A number of clubs have made their position on a European Super League clear after Sunday night’s announcement.
Although there is room for three more founding clubs in the competition, a number of Champions League players have already spoken out against the new tournament.
Benfica, Valencia and Borussia Monchengladbach have all criticized the idea of a Super League, while former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, now Ajax chief executive, has reportedly remained loyal to UEFA, although the Dutch club are no longer did not fully condemn. the plans.
These clubs are not necessarily guaranteed a place in a new Super League, but some European giants, who would otherwise possibly have been able to sign up for the tournament, have also spoken out.
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Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said his club agreed with the ECA’s view of the Super League after a meeting on Sunday.
Instead, the German club supported UEFA’s Champions League reforms, in line with the ECA’s position.
Bayern munich
Watzke also said Bayern Munich agree with Dortmund on the issue.
Retiring Bayern boss Hansi Flick has spoken out against the plans, saying he cannot see how the Super League will benefit European football.
While Bayern have yet to officially speak on the subject, the chairman, Karl Heinz Rummenigge, will reportedly replace Andrea Agnelli of Juventus in UEFA’s executive committee. This is a blow to those hoping to lure the German giants out of the Champions League.
Porto
It has been speculated that Portuguese Porto may be one of the three additional ‘founding members’, but President Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa says they will not take part.
“We can not participate in anything that violates the rules,” he said. “We are in the Champions League and we hope to be there for many more years.”
PSG
PSG apparently remain loyal to UEFA and especially its president, Alexander Ceferin, and the French club do not want to tarnish its reputation with the 53-year-old who was left furious by the breakaway.
The Champions League semi-finalists are reportedly opposed to the idea of restricting European competition to a number of clubs.
The Qatari ownership of PSG undoubtedly wants to stay with FIFA before the World Cup next year.
Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is also the chairman of beIN Sports, which has the Champions League broadcasting rights, which means that a devalued UEFA competition will affect his business.
PSG midfielder and former Manchester United star Ander Herrera has become one of the first major footballers to speak out for the tournament.
In an interesting twist, Al-Khelaifi allegedly refused to take over the presidency of the ECA.
RB Leipzig
Another German club linked to the tournament is RB Leipzig, who enjoyed an impressive run to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.
Still, CEO Oliver Mintzlaff condemned the competition.
“We are proponents of sports competition,” he said. “And sports competition in professional football means fighting to achieve a position in the domestic table that enables the team to participate in international competitions.
“For us, it is absolutely out of the question to change that. We reject all plans to establish a Super League.”
Zenit St Petersburg
Reports in Russia claim that Zenit was approached to become a founding member, but they decided to reject it.
This is apparently due to the fact that they are sponsored by Gazprom, a company that has sponsored the Champions League for several years.