In April 2021, 12 clubs launched the Super League. However, nine of those clubs—Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Inter, Milan, and Atletico Madrid—withdrew their support due to backlash from their supporters.
Nonetheless, the two clubs spearheading this project, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, still have plans to carry out the competition. Despite the efforts of the two Spanish teams to keep this tournament alive, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi took a shot at the Super League.
Al-Khelaifi urged his Barcelona counterpart, Joan Laporta, to abandon the “stupid” Super League ahead of this month’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie between the Catalan side and PSG.
“I have always said that the Super League is not going to exist,” Al-Khelaifi told El Mundo.
“The Champions League is the best competition in the world for everyone, and those clubs (Barcelona and Real Madrid) are playing in the Champions League because they know how important it is… I asked him, ‘When are you going to give up the stupid idea of the Super League?’ I’m sure he will give it up. It makes no sense.”
PSG, along with powerhouse German clubs like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, made it clear from the beginning that they were strongly against the Super League concept.
Al-Khelaifi and his team got the last laugh over Barcelona. The Ligue 1 side eliminated the La Liga team and will face Dortmund in the Champions League semifinal.
