Th e president of Spain’s La Liga has shot down suggestions for a European super league, saying it will likely face stiff resistance from national leagues and fans. Javier Tebas dismissed reports that Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid were seeking the formation of an exclusive European league which would see a closed competition of 20 sides from the continent.
Madrid-based newspapers Marca and AS reported in February that Real was pushing for a European league after growing disgruntled with the Spanish league. “Th e phenomena that there will be a Super League is never going to happen because the national leagues like English Premier League and Bundesliga in Germany, they are very consolidated,” Tebas told AFP through a translator.
“It is impossible that the Spanish fans could accept that Real Madrid quits Spanish football,” he added, pointing out that Real makes 70 percent of its income from the Spanish market. Tebas said the proposed super league made up of football giants over the continent would mean some clubs have to fi nish in “10th, 11th or 12th”, and he does not see fans of these sides accepting such low rankings. Tebas spoke to AFP on the sidelines of the launch of La Liga’s offi ce in Singapore as part of moves to expand their presence in Southeast Asia, a football-crazy region of more than 600 million people. La Liga already has offi ces in Dubai, China and India.
Aleksander Ceferin, president of European football’s governing body Uefa, vowed on Wednesday that no super league will be formed under his watch, although media reports said major clubs were unoffi cially discussing the idea. Some of the reports suggested that Real is unhappy with the disparity of income compared to English sides.
