2021 21:03 IST , BARCELONA

Barcelona president Joan Laporta maintained his support for the Super League on Thursday despite the quick exit of 10 of the 12 founding club in the breakaway competition.

The Super League, which provoked a backlash by other club, fans and authorities around Europe, was announced by a dozen top club in England, Spain and Italy on Sunday, but it quickly collapsed and is now officially backed only by Barcelona and Real Madrid.

“It is absolutely necessary,” Laporta said on Catalan public television in his first public comments on the project. “The biggest club create the most financial resources and we must have our say in deciding how the earnings are shared.”

The six English club involved in the competition pulled out Tuesday amid escalating backlash from its supporters and warnings from the British government. A day later, Spanish club Atlético Madrid and the three Italian team in the project — Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan — also opted out.

READ |

Despite being left nearly alone, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez — the competition’s supposed first chairman — said late Wednesday that the idea was not dead, but rather on standby.

Both Juventus and AC Milan left open the possibility of joining a Super League at a later date in its statements on Wednesday.

Barcelona's finances has been hard hit by the pandemic, which has compounded problems in a budget that was already loaded by the highest payroll in football last season. The 12 elite club wanted to boost its revenues by cutting UEFA out of the equation and replacing the Champions League with the new tournament of 20 team, including 15 team who would always play in it.

Barcelona’s participation was conditioned by Laporta’s pledge to let the club’s members vote on the proposal.

“We are keeping a prudent stance," Laporta said. "It is a necessity, but our club members will have the final word.”

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment