LaLiga's president Javier Tebas has launched a scathing attack on the fresh European Super League (ESL) proposals and has urged fans: "Don't be fooled."
It was announced on Thursday that a new version of the controversial competition will be launched - nearly two years after the initial project collapsed within 48 hours. It is being led by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus - three of the original 12 ESL clubs.
The new proposals include no permanent members and a multi-divisional format that will include between 60 and 80 clubs, with each team playing a minimum of 14 games per season. The ESL is a direct rival to UEFA's competitions, thus causing a legal battle.
The ESL's latest announcement has received mixed reviews. The main complaint with the initial idea was it removed Europe's traditional promotion and relegation structure by having 12 permanent members - including six from the Premier League.
As this is no longer a factor, more fans may be willing to back the idea. Yet many critics - including LaLiga's president Tebas - still view the ESL as a power grab by Europe's elite. He has called it the "latest attempt to hijack European football by the big clubs".
In an op-ed for The Athletic, Tebas has insisted the ESL would "end the national championships" by bringing "sporting and economic destruction of the domestic leagues".
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Tebas believes there is no need to scrap UEFA's existing three-tournament structure of the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League. It would be virtually impossible for these competitions to exist alongside the ESL.
Tebas, who has been in charge of LaLiga since 2013, has identified the popularity of these tournaments. He writes: "This brings emotion and passion for fans across the continent. Nobody starts the national competition having anything assured."
The Spanish administrator has described the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League as competitions that sit "horizontally" above the domestic leagues, with the ESL being labelled a "vertical model". This could be disputed, as the winners of the Europa League and Europa Conference League are promoted.
Tebas has also criticised A22 Sports Managment's chief executive Bernd Reichart. A22 are the company in charge of promoting the ESL, with Reichart insisting "it is time for change" during a recent interview with German newspaper Welt.
Tebas added: "Mr Reichart is the new face of a coup by the big clubs to seize full control and turn European football into a sport for the elite, not for everyone... Do Mr Reichart and his friends think they are the smartest, and the rest - UEFA, federations, leagues, clubs and fans - the dumbest?"
Furthermore, Tebas believes the big clubs are holding the governing bodies European football "hostage" to secure more money and power for themselves. Tebas has been a vocal critic of the ESL since its initial launch in April 2021.
