The situation
The Super League gains momentum. The relaunch has as its visible head Bernd Reichart, the new CEO of A22, the company behind the project and whose announcement to great fanfare this Tuesday draws a new panorama. The new boss of the Superliga, former general manager of RTL in Germany, comes with new spirits and the hope of finding a dialogue with all parts of the industry. His goal is to better optimize a business model that, according to those responsible, is outdated and goes against the laws of free competition. “The presidents of Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona and Juventus FC have recently set out their views on the problems facing this sport. I think they are asking the right questions and personally I would like to hear many different voices so that the European football community can find the right answers together,” he said in his first public words. Hours later, in an interview in the Financial Times , he went further, giving details of what he hopes his term as the project’s new leader will be. The most shocking thing is that he set a date for a possible start of the competition: “The 24/25 season? It’s reasonable…” he said. It must be remembered that this is the same date on which UEFA plans to launch its renewed Champions League, with more teams and a new format. In both levels, UEFA and Super League, they are pending what the Luxembourg Court can determine regarding the dispute that the two maintain. On December 15, the Attorney General will give a first verdict that can clarify many things, although it will not be final.
Open format, not closed
“I believe in an active and extended dialogue to create a sustainable sports model for European football. We want to reach out to stakeholders in the European football community and broaden this vision. Even fans will have a lot of sympathy for the idea. It’s a blank slate. The format will never be an obstacle”, explained Reichart. This is one of the points where the Super League has taken a significant turn since its foundation. It will no longer be a closed league, but there will always be places available for those clubs that manage to qualify due to sporting merits. “There is a reassessment of the project. There is a clearly stated move towards an open format and permanent membership being off the table. We want to see whether or not there is a broader consensus on the problems facing European football”, stressed the new leader.