Barcelona president Laporta slammed for 'nonsense' Super League claim

Imre Himmelbauer

• Updated: 2 Feb 2024 19:52 GMT
• 3 min read

Ajax and Feyenoord have distanced themselves from Joan Laporta's claim that they have agreed to join the European Super League.

According to the chairman of Barcelona, the two Eredivisie giants, along with the likes of PSV and others, have consented to a potential participation in the Super League project. The clubs in question, however, insist that they know nothing about this supposed agreement.

"Ajax have not even spoken to Laporta, let alone given an agreement," a spokesperson told Ajax Life on Friday. "Ajax are completely surprised by this unjustified claim." This also applies to Feyenoord. "Total nonsense," a spokesperson of the Rotterdam side told Algemeen Dagblad.

Laporta states that Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV are among a group of 13 clubs that support the plans for a European Super League. The Barcelona president, together with Florentino Pérez, is an outspoken supporter of the competition, which was announced out of the blue in the summer of 2021.

The initial announcement was met with resistance from many quarters, including UEFA. Ultimately, 10 of the 12 clubs left the project, which has since been given a different design.

Laporta's Super League plans

Besides the Dutch big three, according to the Barca president, the entire Spanish elite, with the exception of Atlético Madrid, also agrees with the plans for a new European club tournament.

Additionally, notable sides such as Inter, AC Milan, Napoli, AS Roma, Olympique Marseille, Benfica, FC Porto, Sporting Portugal, Anderlecht and Club Brugge are also said to be all over it, Laporta asserted in an interview with radio station RAC1. He also mentioned that the tournament could start as early as the summer of 2024.

UEFA, for their part, have always fiercely opposed the Super League and were initially right on the right side of the law on the matter, but in December 2023, everything changed.

The European Court of Justice ruled that the European Football Association cannot ban such a competition as it would, in effect, give the sports association a monopoly. It is no longer possible to appeal against that ruling.

As far as Laporta is concerned, the tournament will still happen, with the above-mentioned clubs as possible participants. Bayern Munich announced in December last year that they would not participate in such a tournament under any circumstances, and English clubs are also still against it.

However, that does not bother Laporta: "It doesn't matter to me whether the English clubs participate or not. With the Premier League, they already have their own Super League."