UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has compared the stances of Liverpool and Manchester United against their Premier League rivals over the failed plan to create a European Super League two years ago.
Next month will mark the second anniversary of the attempts of 12 of European football’s biggest clubs to form a breakaway competition, a move that ended in abject failure just 48 hours on from its launch on the eve of the UEFA executive committee meeting that was to be focused on Champions League reform.
Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan had all initially signed up to the project until a fierce backlash from fans, governing bodies, governments and the wider football community kicked the proposals into touch.
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Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus have remained espoused to the idea of the Super League, becoming embroiled in a legal wrangling with UEFA in a bid to pave the way for a similar competition to be delivered in the future, challenging what they see as a monopoly held by European football’s governing body.
In the hours following the collapse of the ESL in April 2021, and facing an angry reaction from the club's supporters, Liverpool principal owner John W. Henry addressed fans via a recorded video link where he apologised for dragging the Reds into the ESL conversation, shouldering the burden of blame for Fenway Sports Group’s part in the plan.
Following the decision to renounce the Super League, a Supporters Board was created at Liverpool, with representatives from the Spirit of Shankly and other fan groups, that would have the power of consent over any future proposals related to club traditions, including plans that may arise for another breakaway competition.
The Reds have sought to distance themselves from the ESL topic over the past 18 months, having reaffirmed the position of no longer wishing to be involved with the plans, although unpicking the legal framework of the initial launch and the commitment that the 12 clubs had made is a continuing process for most of the nine clubs that decided to exit the process two years ago.
Ceferin, in an interview for The Overlap with Gary Neville, with comments appearing via The Times, revealed that Chelsea and Man City were hesitant when it came to the ESL, with Liverpool and Man United more keen at the time, stating that they were “very much involved”.
Ceferin said: “Two clubs (Ceferin confirming they were Chelsea and Manchester City) were hesitating in England very much, they said we want to stay friends with you, we will be friends with you from within.
“I had a phone call from one of the English clubs, I will not say which. I lost it a bit and said, ‘you go to hell, from tomorrow you are my enemies I don’t want to speak to you any more’. It was tough.”
The UEFA president, who came in for fierce criticism from Liverpool fans recently for his organisation's failure over the chaotic scenes that marred the Champions League final last year, went on to address the continued push for a breakaway ESL competition, stating that it is something that could not happen without the buy-in of Premier League teams, something that looks almost impossible at present.
“I am not worried about that, I think the Premier League is doing a good job and the other leagues should do a better job,” he said.
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