Superlega, the moves of the ruthless Agnelli: disconnected telephones and swallowed words, this is how he betrayed his friend Ceferin, the ECA and the funds | First page

Three months exactly: this is the time that has elapsed since January 19th. A day that, to most, says nothing. But from which everything could have started. Or rather, it may have been accelerated. His Calciomercato.com, in fact, we were talking exclusively about the visit of Florentino Perez, president of Real Madrid, to the Continassa, Juventus headquarters: a three-hour summit that, in retrospect, could have laid the definitive foundations for the project Superlega, officially presented late yesterday by 12 top European clubs.

LIES AND BETRAYALS – A structural earthquake ready to revolutionize football. And among the great supporters there are precisely Perez e Agnelli, always supporters of the project and – since yesterday evening – respectively president and vice president of the new Superlega. A double change of role for the Juventus number one. Who, joining this European elite, resigned as president of the ECA, the Association of European Clubs, which yesterday – through a press release – was exposed against the new format. A statement in which the same nephew of the lawyer did not participate: The Gazzetta dello Sport, in fact, it tells how he slipped away by not answering the phone for several hours. And here the first paradoxes begin. Because just a month ago, during the general assembly of the ECA, Agnelli defined “an ideal model” that new Uefa Champions League, which will be made official today by the Executive Committee in Montreaux. “If clubs have worked alone on any project, I think they will stop here for the moment” explained Agnelli, supporting a new tournament which – starting from 2024 – will review the format of the Champions League, ensuring 10 games per season for all clubs and 36 participants. A betrayal towards the ECA but, in parallel, also towards UEFA itself and the great friend Ceferin: an extra-political relationship, just think that the UEFA number one is the godfather of the daughter of the Juventus president. Who, in the name of the Super League, sacrificed a friendship and turned his back on Ceferin.

NO TO THE FUNDS – But it is not the only change in Agnelli’s strategy, a true maddened variable willing to do anything to implement the revolution. Think, in fact, of the funds issue: last November, in fact, all 20 participants in the Lega Serie A assembly voted in favor of the entry of funds into the League. Their yes to Cvc-Advent-Fsi, private equity interested in 10% of Serie A, would have guaranteed 1.7 billion in the coffers of the clubs. But then, around January, he totally changed his mind, placing himself firmly in a position hostile to funds. The reason? A clause – within the contract – that forbade, for at least 10 years, the support for Super League-like projects, which would have almost canceled out the appeal of the national championships. –
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