UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin hits out at Juventus and Barcelona again and says the Old Lady’s story ‘had to finish like this.’
The Serie A giants were among the architects of the Super League in 2021, but the project collapsed within a couple of days after the Premier League giants withdrew, followed by Inter, Milan and Atletico Madrid.
“The project is still standing only for the interest of the newspapers and the ego of some people involved,” Ceferin told Slovenian paper Ekipa, as quoted by Gazzetta.
“They are trying to do something just to improve their position in a possible negotiation with us, but they have not understood that there is nothing to deal with. I agreed to meet with their representative agency, A22 Sports, and invited club and fan representatives to attend.
“Karl Heinz Rummenigge was clear: ‘This is your Waterloo for you.”
Juventus have been docked 15 points in Serie A for alleged financial irregularities and one more sporting investigation is taking place, looking into suspected salary agreements with some of their current and former players.
UEFA is also following the case and has recently received documents from the Turin Prosecutor, who is carrying forward a criminal investigation.
“The Bianconeri story had to finish like this because it was all wrong,” said Ceferin.
“I don’t have an affectionate relationship with Agnelli, but I would like to point out that I respect Juve as a club and have a lot of respect for everyone involved in the Superleague in general.
“They are great clubs that represent much more than the moves of their directors. If a club has a board that makes bad decisions, it doesn’t mean that I’m against that club as such, or against fans or players.
“However, it is interesting to note that of the three clubs that declare themselves the saviours of football, one is in criminal proceedings for reorganising its budget, and the other for having transferred money to one of the leaders of the referee organisation. We will see if even the third [Real Madrid] has something. Interesting to see how they would save football.”
Ceferin also mentioned Barcelona who are involved in a different scandal in Spain. The Catalans have been charged over payments to former referees’ official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. As explained by Football Espana, Barcelona are unlikely to face sporting sanctions in Spain but could well receive punishment from UEFA.
“I have been informed and the situation is extremely serious. It is so serious that, in my opinion, it is one of the most serious in football that I have seen,” continued Ceferin.
“At the level of the Spanish League, the matter is prescribed and cannot have competitive consequences. The proceedings are ongoing at the level of the Spanish civil prosecutor’s office. But as far as UEFA is concerned, there is nothing time-barred.”