UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has slammed the creation of the Super League over the weekend and was particularly critical of Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
The Serie A and Premier League giants are two of 12 clubs forming the breakaway competition along with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan.
Ceferin branded the likes of Agnelli and Woodward “snakes” and reaffirmed that any participating clubs and players will be punished.
“If I start with Ed Woodward,” said Ceferin during a press conference. “He called me last Thursday evening to say that he was very satisfied with the reforms and fully supportive. The only thing he want to talk about was Financial Fair Play. Obviously, he had already signed something else.
“Andrea Agnelli is the biggest disappointment of all. I have never seen a person that would lie so many times, so persistently as he did — it is unbelievable.
“The players that play in the Super League will be banned from playing in the World Cup and Euros. They will not be allowed play for their national teams.”
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Ceferin was adamant that UEFA will hold the Champions League “with or without” the Super League participants and that he received an unnamed but signed letter “probably from a ‘super person.'”
“They will not be able to represent their national teams at any matches,” added the 53-year-old. “UEFA and the footballing world stand united against the disgraceful self-serving proposal we have seen in last 24 hours from a select few clubs in Europe that are fueled purely by greed above all else.
“My opinion is that as soon as possible they (the clubs) have to be banned from all our competitions, and the players from all our competitions.”
Ceferin did acknowledge that the legal battle over the league and the sanctions in response is likely to be contentious saying, “We will do the sanctions we can do within the law, of course.”
Ceferin also questioned the “so-called big clubs” involved in the Super League who have either slipped from domestic power or find themselves facing increased competition for titles.
Players, coaches and clubs — past and present — continue to voice their rejection of the Super League proposal.
