The football world has been in turmoil since the announcement of the creation of a semi-closed "Super League" aimed at competing with the Champions League.
The twelve clubs behind the project - Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona - have come under fire from football authorities. , governments and supporters.
>> To read also: Less risks and more money: the real objective of the clubs for the "Super league"
The first concerned, the players, begin to speak. If the illustrious veterans of the round ball shoot red balls on the project, the active players are more timid - probably for fear of reprisals. The boss of European football, Aleksander Ceferin, has indeed warned that the clubs and players involved in this project will be banned "as soon as possible" from all competitions organized by UEFA as well as from the FIFA World Cup. The players who would vote in favor of the Super League could therefore be refused to play the footballing Grail of the World Cup with their national selection. Conversely, by deciding against, they would expose themselves to a sanction from the management of their club.
An uncomfortable position which did not prevent the first opinions from emerging even within the founding clubs of the "Super League".
In the afternoon following the announcement of the project, Portugal's Bruno Fernandes, a Manchester United midfielder, was one of the first players from one of the clubs concerned to take a stand against the new competition.
For Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes, the Champions League dream cannot be bought © Screenshot, Instagram
On his Instagram account, he shared, adding the mention "dreams cannot be bought", the publication of his compatriot from Wolverhampton, Daniel Podence, who expressed his attachment to the Champions League evoking "the volley of Zidane" or the dramatic Champions League final in 1999, when Manchester United knocked down Bayern in added time.
The Manchester United player can count on the support of illustrious former "Red Devils". Gary Neville did not mince his words when he learned of the existence of this project: "I am a Manchester United supporter, and I have been for 40 years of my life, but now I have to say that I am disgusted, really disgusted by Manchester United and Liverpool. Liverpool, they claim that 'you will never walk alone' [referring to the club's anthem: 'You'll never walk alone', Editor's note] Manchester United was born thanks to workers from the region, and they are putting this club in a league without competition, from which they cannot be relegated. It is an absolute disgrace. And honestly, we have to reclaim the power in this country from the top clubs. ,and that includes my club, ”he criticized.
⚽ 🇪🇺 [#SuperLeague] Gary Neville: “Liverpool, they say, 'you'll never walk alone', 'the people's club'.
Man Utd, 100, born to workers here.
It's a shame.
“It's a criminal act against football fans.” # NoSuperLeague
pic.twitter.com/eNEmWa71Pg
- FC RAP 🎤⚽ (@ 7Fcrap) April 18, 2021
"It's a criminal act against the fans, a shame, they are crooks!", He then got carried away.
"Let them be severely punished. Dissuasive fines, withdrawals of points, that their titles be taken away from them!", He stormed on Sky in a furious three-minute monologue.
"To speak of a Super League is to move away from 70 years of European football. [...] In my time, at United, we played four Champions League finals and they have always been the nights the most special [...] Fans around the world love the competition as it is ", for his part told Reuters, the iconic Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of the club between 1986 and 2013, who assures not have been consulted by management on the subject.
Klopp and Milner versus
On the Liverpool side, German coach Jürgen Klopp, winner in 2019 of the competition with the "Reds", assured that he had "not changed his mind" on the issue, he who had spoken against in the past.
"My dream has always been to train a team there, so I obviously have no problem with the current Champions League," he said, on the sidelines of a Liverpool meeting against Leeds (1-1 ). "I like the competitive aspect in football, I like the idea that West Ham (currently 4th and virtually qualified for C1) can play in the Champions League next year. I don't want that. they're there, to be honest, because we want to be there, but I like them to have a chance. "
Jurgen Klopp, about the Super League: "It's a hard blow. I can understand that the public does not like it (...) Neither the players nor I were consulted (...). love that West Ham can qualify for next season, even though I don't feel like it "https://t.co/vUZhIyOOAL
- Sébastien Riglet (@SebastienRiglet) April 19, 2021
After the meeting, James Milner, one of the vice-captains of the Reds, was even more direct.
"It raises a lot of questions. My personal opinion is that I don't like it and I hope that it will not be done", he blurted out, concise, at the microphone of Sky
At Leeds, Liverpool have in any case perhaps had a taste of what awaits the other five Premier League sides involved in the project - the two Manchester and the three Londoners, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal - when they play. outside. The Leeds players wore a t-shirt with the inscription "Deserve it!" [the qualification in C1, Editor's note] in front and "Football belongs to the fans" in the back, during the warm-up, while a plane pulling a banner "#SayNoToSuperLeague" ("Say no to the Super League") has flew over the stadium just before the match.
🏴 On the sidelines of the match between Leeds and Liverpool, many supporters gathered in front of Elland Road to demonstrate against the Super League, under the slogan of #SayNoToSuperLeague and "RIP LFC".
pic.twitter.com/yOd2z5keq7
- RMC Sport (@RMCsport) April 19, 2021
"If this Super League comes to fruition, all these dreams will disappear"
Among the active players, the French world champion Benjamin Pavard recalled "the indescribable emotions" aroused by the current Champions League which he won with Bayern last season, while his club refused to be part of the project.
"These are indescribable emotions as a player, incredible memories as a fan. It is a competition that all players and all clubs must be able to aspire to if they deserve it," he explained on his Twitter account.
It's not just a patch on a sleeve.
These are indescribable emotions as a player, incredible memories as a fan.
It's a competition that all players and clubs should be able to aspire to if they deserve it ❤️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/PCWHT7eQXl
- Benjamin Pavard 5 (@ BenPavard28) April 19, 2021
"Children dream of winning the World Cup or the Champions League, not just any Super League," adds Mesut Özil, also 2014 world champion with the Mannschaft.
"The pleasure of big matches is that you play one or two a year, not every week," sighs the former Arsenal.
>> To read also: Can PSG really say no to the Super League project?
Ander Herrera, PSG player, vibrates with the same emotions: "I fell in love with popular football, football for supporters, with the dream of seeing the club of my heart playing against the greatest teams. If this Super League materializes, all these dreams will disappear (...) The rich have stolen what people have created, and which is nothing other than the most beautiful sport on the planet ".
pic.twitter.com/C9zV59zJxH
- Ander Herrera (@AnderHerrera) April 19, 2021
Ada Hegerberg, who has won the Women's Champions League five times with Olympique Lyonnais, also said the Super League project was based on greed.
"I grew up loving the Champions League, then I played in the Women's Champions League," she said.
“Then I won five and became the top scorer of all time. It's a legacy. It's the past, present and future, just like meritocracy in sport. Greed. is not the future. "
I grew up loving the @ChampionsLeague.
Then I got to play in the @UWCL.
Then I got to win 5 of them and become the all-time leading goalscorer.
It's legacy.
It's the past, present, and future, so is meritocracy in sports.
Greed is not the future.
pic.twitter.com/8cLlCbMnQd
- Ada S Hegerberg (@AdaStolsmo) April 19, 2021
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