Juventus Director Criticizes Public Response To European Super League Project

Juventus managing director Fabio Paratici (Twitter @TuttoMercatoWeb)

JAKARTA - Juventus managing director Fabio Paratici said his team was never closed-minded and had always been straightforward throughout their involvement in the European Super League project, which failed last week.

Juve are one of three Italian teams, along with AC Milan and Inter Milan, who are the 12 founding clubs of the midweek Champions League match which was announced on Sunday, April 18 last week.

However, the project appears to have ended after most of the founding clubs resigned due to heavy criticism from the football community and especially their own supporters.

Juventus President Andrea Agnelli even has to admit that the plan is difficult to continue with the many teams that have withdrawn.

In the aftermath of the polemic, 11 Italian League clubs agreed to ask their compatriot teams involved in the European Super League to accept consequences by accusing them of "acting in secret" with "serious and real damage" to Italian football.

"We are being very bright and very calm about all that is happening," Paratici told Sky Italia as quoted by Reuters on Sunday night.

"I meet the president (Andrea Agnelli) every day, he is very calm, he is planning for the future and personally I know he really cares about the good of football and Juventus," he added.

On the other hand, Paratici has even criticized the response shown by the public regarding the Super League project.

"The violent reactions that emerged after the Super League announcement diverted attention from the causes and reasons for the project being formed," he said.

"Many things are not true to say because none of these clubs will ignore their domestic league and the competition formula is not closed," concluded Paraciti.

So far, only Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona have insisted on continuing the European Super League project.