La Liga rejects 'egotistical' Super League
In a statement on Monday La Liga tore into the newly proposed Super League, of which three of its clubs are founder members, labelling the move "selfish" and "egotistical".
Published : Apr 19, 2021 16:42 IST
Spain's football league, La Liga, and a host of its clubs have added their name to a long list of institutions rejecting the idea of a European Super League.
In a statement on Monday La Liga tore into the newly proposed Super League, of which three of its clubs are founder members, labelling the move "selfish" and "egotistical".
Real Madrid, whose president Florentino Perez has also been named president of the Super League, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are three of the 12 Founding Clubs of the proposed new European competition, which was announced on Sunday.
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La Liga president Javier Tebas has been a long-standing critic of the idea of a European-wide league. La Liga has condemned the proposals, and has said it is willing to do whatever is necessary to block its implementation.
"The newly proposed top European competition is nothing more than a selfish, egotistical proposal designed to further enrich the already super rich," a statement read.
"It will undermine the appeal of the whole game and have a deeply damaging impact on the immediate and future of La Liga, its member clubs, and all the entire footballing ecosystem.
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"In addition, the breakaway league threatens the rest of Spanish sports to which, in the current season, La Liga will contribute more than 126 million euros as part of its agreement with the Spanish government and the Spanish FA.
"This destruction of the European football ecosystem will also ultimately cause the failure of this new competition and its participating clubs, which have built their success based on the achievement of sports titles and triumphs, which will now be more limited.
"We use all measures at our disposal and work with all stakeholders to defend the integrity and future of Spanish football in the best interests of the game," it added.
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La Liga sides Valencia, Real Betis, Villarreal, Cadiz, Levante, Osasuna, Valladolid and Eibar all either released separate statements co-signed by La Liga or publicly backed the league's stance on social media.
Reuters contacted Champions League and La Liga headline sponsors Santander, as well as television rights holders for European football in Spain, Telefonica, but both declined to comment on the developments.
- Spain's sports minister says changes to football leagues should be by agreement -
Spain's Sports minister Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes said on Monday that changes to football leagues should be made by agreement, after 12 leading European clubs shocked the football world by announcing the formation of a breakaway Super League.
Rodriguez Uribes said he would talk to those who proposed then new project and with UEFA before taking a position. Any changes should respect sporting values and not damage existing Spanish leagues or the national squad, he added.