aBernd Reichart (Scheidegg, Germany, 1974), general manager of A22 Sports Management, the company that organizes the Super League, does not expect a Christmas without coverage. After the decision of the European Court of Justice which considers that FIFA and UEFA are abusing a dominant position, Reichart is waiting by the phone to answer the calls of those clubs who want to consult him on any matter. Being able to sell and negotiate the project for him is the best gift. As for the Superliga, he is convinced that it will see the light of day sooner or later.
Are you getting a lot of calls these days?
Of course. They call me and I get many messages. The clubs are realizing the scale of the court's decision. They are studying it, reading it and interpreting it. It is the beginning of a new paradigm, in which clubs and fans can win a lot. We have always argued that competition between different projects can be beneficial to achieve the best football.
There are many clubs that publicly say they are not joining the Super League boat... Is it just publicly?
Yes. Many call me to say: "We say no, but we are here". If you look at it, you will see that many statements do not go against the format or the proposal of the Superliga. Everyone is free to react and think what they want, but I think this Christmas people in football will think about it and see the huge opportunity we offer.
Is UEFA pressuring clubs not to publicly support the Super League?
I don't want to get into that debate. I will just say that we have been talking to clubs all over Europe for 18 months, and we have adapted our proposal to their situations and we have looked at creating a more attractive competition for the teams to manage. More and more clubs approach us publicly. We don't want to create fronts, we want to convince with a format that is clearly better. But obviously if it is shown that there has been some pressure we will always defend our legitimate rights.
So now it's time to talk to all the clubs again?
exactly Now we are free to discuss our proposal with all the clubs without hiding, which is undoubtedly the best. This is the best gift for everyone, including football fans. We have torn down the wall of monopoly.
Manchester City says it is in the process of leaving the project, the English Government wants to stop the project with a law... What about the Premier League?
We have received many emails and internal messages and we want to take this opportunity to explain it better. As for the Government, its draft law suggests that you cannot leave the Premier League to compete in another. But we don't want domestic leagues to stop playing. On the contrary It is compatible.
What would you say to Javier Tebas, Ceferin and Infantino if you were in front of them?
His reaction is logic to the loss of a monopoly. I would personally explain the format to them again because they keep saying that it is a closed competition without meritocracy. And our format is more open and fairer than the Champions League.
He has two traveling companions. Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona, who is in favor of reaching an agreement with the European bodies, and Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, who wants to do without it. And you?
We have shown our willingness to sit down and talk with any of the parties involved. We also traveled to Nyon, to the UEFA headquarters. And we are open to continuing to do so. But right now, with the ruling, we do want to focus mainly on convincing the fans and the clubs, explaining our format to them so they can decide what's best.
They have announced the creation of Unify, the platform to watch the Superliga for free. Free TV to watch football seems from another era...
We will do this through advertising. We didn't invent anything. But we do have the vision that today's technology offers the possibility of watching your favorite sport interacting like never before.
And who puts the money?
Investors we are talking to because obviously creating such a platform requires credit. The investment is also to start the competition because in the first cycle we have committed that the income will go to the participants without forgetting the expected amount of solidarity for the non-participants.
How are referees handled?
The current management of the referees is one of the things we have complained about to UEFA. We are betting on an independent entity that ensures that there is a separation of powers in all aspects. This competition will have the best European referees and run independently under a system that will be at par with the best league in the world.
The way to enter the Superliga for teams like Girona if they win the League will only be through the third division?
Access to the Blue League still needs to be defined. We think it is important that there is balance for all participants.
Now that the monopoly has been broken, are they afraid that other countries like Saudi Arabia might organize something similar?
The European Union has mechanisms to protect the market if it deems it appropriate. We pursue the goal of European competitions for European clubs. Humbly, the Superliga will present to all of them its own.
So when do you think the Superliga will start?
We will not speculate on departure dates. We will work to make it as soon as possible.
