Attack on the international calendar and the Super League marks the AG of the European Leagues – Football

Attacks on the overload of the international football calendar and the European Super League project today marked the 48th general assembly of the European Leagues, the first under the presidency of Pedro Proença, which also served to approve new statutes.

The representative body of 40 professional leagues and associations, in 34 countries, raised “concerns about the pressure placed on national football by the introduction of new international competitions and the dramatic growth of international games”.

The European Leagues expressed “disappointment with the lack of transparency and formal consultation in the decision-making process by FIFA”, in reference to the extension of the Club World Cup, whose 2025 edition will feature the participation of Benfica and FC Porto.

“Together, we must protect the game calendar of our competitions with the aim of safeguarding their sporting and economic value, but also to protect the health of our players”, warned Pedro Proença, in the opening speech of the main meeting, in London .

The president of the English League, Richard Masters, host of the meeting, considered that the limit is being reached and that “footballers complain about playing too many games”: “The Premier League has not changed. What has changed in recent years is international football.”

The organization led by the Portuguese leader, who also presides over the Portuguese Professional Football League, will work with UEFA – whose president, the Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin, was also present – in order to “manage the transition to a significantly expanded set of continental competitions , from 2024/25”.

The European Super League was also in the sights of Pedro Proença, who highlighted the way in which the European Leagues helped to defeat the “attempt to create an elitist competition”, whose announcement, on April 18, 2021, shook the foundations of the sport.

“Together, we fought and defeated the European Super League and the attempt to create an elitist competition for the interests of just a few”, said Pedro Proença, criticizing the initiative launched by some of the most important clubs in Spain, England and Italy.

The competition, which would be played in a semi-closed circuit and would be a direct competitor to the Champions League, would have 15 founding clubs, despite having been announced by 12: AC Milan, Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, FC Barcelona, ​​Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham.

The energetic reaction of the world of football and the rejection of the most varied quarters of society and even the governments of several countries led to the fact that, three days after the announcement, in the face of opposition from the fans themselves, only Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus remained In the project.

The general assembly of the European Leagues was also used to approve statutory changes, resulting from the need to adapt to the new governance model, and to debate the legislative package to combat money laundering, approved by the European Parliament, which, for the first time, from from 2029, will cover football clubs.