La Liga president talks European Super League, Messi, Laporta

La Liga president Javier Tebas cut a rather disappointed and upset figure as he went through the microphones at Onda Cero’s program El Transistor to speak out about the upcoming season, dealings with clubs in the league and to vocally oppose the European Super League once more.

First he talked in favour of all teams aside from Barcelona and Real Madrid, stating that they are not the only teams generating revenue for the league: “Real Madrid and Barcelona are locomotives, but LaLiga revenues are all generated; what it generates is the competition, not only Madrid and Barça. I do not attack Madrid and Barcelona, I defend the rest.”

Tebas reverted to the European Super League issue, continuing to voice out against it, and in the process, against Real Madrid president Florentino Perez who spearheaded the operation that now just has three teams left in it, including Barcelona, with Joan Laporta’s support.

“What was intended to be done with the Super League is something very serious. Florentino Pérez and I have an antagonistic concept of football, I am not in favor of closed competitions and them depending on the followers you have on social networks? It seems like a joke,” Tebas said.

He was surprised by Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s stance on the breakaway competition: “I have been surprised by Laporta’s stance on this issue; I guess the economy Barça has conditioned him a lot. I think Laporta is a man who cares more about football than Florentino Perez.”

About Lionel Messi’s contract renewal, the league president says: “I hope Messi renews with Barça, but I don’t know.”

He then confirmed that La Liga matches will return to having spectators in the stadiums from next season, something that was discussed by the health ministry in the past week: “I think we can start with 70% of the crowd in the stadiums.”