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Football London
Football London
Sport
Dave Powell & Bobby Vincent

UEFA double down on European Super League stance after Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham decision

UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin has said that clubs are allowed to enter the European Super League if they wish, but they will not be allowed to play in any UEFA competitions if that is the case.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham were the three London clubs who initially declared their interest in being involved in the breakaway league until mass protests from supporters up and down the country saw all three teams withdraw.

As well as the London trio, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid all dropped out of the plans for the controversial competition.

However, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are all said to remain interested in the Super League.

Those three clubs are reportedly still keen to form the league as they seek further revenue after a big loss in finances because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ceferin, though, is not keen to talk about it - as the UEFA president went on a strong rant.

Speaking at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit, Ceferin said: "I am tired of talking about this nonsense.

"First they try to launch during a pandemic, now we hear that they are trying to launch in the middle of a war. Do I have to speak more about these people? They obviously live in a parallel world.

Aleksander Ceferin has not held back when talking about the possible return of the European Super League dominating the headlines once again (Harold Cunningham - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

"While we are saving players together with other stakeholders, while we are working to help in a terrible situation, they work on a project like that.

"Honestly speaking, they can pay whoever they want to write that this is a nice project, that they are full of solidarity and give some charity to small clubs. This is a complete nonsense and everybody except them knows it.

"One of them even called me after and apologised. Now they go again. To them fans are customers, for us fans are fans. It is interesting that they are criticising UEFA and ECA, one of them (Gianni Agnelli) was chairman of the ECA. Fans aren't important to them as fans launched a petition, they don't care about that.

"Let me just say that they can play their own competition, nobody forbids them that. But if they play their own competition they cannot play our competition."

Back last month, Ceferin compared Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid to flat-earthers as they remain interested in the formation of the competition.

"I don't have a problem with them [Barcelona, Madrid and Juventus]," Ceferin told Le Journal du Dimanche. "But after they stabbed me and UEFA, I think it's up to them to call.

"In the same way that the earth is flat, they still think the Super League exists. At the same time, they were the first to sign up to play in the Champions League this season.

"A bit strange. But if they asked for a meeting, I would sit down. There's nothing personal behind it. But the only things we hear from them are lawsuits that have no place. They're trying to put pressure everywhere.

"Nobody wants it [the Super League] except the few who think that football is all about money."

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