The president of Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis he used the European, or rather London, catwalk of his team to talk to the English newspaper Daily Mail about his idea of a European championship different from the Super League shipwrecked last year.
“The system doesn’t work anymore. The Champions League and Europa League don’t generate enough revenue for clubs to justify participating. To be competitive, you need more top-class players. That means you have to spend more and the prize money in European competitions doesn’t take that into account. That’s why clubs need to talk to each other to create a more modern and profitable tournament for all participants.”
De Laurentiis explained, reiterating that he is working on a European championship "worth 10 billion euros" given that the current formula of the European cups it doesn't work anymore. The owner of the Napoli explains that the qualification would be based on merit unlike the Super League. De Laurentiis wants a more profitable pan-European league where qualification is based on club performance, rather than the Super League format, where teams were invited to compete regardless of domestic performance. To do this, all European leagues must be reduced in size.
"We need to reduce the number of games by reducing the size of the top divisions across Europe. Also, let's create a European championship with a democratic entry system, based on what teams get in their domestic competitions. I have looked at a project ready to bring 10 billion euros to European football, but it takes will and total independence."
De Laurentiis' Napoli will face tomorrow Leicester in Europa League and the president of the Neapolitans is a big fan of English football. "We Italians must learn from this. If we do not change the rules of the game and make it a better show, young people will abandon us and football will no longer be the central part of our lives", warned De Laurentiis.
“My research tells me that people between the ages of eight and 25 have stopped watching football and are playing on their smartphones: they have totally transformed our children. I am not saying that the habit of watching football live in a stadium will die, but now we have the 'virtual stadium', which can attract billions of people to play against each other. Who knows if we can bring them back on the path of the biggest and most influential sport in the world,” concluded De Laurentiis.
Article published on 15 September 2021 - 11:32
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