Benfica Vice-president Silvio Cervan believes UEFA would like to see Juventus in the Europa League final for commercial interests.
Benfica Vice-president Silvio Cervan believes UEFA would like to see Juventus in the Europa League final for commercial interests.
The second leg of the semi-final between the sides takes place at Juventus Stadium tomorrow evening, with the newly crowned Portuguese champions leading 2-1 from the first meeting.
“It’s a long time since an Italian team last won in Europe,” Cervan is quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I have no doubts that, particularly for commercial interests, UEFA would like to see Juventus go to the final and win the tournament.
“They would also want to have a team with great history in the European Super Cup in Cardiff.
“But we are a great club too, as shown by our sixth place in the European rankings.
“Football is great if it’s only played on the pitch. But if there are outside interests that surround it, it’s not worth believing in the beauty of football anymore.”