UEFA slams ´greedy´ Super League backers for jeopardising football´s future after Nyon meeting

UEFA has hit out at the “greedy plan” to revive the Super League following Tuesday’s meeting with the competition’s backers A22 Sports, accusing them of jeopardising the future of football.

It was revealed last month that Bernd Reichart was heading up plans for a revival of the Super League, which retains the support of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus following a failed launch in April 2021.

On Tuesday, UEFA announced it had reaffirmed its opposition to the Super League project at a meeting requested by A22, which was attended by several big-name executives including Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Bayern Munich chief executive Oliver Kahn.

However, European football’s governing body was infuriated by a subsequent statement from A22, accusing UEFA of seeking to preserve the “status quo” and possessing a monopoly over continental competitions.

UEFA then released a second statement of its own, saying A22 had disrespected football’s organisers and possessed no concrete plans for a new Super League format.

“A22 Sports Management has published an account of their visit to UEFA Headquarters in Nyon today. UEFA is currently checking the recording to see if they are talking about the same meeting,” the statement began.

“The ‘other executives’ they refer to were not faceless bureaucrats but senior stakeholders from across European football; players, clubs, leagues and fans, people who live and breathe the game every day. To fail to recognise that is disrespectful.

Our CEO Bernd Reichart shares his findings on today’s meeting with #UEFA in Nyon in this video pic.twitter.com/FQuNh6VRb7

— A22 Sports (@A22Sports) November 8, 2022

“If there is a ‘takeaway’ from today, it should be that the whole of European football opposes their greedy plan, as was clearly communicated in our media release.

“European football has constantly demonstrated its openness to change, but it must be for the benefit of the whole game, not just a few clubs.

“A22 wanted dialogue, so we gave them two-and-a-half hours of time from all of the game’s stakeholders, and each one rejected their approach.

“As the Football Supporters’ Association said, the UK has had as many Prime Ministers in the last two months as they have supporters of their plans.

“They claim not to represent the three remaining clubs. They refuse to define what their alleged new approach is. They claim to want dialogue. But when presented with the chance, they have nothing to say.

“The time for real dialogue is tomorrow, when the Convention on the Future of European Football reconvenes here in Nyon.

“National associations, clubs, leagues, coaches, players, fans, agents and administrators will gather to discuss the real issues facing the game, not to spend time indulging bankers and marketing executives on ideas that put the future of the world’s favourite game in jeopardy.”

A22 Sports Management has published an account of their visit to UEFA HQ in Nyon today.

If there is a “takeaway” from the meeting, it should be that the whole of European football opposes their plan.

Full reaction:

— UEFA (@UEFA) November 8, 2022