Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes that a European Super League without English clubs will get off the ground - and that Premier League teams who backed out initially will come back on board.
Back in April 2021, Liverpool joined Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus in presenting their plan for the ESL to the world.
Its launch, done so late on a Sunday evening and just hours before a key UEFA meeting over Champions League reform, was widely condemned by fans, governing bodies, governments and the wider football community, with the proposals falling into ruin just 48 hours from lift off.
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Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group were faced with an angry response from fans. FSG principal John W. Henry subsequently recorded a video apology for his part in the plans. Similar anger was displayed from supporters of the other five English clubs.
After one of the most dramatic 48 hours in European football history, just three clubs remained espoused to the idea of a breakaway competition: Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus.
Since then those three clubs have been embroiled in a legal battle with UEFA in a bid to try and clear the way for a future proposal for a new competition, believing that European football’s governing body holds a monopoly over the game on the continent.
In December, the European Court of Justice handed down a non-binding opinion on the case, ruling in favour of UEFA and FIFA’s ability to block any new competitions from being launched by a cabal of clubs. However, the final decision will lie with a court in Madrid later this year, although it is expected that they will follow the lead of the ECJ’s opinion on the matter.
But Barca president Laporta remains confident that the project will get off the ground, and that while it will be a competition without English clubs initially, they will join up with eventually, claiming that the biggest clubs remain interested.
“I think that after the resolution of the court there will be a Super League in continental Europe that will compete with the Premier League,” said Laporta, speaking to US sports business expert Joe Pompliano via his YouTube channel. “Nowadays the European leagues cannot compete with the Premier League, it is a matter of resources.
“It is a Super League but it is not enough because without Barca, without Real Madrid, without Bayern Munich, without PSG, without Italian clubs like Juventus, AC Milan and Inter, it isn’t a Super League. It is not enough, just money wise.
“My view is that there will be a Super League in continental Europe with the best clubs in Europe. I 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.
“The second step will be combining both the Premier League and the Super League. Actually, the big English clubs are still interested in the Super League. There are a lot of European clubs, incredible European clubs, and British clubs that are still interested.
“The fans, they want an attractive competition and they want their clubs to compete in equal conditions. The fans are the most important in football, of course, but they want quality football.
“The way to follow football, see football or watch football on TV is now different. The young fans, they want more. More experience, more excitement, more technology, a more modern spectacle. I believe that with a Super League that is well organised, like we are arranging, I think we will satisfy their wishes.”
While Laporta’s comments demonstrate his own confidence in the project, the recent White Paper produced by the Government, which backed a series of measures presented in the 2021 Fan-Led Review of Football, includes the appointment of an independent regulator that would have the power to block English clubs from joining an breakaway competition.
Liverpool, themselves, when asked by the ECHO recently on their present stance on the ESL, maintained that they had discontinued their interest in the project, as per their September 2021 statement on the subject.
“Our involvement in the proposed ESL plans has been discontinued,” the statement read. “We are absolutely committed to following that through and there should be no ambiguity to suggest otherwise. We are acting on the best legal advice and approach to appropriately end our involvement.”
The Reds also took the step to work collaboratively with supporters groups, led by the Spirit of Shankly, with a Supporters Board created that would have the power of consent over any future move to join a breakaway competition. Those powers would be written into the club’s articles of association, meaning that they would be binding even if the club changed hands.
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