Germany and Bayern Munich legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, now a member of UEFA’s executive committee, discussed the potential Super League in what is a crucial week for the future of football.
On Thursday, the Court of Justice of the European Union will give its verdict on the breakaway league’s case against UEFA. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, adapted from Marca, Rummenigge expressed his hostility towards the Super League and said that its creators must accept their defeat. Even should the CJEU rule in favour of the Super League, he believes that the project still won’t come to fruition.
Asked if he was worried about the upcoming ruling, the former Ballon d’Or winner responded in the negative, “I was worried on the night, but not now. In two days, the bubble burst. I was in the Allianz Arena, and Ceferin was sending me texts every five minutes to tell me: Chelsea, Liverpool, and City have withdrawn. It’s over.” The German is confident that should there be another attempt, the same will happen, and the League will never get off the ground. Fans in the Bundesliga and the Premier League especially made their feelings known, and their reaction was not positive. An attempt to create the League without bringing the fans with them is bound to lead to failure.
Speaking about how they originally tried to convince Bayern Munich to join, Rummenigge described the total aversion to the idea amongst the directors, “Uli Hoeness, President Hainer, and I all said, Never! We want to win, but not like that. PSG also thought the same.”
Rummenigge especially spoke of the damage that would be done to football should the pan go ahead, “Their plan A was to create a competition with the best teams in Europe, but that was only an excuse. Their objective is to include Saudi Arabia and the US and play an international tournament. Football would lose all its roots. Goodbye Juventus v Cagliari, goodbye Bayern Munich v Bielefeld.”
Ultimately, the 68-year-old does not see the British, French, or Germans ever complying, “Nobody in Germany would join the Super League; there would be fan revolt. There are only two Spanish teams left. Juventus is out, as far as I’m aware. Europe has rejected the project. The only thing that awaits is the legal clarification. Florentino Pérez (considered one of the idea’s masterminds) only has an economic vision. The British, Germans, and French will never go for it. Real Madrid and Barcelona can play the tournament by themselves.”
GSFN | Finn Entwistle
