By DPA
London : Chelsea’s CEO Peter Kenyon has ruled out any need for a European Super League.
Speaking at the Soccerex 08 forum in London, the former Manchester United official said that leading European clubs had no desire to replace the Champions League with a European Super League.
“There is no appetite from any clubs for a league. We have one already called the Champions League,” he said.
Real Madrid General Commercial Director Begona Sanz admitted that there had been times when Europe’s governing body UEFA had responded quite slowly to the demands of the clubs.
“This raised the spectre of a league, but not any more. The challenge now is to maintain its importance and generate revenues,” he said.
Liverpool’s Commercial Director Ian Ayre said the Champions League was important to domestic leagues.
“Qualification for Europe is a key driver of the domestic league. There is a romance about the Champions League which is not playing Bayern Munich four times a year. We are a long way from saying the model doesn’t work,” he said.