Aleksander Ceferin (left) and Andrea Agnelli claimed they are united.GETTY IMAGES
Proposed plans for a breakaway European Super League are "fiction," the two "most powerful officials" in European football said, according to Richard Conway of the BBC. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and European Club Association Chair Andrea Agnelli said that they are "united" despite recently leaked documents "claiming secret talks had been held" over the creation of a new elite league. Ceferin: "The Super League will not happen. It is in a way a fiction now or a dream." Agnelli, who is also chair of Juventus -- one of the teams reported to be a potential founding member of the Super League -- added, "I can confirm we have never seen, never discussed, never been involved in the creation of this document. We are fully engaged with UEFA in shaping the game going forward." Ceferin and Agnelli "are adamant that the top clubs will stay" within UEFA and that detailed talks are underway to find "solutions" -- including changes to the format of the Champions League to secure a more lucrative broadcasting deal. Ceferin: "We have some ideas. All I can say is that any Super League is out of the question." A new third European competition with 32 teams will be "rubber-stamped" at a UEFA meeting in Dublin early next month. With the Champions League, Europa League and the new third contest, "a total of 96 teams will compete once pre-qualifying is completed." Ceferin said that it will be the "beginning of wider European competition" and that clubs and national associations "appreciate it" (BBC, 11/19). REUTERS reported Ceferin said that UEFA "needed to make sure that emerging football markets were able to tap in" to the tournaments. He said, "We have to think about Poland with 60 million people. We have to think about [countries like] Turkey, we have to think about Russia. Fans can rest assured that if we put our hands to making a new product, it's because we want to make sure that fans across Europe engage" (REUTERS, 11/20).
BY THE BOOK: Conway also reported FFP needs to be more "robust" and the rules are "weak" in certain areas, Ceferin said. He said, "I don't want to speak about Man City or PSG but for any club, the rules have to be strong and clear. We will act by the book, by the regulations. We know that we have to modernize. We know we have to check the rules and regulations all the time. We know that the situation in the football market is changing all the time. So that's also part of our thinking for the future -- do we have to do something about the regulations to be more robust? Yes" (BBC, 11/20).
