Al-Khelaifi to AFP: European Super League did not defend football

“Football has existed for years and years, and the European Super League project was not keen to defend the interests of football,” said Nasser al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain, referring to the separatist league launched last month by 12 European teams, which saw most clubs withdraw and abort the idea after 48 hours.

“You can think of making changes, but not breaking the tradition that makes every club hope to realize their dreams,” al-Khelaifi told AFP.

According to AFP, Al-Khelaifi has confirmed his loyalty in this crisis to UEFA and the Champions League, the most important round-ball competition on the old continent since 1955.

Al-Khelaifi was appointed president of the European Club Association to succeed Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, one of the pillars of the launch of the European Super League project.

Al-Khelaifi explained that the fact that the Super League project requires direct participation each season of the 15 “Founding” clubs, with only five additional teams selected according to sports standards, was a red line that is totally contrary to the tradition of merit in European football.

“All teams must one day have the possibility to participate in the biggest competitions, while remaining under the banner of UEFA,” he said, stressing his openness to changes in the form of the parent competition.

“The Champions League is a very strong brand that must be preserved, but we must always be able to adapt to the market, which is true for all domestic or international competitions.

In recent months, the European Union has made a profound reform of the Champions League competition by 2024, increasing the number of participating clubs from 32 to 36,

an additional 100 matches will be played that are supposed to attract the broadcasting channels, and a “mini-tournament” inspired by chess tournaments to replace the currently adopted group stage, which divides the clubs into eight groups of four teams.

The new system has drawn some criticism, particularly over an already busy calendar of matches.

In parallel, the European Union has opened disciplinary proceedings against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, the last rebel clubs that have not backed down from the project and for their part have confirmed that they remain “committed to modernizing football”.

أكد السيد ناصر الخليفي رئيس نادي باريس سان جرمان إن “كرة القدم موجودة منذ سنوات وسنوات، ومشروع دوري السوبر الأوروبي “لم يكن حريصا على الدفاع عن مصالح كرة القدم”.. في إشارة إلى البطولة الانفصالية التي أطلقها الشهر الماضي 12 فريقاً أوروبياً وشهدت انسحاب معظم الأندية وأجهضت الفكرة بعد 48 ساعة.

وقال الخليفي في تصريحات لوكالة فرانس برس: “يمكنك التفكير في إجراء تغييرات ولكن ليس كسر التقليد الذي يجعل كل ناد يأمل في تحقيق أحلامه”.

ووفق فرانس برس أكد الخليفي ولاءه في هذه الأزمة للاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم (ويفا) ودوري أبطال أوروبا، المسابقة الأهم في عالم الكرة المستديرة في القارة العجوز منذ عام 1955.

وعيِّن الخليفي رئيسًا لرابطة الأندية الأوروبية خلفاً لرئيس يوفنتوس الإيطالي أندريا أنييلي، أحد أعمدة إطلاق مشروع الدوري السوبر الأوروبي.

وأوضح الخليفي أن حقيقة أن مشروع الدوري السوبر يقضي بمشاركة مباشرة كل موسم للأندية الـ15 الـ”مؤسسة”، مع خمسة فرق إضافية فقط يتم اختيارها وفقًا لمعايير رياضية، كان بمثابة خط أحمر يتعارض تمامًا مع تقليد الجدارة لكرة القدم الأوروبية.