UEFA president on failed Super League, Champions League ban and why he loves to upset Florentino Perez
It has been a hectic day for UEFA President Alexander Ceferin.
After calling Juventus’ Andrea Agnelli and Manchester United’s Ed Woodward ‘snakes and liars’ after dazzling their Super League plans, Ceferin ended up on the winning side when the rebel team agreed to stick to the status quo instead.
Ceferin gave his celebratory interview to the Slovenian outlet 24UR, and here is what he had to say.
European Super League.
Civil war. pic.twitter.com/zhce34IKCA
– 90min (@ 90min_Football) 19 April 2021
“It was a combination of different factors. It first started with our statement with the leagues and other clubs when we strongly opposed the establishment of this league. It was a Sunday afternoon. They came in at night with a press release and we had an executive committee in the morning we approved all the changes and after that I had a press conference where I discussed everything as openly as possible.
“Then came a reply from the Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, French President [Emmanuel] Macron arrived very quickly. But most of all, of course, the fans helped. They carried out a real revolution and did not allow themselves to be despised, ignored and thought they could be bought. “
Ceferin called Agnelli a “snake” for his role Emilio Andreoli / Getty Images
“[After rumours emerged] I got calls from five of the 12 clubs, who all apologized to me but said they had to sign the deal, otherwise they would have stayed. I called Agnelli directly, but he did not answer.
“Eventually I got him on the phone and asked him what happened. He said ‘This is bulls **, it’s not true.’ I said we should make a statement to the public and he asked me to make a first draft and come back to him.
“I tried draft after draft but he kept saying he did not like it, that he would change it and call me back. This was on Saturday night, but the call never came.”
“I may have been naive, but I always say it’s better to be naive than a liar. I’m just naive.”
Real Madrid president Perez is not Ceferin’s biggest fan Jonathan Moscrop / Getty Images
“[The fact he does not like me] is an even greater incentive for me to stay. He wants a president who obeys him, who listens to him and who does what he believes. And I try to do what I think is good for European football and world football.
“I do not know, it is possible that they underestimated me. Of course, if someone goes into such a project, so unconfirmed, they underestimate not only me but the whole situation. After all, these people are very rich, so I was surprised “Because they did not know what they liked. In fact, I do not expect anyone in football to underestimate me in the future.”
Ceferin believes Laporta’s hands were tied to Alex Caparros / Getty Images
“To some extent I was disappointed with everyone, but I have to say that Barcelona may have hurt me the least. [Joan] Laporta was elected a very short time ago and I talked to him two or three times. He was under a lot of pressure due to the financial situation in his football club, and he inherited it – it was not his fault that the situation was like that, so he was obviously very pressured, but at the same time as a cunning negotiator, he secured an exit strategy.
“Clubs have always had losses, but some are due to poor management. If you pay too many players, unsuitable players and therefore do not achieve a result, it means a loss.
“For example, Bayern Munich have no loss and won the Champions League. So it is not always to blame only on COVID-19, which is blamed by many, but as the president of the German league also said, poor club management.”
The semi-finals 2020/21 are canceled ✅
??? Who will reach the final in Istanbul❓ # UCL pic.twitter.com/W7KUOm1uah
– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) 14 April 2021
“The important thing is that the season has already started. TV and broadcasting companies can claim damages against us if we do not play the semi-final.
“Therefore, there is a relatively small chance that Real Madrid vs Chelsea will not take place, but it will be a little different in the future.”
Ceferin laughed off the idea of paying English pages | Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA / Getty Images
“I have no way of finding billions to offer the English clubs. In addition, if I offered them billions, the clubs would not have apologized but instead insisted that they had won.
“They know they made a mistake, they called me and I respect that. You have to be great to admit a mistake and that’s why I have more respect for these clubs than for those who insist on something that does not exist. It is actually quite fun. “
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