Alexander Ceferin received the Super League negotiator (and gave him a little surprise)

Super League supporters are not giving up. This Tuesday, Bernd Reichart, recently appointed head of A22 Sports, the promoter of this dissident European competition, was received by UEFA President Alexander Ceferin. The latter is, obviously, the first defender of this project which aims to supplant the Champions League. Suffice to say that the discussion did not promise any major breakthrough. According to the report made by A22 Sports at the start of the afternoon, this was indeed the case. But at least the two men spoke to each other.

Bernd Reichart explained during this interview the reasons why he considers that European competitions cannot remain as they are. According to him, the development of continental football is hampered by “the involvement of clubs in the governance of competitions, the inability of club competitions in Europe to reach their full potential, the absence of adequate financial controls, accessibility for fans and investment needs to finance women’s football, infrastructure and, above all, solidarity”.

What the statement sent by A22 Sports does not say, however, is that “this moment of dialogue” was not a face-to-face meeting in the office of the UEFA boss – contrary to what which had been promised. CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, always well informed about the mysteries of the European body, assures that to Reichart’s surprise, more than 30 people had in fact been invited to this meeting. Among them, the president of the European Club Association (ECA) Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, that of La Liga Javier Tebas, representatives of players’ unions and supporters’ associations. In short, only fierce opponents of the project.

The UEFA press release at the end of this gathering which lasted more than two hours is very clear: “The opposition to this self-proclaimed Super League remains as overwhelming today as it has been since April 2021. “, says the authority.

UEFA issue a statement confirming their “opposition to the self-proclaimed Super League remains as overwhelming today as it has been since April 2021” pic.twitter.com/BuLkBrNMPk

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) November 8, 2022

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A surprising point, however, is that Bernd Reichart has repeatedly claimed that the company he represents and the proposed new competition had nothing to do with the project demolished in just 48 hours in the spring of 2021. According to the account of Ben Jacobs, the German leader has even dissociated himself from Real Madrid, Barça and Juventus, the three clubs which openly defend the creation of the Super League. Asked many times about the origin of the A22 Sports agency and the people who supported it, he spent his time kicking into touch. As if no one knew that one of the shareholders is the Franco-Moroccan businessman Anas Laghrari, close to Florentino Pérez, the boss of Real.

The battle continues

The ECA also issued a press release following this session. She assures that she remains “firmly against” a European Super League, calling it an “elitist separatist league” and labeling A22 Sports “an unrepresentative commercial public relations entity”. For its part, the agency wishes to continue to fight against the monopoly position of UEFA regarding the organization of competitions, about which a complaint has been lodged with the Court of Justice of the EU.

“Freedom of speech and free expression are fundamental rights. Despite the position taken by UEFA, A22 will continue its efforts to reform football, based on feedback from the entire football family, argues Bernd Reichart. We are talking to many clubs who want to take part in this dialogue to develop lasting foundations for European football, which is very encouraging. These free spirits are the future of this sport. ” Just that.