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Madrid, 23 April (IANS) Thirty-nine clubs in the Spanish Football League (La Liga) have issued a statement condemning plans for a European Super League, including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Although plans for the Super League look dead in the water involving all the original 12 clubs, with the exception of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, who are retiring in the face of widespread opposition, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez insisted the plans remain alive in an interview with Spanish radio station Kadena Ser on Wednesday night, Xinhua reported.
On Thursday, Barcelona President Joan Laporta made his first statements since announcing the race on Sunday. Laporte said it was a “necessity”, but said “club members will have the last word”.
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Meanwhile, the 39 non-La Liga and Liga SmartBank clubs (second division) that do not participate in the scheme, including Valencia, Villarreal, Sevilla, Athletic Club Bilbao and Real Betis, met at La Liga’s Madrid offices to discuss the situation. and after a meeting, they published a joint statement against the Super League.
“The clubs present at the meeting unanimously and categorically rejected the plans for this competition. All clubs firmly believe in sportsmanship as the only criterion for ranking in international club competitions through national leagues. “
“Today, football fans across Europe can dream that their club, regardless of size, can outperform, climb to the top and compete at the top of European football. This European tradition of football is of paramount importance to all and must not be jeopardized or altered, “the statement said, adding that” global resistance over the last few days has shown that a closed, elite league is unviable and unwanted. The reaction proves how much the open ecosystem and the football community mean to people, “she continued.
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La Liga president Javier Tebas also spoke to the press to add his voice of criticism against Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barça.
“They can’t tell us they came to save football. They cannot say that they want to save us from ruin, it is not true and they cannot say that they will not harm national competitions, because that will harm them both from an economic and a sports point of view. “
“If they’re such a good idea, who kept it a secret,” Thebes said.
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–IANSKI
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