Disgraced former Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli has admitted that his European Super League plan is being driven by a desire to bring down the Premier League.
Agnelli, 47, who is being investigated by Italian police over a financial scandal that saw him banned from football for two years, was one of the powerbrokers of the original ESL initiative.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham all signed up for the new competition in 2021 before pulling out after a furious backlash from fans. Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona continue to support the initiative. And Agnelli has admitted: “Only the Premier League is growing and growing - and is already a glorified Super League.
“They raise about four billion euros a year, Spain about half, Germany 1.5 billion and the Netherlands 100 million euros. English dominance also threatens European football.
“In the Champions League, from the quarter-finals onwards, it's all about the English clubs and three, four others like Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern Munich, with the occasional outsider like Ajax in 2019. That predictability is the death knell for any league.”
The three rebel clubs are taking their case to the European Court of Human Justice after UEFA threatened them with severe penalties for continuing to push for the ESL.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Agnelli said: “Apart from the lack of financial stability, the winners are too often known in advance in many competitions, national and international.
“Mostly because of the revenue clubs get from their home market. England leads the way in this and see how lavishly the Premier League is represented in the final stages of European tournaments.
“With Spain right behind it and a few like Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. But relevant to a sports competition is that every participant has a chance to win.”
