UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin still feels betrayed by Juventus president Andrea Agnelli because of his involvement in the European Super League and said that, in his eyes, “he doesn’t exist anymore.”
Juventus were one of the 12 founding clubs that announced the breakaway league on April 18 and have yet to withdraw, along with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
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“In my eyes this man doesn’t exist anymore,” Ceferin, who is the godfather of one of Agnelli’s children, said of the Juve man to Sofoot
“I thought we were friends, but he lied to my face until the last minute of the last day, reassuring me that there was nothing to worry about.
“All of that, while the previous day he had signed the necessary documents to launch the Super League.
“We didn’t know what was happening exactly. From time to time, we have received threats [of a breakaway league]. We didn’t take it too seriously.
“More so because from our part, we had organised several meetings with the clubs to present their new Champions League reform, which the 12 rebel clubs voted in favour of. But the next day, they revealed their ghost project.”
The nine clubs that were a part of the Super League but withdrew were Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid.
They pulled out following criticism from fans and subsequently reached a deal with UEFA. Ceferin said that despite the ordeal, UEFA has become stronger.
“UEFA is a beautiful and powerful ship,” Ceferin said. “We were attacked by a submarine a few weeks ago but in the end, we were the ones to sink it. Football is more than a simple game, it’s an integral part of our nations, cultures and societies. That is why their [the Super League founders] reading of the situation was completely mistaken.”
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juve are facing punishment by Europe’s governing body for the potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework.
The six Premier League clubs originally involved in the European Super League are planning to ask Florentino Perez to dissolve the company created to launch the project, multiple sources have told ESPN.
