MONTREUX (Switzerland) • Fifa and Uefa yesterday joined forces to universally condemn the breakaway European Super League, warning of "consequences" if the 12 clubs continue down their path, but offering an olive branch should the plan be rescinded.
Speaking at Uefa's congress, the European body's president Aleksander Ceferin told the English Premier League's "Big Six" clubs that they had made a "huge mistake", urging them to think again.
The Slovenian also criticised the attitude of owners, who he said view the game as a "product" and fans as "consumers" but appealed for common sense to prevail.
"Some will say it is greed, others disdain, arrogance or complete ignorance of England's football culture, but actually it doesn't matter," he said. "What matters is that there is still time to change your mind, everyone makes mistakes. Correct your mistake, turn back, come to your senses.
"Not out of love for football - because I imagine some of you (owners) don't have much of that - but out of respect for those who bleed themselves dry so that they can go to the stadium to support their team and want the dream to be kept alive. Do it out of respect for the English people, for the home of football."
Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal have signed up as permanent members of the 12-team Super League along with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus. Three more clubs are expected to join shortly, with an August start date mooted.
Major French and German clubs - such as last year's Champions League winner Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain - have distanced themselves from the idea.
The group of 12 are proposing to leave Uefa's competitions - the Champions League and Europa League - in favour of a new money-spinning competition with an initial shared pot of €3.5 billion (S$5.6 billion), with JP Morgan financing the project.
The Financial Times earlier reported the Super League's organisers have held early discussions with companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Disney and Sky to secure deals that would raise annual revenues worth €4 billion, but Sky and Facebook have since denied any talks amid outrage.
The plan has provoked fury as critics from fans, pundits, politicians, managers and players - past and present - believe it will have a knock-on effect and devalue the domestic competitions.
The fear is that it may render the current fight to make Europe via a league or cup finish obsolete while diverting funds to a group that is already collectively worth US$37.2 billion (S$49.4 billion).
While Ceferin's comments make clear the door is open for the clubs to get back in line with Uefa - three Super League clubs are in the Champions League semi-finals next week, while another two are in the last four of the Europa League - he was highly critical of the concept of a closed league with permanent membership for elite clubs.
"For some, supporters have become consumers, fans have become customers and competitions have become products," he said.
He also urged the clubs to recall their past as not all of them have always enjoyed lofty positions. "The big clubs today were not necessarily big clubs in the past, and there is no guarantee that they will be big clubs in the future," he added. "Football is dynamic, unpredictable. This is what makes it a beautiful game. This is what makes it is so popular, successful... some do not understand, they see only changes in their bank accounts."
Speaking at the same congress, Fifa president Gianni Infantino lent his support to Uefa as it attempts to quash an initiative that threatens its prized competitions, which generated €3.2 billion in TV revenue in 2018-19, and the health of domestic leagues.
"It is our task to protect the European sport model, so if some elect to go their own way then they must live with the consequences of their choices," the Swiss-Italian said. "Concretely, this means either you're in or you're out."
The uneven Champions League revenue is one of the bugbears that has led to the creation of the Super League. The 12 clubs generate a disproportionate amount of the revenue and want a greater slice of the €3.25 billion in 2019-20.
They also question why Uefa redistributes some of that to smaller clubs and football associations, and the expanded 36-team format to take place from 2024 means more money will be split up.
With that in mind, Uefa is reportedly in discussions with global investment firm Centricus Asset Management over a €6 billion financing package to not only fund the reformat but may also address the concerns raised by the elite.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
