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Barcelona president Laporta says Super League is "absolutely necessary"


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Barcelona president Joan Laporta still believes the Super League is "absolutely necessary". 

He's spoken for the first time since the project's apparent collapse, with Barca yet to formally withdraw their participation.

Laporta feels European football's biggest revenue generators need to have more of a say in how that money is distributed.

He said, "The big clubs bring a lot of resources in and we have to have our say in the economic distribution".

It was reported in January that Barcelona's gross debt stands at €1.173 billion. The net figure is €488million.

€266m is owed to the banks by 30 June, while another €90m is owed to Goldman Sachs.

Their La Liga rivals Real Madrid find themselves in a similarly dire financial position, possibly explaining Florentino Perez's insistence that the Super League goes ahead.

At the under-renovation Bernabeu, gross debt stands at €901million, with net debt at €355million.

Earlier this week, Barcelona defender Gerard Pique backed his under-fire president, while also registering a note of disappointment with the Super League proposal.

"As president of Barca he's in a situation where he inherited a club in very bad, very negative economic circumstances and he will be making the best possible decision for the club," Pique told Movistar+.

"If I look at the Super League through the prism of a player, I would say to you that it is not positive in the long term for the world of football.

"Do we want that for the world of football? That Sevilla, Valencia, Everton, Leicester, Napoli ... disappear? Because these clubs would be rendered worthless."

However, Laporta - much like Perez - seems determined to plough on.

"There have been pressures placed on some clubs, but the proposal is still standing,” Laporta said.

He added, "We have very important investments, our salaries are very high, and those must be taken into consideration, along with sporting merits.”

But La Liga president Javier Tebas poured more cold water on the subject, saying, "I think that Barcelona has bigger problems than taking on the rest of the clubs in Spain and Europe to defend a Super League that is already dead.

"If they say that the Super League will save soccer, they are lying or they are mistaken,” Tebas said. “Florentino Perez is lying.

"It can’t help soccer because it would destroy the national leagues.”

DEBATE: Can the NFL model work? | New Champions League mess | Ireland and the Super League​ | OTB AM


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Barcelona European Super League Florentino Perez Joan Laporta La Liga Real Madrid Super League The Super League

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