Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is pleased that Uefa has had “a bit of a shake” after a court said banning clubs from joining the European Super League was unlawful.
The European Court of Justice said on Thursday that Fifa and Uefa had “abused a dominant position”.
A revamped ESL was launched hours later but Liverpool, among several other clubs, have dismissed the project.
“I am delighted that we finally get a bit of an understanding,” said Klopp.
Liverpool were one of 12 clubs who joined then left the original ESL proposal in 2021 – along with Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
All of those clubs released statements on Thursday and Friday to say their “position has not changed” on the ESL and confirmed their commitment to Uefa competitions.
“I agree 100% with that statement [from Liverpool]. But I am delighted that we finally get a bit of an understanding that Fifa and Uefa and other bodies cannot just do what they want,” said Klopp.
The German also suggested it was an opportunity for issues in football, including fixture congestion, to be addressed.
“In the future we have to talk about a lot of stuff and if we just do the things they [Uefa] do – like putting in more competitions and playing more games – and we don’t have a real say in what is going on, I like that they get a bit of a shake,” he said.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin mocked the new ESL proposals but the head of A22, the organisation behind them, said fans and clubs can be convinced to back the plans.
The view from outside England
While the idea of a Super League has quickly been batted away by Premier League clubs, the view from some on the continent is a little different.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, football journalist Guillem Balague said “fresh thinking is needed” to address issues that are “eating football alive”.
“Especially in England, you don’t have a lot of time to listen to the Super League’s side. But what is there not to like?” he said.
“They’re talking about football being free to search new ideas to improve the game. Clubs can openly discuss the future and the worrying trends in football like an excess of games, too many inconsequential games, and young fans turning away.
“The idea that you can show football for free – forget it. That is completely unsustainable financially. But it is the beginning of something and it may become something else when both sides start listening to each other.”
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis joined his counterparts at Barcelona and Real Madrid in welcoming the court’s ruling on the Super League project and said they now need to do “some serious thinking”.
“Today football is administered by elderly people, but above all they are without vision,” De Laurentiis told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.
Serie A champions Napoli were not one of the 12 clubs involved in the original breakaway league while fellow Italian clubs AC Milan, Inter Milan then Juventus all pulled out.
