Joan Laporta claims Super League is the only way to compete with state-run clubs

Joan Laporta has argued that the Super League is the only way to stop state-run clubs from dominating football.

Since the idea was scrapped following a huge backlash from fans, most of the clubs involved have distanced themselves from it.

Real Madrid and Barcelona haven’t though with their respective presidents, Florentino Perez and Laporta, continuing to support such a competition being introduced and pushing for it to happen.

During Barcelona’s General Assembly, Laporta continued to do so, arguing that it’s the only way for clubs not owned by a state to compete with those that are such as Manchester City and PSG.

“The financial situation of football clubs is very worrying,” he said.

“The clubs assume all of the costs and all of the risks. 38 clubs from the Spanish league have had to mortgage their future. Barca did not consider [the Super League] from a financial point of view. We believed we could do things better for the interests of the club.

“European football is suffering in order to attract young people and if you add into that, the state-run clubs, there is an evident destabilisation.

“The previous board tried to compete with the state clubs, something which is impossible to do. These clubs are financially doping with support from outside. That means that clubs like ours have to choose between having stars or suffering economically.

“It is for that reason that we want to support the Super League, a more equal competition that will help confront these problems. The clubs are going to govern their own destiny. It makes me laugh when state clubs say that the teams of the Super League say we are the rich.”