Paris (AFP)
Even before the officialization Monday at midnight of the creation of the "Super League" by twelve English, Spanish and Italian clubs, the project was already arousing hostility from the football world and from political leaders:
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"Enough is enough"
"We will remain united in the aim of putting an end to this cynical project, a project based on the personal interest of a few at a time when society is more than ever in search of solidarity," UEFA said in a statement. press release Sunday.
"We will consider all possible remedies, at all levels, legal as sporting, to prevent this. Football is based on open competition and on sporting merit, it cannot be otherwise," she continued. .
And to recall the possible sanctions: "the clubs concerned will be prohibited from participating in any other competition at national, European or world level, and their players could be refused the possibility of representing their national team".
"This persistent concern of a few for their sole interest has lasted too long. Too much is too much," concluded the European football governing body.
Fifa, for its part, reacted after the announcement of the promoters of the "Super League" to say that it could "only disapprove of a closed and dissident European League outside the structures of football".
"Fifa is always positioned in favor of unity in world football and calls on all parties involved in heated discussions to engage in a calm, constructive and balanced dialogue for the good of this game", recalled the world body.
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"Destroy a dream"
For the Premier League, which hosts the very profitable and follow-up English Championship, "supporters of any club in England and across Europe can currently dream of their team being able to climb to the top and play against the best clubs".
"We believe the concept of the Super League would destroy that dream," she said.
For the German Football League, "the economic interest of a few top-level clubs in England, Italy and Spain should not lead to the creation of a European superstructure, this would be particularly irresponsible and would have an irreparable impact on the championships national ".
"The hegemonic dreams of an oligarchy will result in the disappearance of a European system which has allowed football to develop without precedent on the European continent", for their part, estimated the French Football Federation and the Professional Football League.
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"A VIP club of a few powerful"
The "Super League" project has also made politicians in France and Great Britain react.
"The President of the Republic welcomes the position of French clubs to refuse to participate in a project of a European football super league threatening the principle of solidarity and sporting merit. The French State will support all the steps taken by the LFP, the FFF , UEFA, and FIFA to protect the integrity of federal competitions, whether national or European, "the Elysee told AFP.
"A system without sporting criteria for accession which brings together a VIP club of a few powerful represents not only the negation of sporting merit but also a real danger for the world of football", declared the Minister for Sports Roxana Maracineanu in a communicated press release. to AFP.
For British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this project "would be very damaging for football": "It would hit our national football right in the heart and cause concern among fans across the country," he tweeted.
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"Disgusted"
Former Manchester United player and former England international Gary Neville did not mince words when he learned of the existence of this project: "I am disgusted, it is an absolute shame, I must take back the power that we took these clubs and that also concerns my club "Manchester United, he hoped.
© 2021 AFP