English clubs still want to join a European Super League, says Barcelona chief
Leading English football clubs are still interested in joining a European Super League despite renouncing the project, says Barcelona president Joan Laporta.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all backed out of the breakaway shortly after it was announced in April 2021.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus remain keen to press ahead with a Super League which would initially comprise the cream of continental Europe.
But Laporta envisages a second phase in which Premier League clubs join and he insists that, privately at least, they remain keen.
“My view is that the first step will be a Super League in continental Europe with the best clubs of Europe,” he said.
“We hope that Uefa will agree and be a member of this organisation, because we will have one of the most attractive competitions in the world. And we will compete with the Premier League.
“And the second step will be to combine the Super League with the Premier League.
Actually the big English clubs are still interested in the Super League. There are a lot of European and British clubs still interested.”
The European Court of Justice is due to rule in the next few weeks on whether European governing body Uefa’s attempts to quash a Super League are legal.
If it sides with Uefa it will prove another nail in the coffin of the controversial project, but if it rules in favour of Barcelona and the other rebels it will open the door for clubs to launch a rival to the Champions League.
“There will be a resolution of the court in Luxembourg in April or May and I think after the resolution it will be possible to organise a competition in Europe,” Laporta added in an interview with sport business podcaster Joe Pompliano.
“I am confident that we will win. It will be a competition that will not be closed like the NBA because the history of football in Europe is different to sport in the US.
“But at the same time I know that very strong financial institutions are interested in financing the biggest competition in the football world and they need to have consistent rules. That’s the reason we’re promoting the Super League.”
Uefa has previously said that it does not fear another breakaway as clubs have since been made partners in a new joint venture commercialising the Champions League.
English sides would also be banned from joining any Super League not organised by Uefa under powers proposed for the new independent football regulator.