German footballing executives united in opposition to Super League: "We are advocates of sporting competition."
All around the Bundesrepublik, voices rose in opposition to the announcement late Sunday that twelve of the wealthiest clubs in European football wished to break away from the UEFA Champions League structure and form their own novel "Super League".
This seismic event, a surprise triggering of a "nuclear option" by a cohort of large clubs who had hitherto only threatened such actions, shook the world of European football to its very core.
German football administrators appeared united in their opposition. German footballing magazine Kicker assembled some quotes from officials across the country. Bulinews' Peter Vice supplies a translation below.
This seismic event, a surprise triggering of a "nuclear option" by a cohort of large clubs who had hitherto only threatened such actions, shook the world of European football to its very core.
German football administrators appeared united in their opposition. German footballing magazine Kicker assembled some quotes from officials across the country. Bulinews' Peter Vice supplies a translation below.
| Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
German FA's DFL and DFB
In addition to the statements we've already published:
"The DFB clearly positions itself against the concept of a European Super League. Football must always be about sporting performance. It [performance] determines promotion and relegation as well as qualification for the respective competitions.
"The economic interests of a few clubs must not be allowed to undermine the solidarity practiced in football. Each club must now decided whether it wants to be a part of an overall football model based in solidarity or pursue its own egotistical self interests outside of UEFA and the national FAs."
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern CEO
"FC Bayern München is not involved in the planning of the European Super League. We are absolutely convinced that the current metrics governing football form a solid basis. Bayern welcomes the UCL reforms because we believe them to be the correct next step in the development of European football."
"I do not believe that the Super League will solve the corona-induced financial problems of European clubs. Instead, all European clubs should work together in solidarity to ensure that cost structures, particularly player salaries and fees for agents, are brought in line with revenues in the interest of making football more rational."
Max Eberl and Stephan Schippers, Borussia Mönchengladbach managers in joint statement
"It's cynical and hypocritical to state that this is a step in the best interests of football. We will fight for these clubs to be excluded from all competitions at the national and international level."
Oliver Mintzlaff, Managing director RB Leipzig
"We reject the plans to create a Super League. We are advocates of sporting competition. And sporting competition entails fighting for a place in the national league to achieve a place in the table that enables you to qualify for international competition."
Fernando Carro, Bayer Leverkusen CEO
"It is essential to protect the roots of the sport and the idea of open competition as we know it. For me, the adopted reform for European club competitions from 2024 onwards was and is a workable and sensible compromise."
"[the Super League] is driven solely by financial demands and, where applicable, financial needs. It would counteract the foundation of football in many places. The initiative unfortunately shows the lack of understanding for the people involved in it with respect to the consumers, the fans."
"We at Bayer Leverkusen firmly reject this alternative format and will do everything we can, together will all German clubs in UEFA and the UCA, to bring the 2024 reform to fruition in the interests of football."
Michael Meeske, VfL Wolfsburg managing director
"The planning of a Super League is an affront to all of those who have labored intensively in recent months to find a compromise. We reject these plans because attempts to form a closed group would weaken national competitions as well as the other competitions and further exacerbate the [financial] divide within football."
Christian Arbeit, 1. FC Union Berlin press secretary
"We take a clear stance on this: We do not consider such a spin-off viable in European football without the German market. If the clubs involved wish to do this, they're more than welcome to do so. We expect that the German clubs will not play along. With that in mind, it doesn't affect us that much."