How Florentino Perez and Andrea Agnelli decided to bury the football we still loved a little

Even if this Superleague felony sinks into the oblivion it deserves, and we will do whatever it takes to help, it will be about not forgetting their names. Much more than those of Glazer or Henry, the American owners of Manchester and Liverpool, who came here for exactly that. Transform European football into a closed league like the NBA or the NFL. It will teach some to be happy to see foreign funds landing as saviors, and not the most suspicious, but it is a satellite affair of what concerns us.

Much more also, than those of the successive leaders of the European authorities, who have revived the separatist desires by force of cowardly compromises, leading to a formula of C1 always less deserving and always more profitable for the clubs which today stab it in turn. in the back. No, we are talking here about Florentino Perez and Andrea Agnelli, the two chief conspirators.

Comunicado Oficial: Los main clubes europeos de fútbol anuncian la nueva Superliga.#Real Madrid

– Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) April 18, 2021

Perez came out of the woods on Sunday

Who to start with, frankly? Florentino Perez, arguably, the more accomplished Machiavelli of the two. Until Sunday night, Perez had never said a word in public about the project while he has been running the rebel craft undercover since at least 2018, according to the revelations of Football Leaks at the time. He even let Bartomeu, his great Barcelona rival, announce the news on the day of his resignation, like a bomb is planted in the attic when leaving. We would be curious to hear from friend Laporta on the subject, on this subject: when he was a candidate, the new president of Barça was not shy
to slay the Superleague. He has curiously changed his mind since. In short.

If one chooses to be naive, one might think that the president of Real Madrid, the club that more than any other embodies the greatness of the Champions League, with 13 titles and eternal memories for generations of supporters, will never swallow such a betrayal to the socios, who will have a right of scrutiny if Real were for example to be excluded from La Liga. It would be forgotten that the blow of the club which belongs to its members resembles a pretty tale of nanny to put the youngest to sleep.

The Madrid supporters did not raise an eyebrow when the statutes gradually prevented any candidacy from a volunteer who did not have 10 million in his bank account, and we can guess how all this can end: ” Do you want Mbappé at the Bernabeu? Without the Superleague money, no es posible, gracias, adios ”.

Agnelli and Ceferin, a friendship that has just shattered

Let’s move on to his friend Agnelli. The boss of Juve had a time the merit of advancing in the open, openly criticizing a formula that allows Atalanta to qualify in the Champions League by the grace of “a single successful season in Serie A, you find is that normal, you? “. Well yes Andrea, that’s the principle. As UEFA is a good girl, it wisely listened to his complaints, until deciding on this Swiss format, of which Agnelli said “he was close to its League of its ideal Champions League, allowing great opportunities for the participants and confrontations which are the essence of the competition ”.

It was January, before the heir to the Fiat dynasty refused to pick up his phone when Alexander Ceferin’s name popped up on the screen for the past few days. The latter must have it bad, he who told in 2019 to New York Times that he had never ridden in Agnelli’s Ferrari for a free ride as the bad tongues claim, but that yes, he had accepted to be the godfather of his daughter, “An honor which goes beyond soccer “. Oops, the little one will have no more presents for her birthday.

“Agnelli is the biggest disappointment, reacted the UEFA president on Monday. I have never seen a person lie so persistently. I spoke to him on Saturday afternoon and he said, “Don’t worry, these are rumors. Nothing will happen.” An hour later, he had turned off his phone. Greed is so strong that it crushes all human values. “

The ECA against its former president

Daniel Rommedahl did not breed goats with Agnelli or Perez, but the general manager of FC Copenhagen and member of the executive committee of the ECA who explained ten days ago to 20 minutes understand the position of the very big clubs – “Copenhagen, in Europe it’s not much, but we are Real Madrid from Denmark. I see what they think they can bring ”- changed tone:

“Copenhagen is firmly opposed to the potential Superleague and to the principle of a private and closed league outside the competitions already scheduled on the calendar, and finds the method used to be criticized and particularly unsympathetic”. Andrea Agnelli, president of the body, did not even deign to connect to the last video meeting of the union on Saturday. He quietly resigned Sunday night, just before the blitz.