Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is not happy with the current setup of European club football. Hence, he is proposing a new league worth €10 billion which is different from the failed European Super League.
Recall that 12 top elite clubs led by Real Madrid, Juventus, and FC Barcelona, introduced the European Super League in April 2021. Immediately the clubs confirmed the establishment of the league which ought to commence in the 2022-2023 season, there was a massive outcry against the establishment of the league.
Within 48 hours after the announcement of the new league, the public outcry forced 8 of the 12 clubs to bow out from the proposed league. Only Real Madrid, Juventus, and FC Barcelona are still trying to actualize the proposed league even though FIFA and UEFA had kicked against it.
The major criticism against the league was that the participants were selected randomly based on their historic prestige, market value, or the popularity of the clubs not on football merit.
As for the new league, Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis is proposing, participants of the €10 billion league would be selected based on merits.
While defending the yardstick behind the proposed league whose name has not to be revealed, the Italian movie producer argued that the current football system was no longer sustainable.
He also argued that clubs need to buy top players and require a lot of money but the clubs are not making as much as they should in the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League.
“The system doesn’t work anymore,” the Napoli President told Daily Mail. “The Champions and Europa League don’t generate sufficient income for the clubs to justify participating in it.
“To be competitive, you need more top-class players. That means you have to spend more money — and the prize money from the European competitions doesn’t account for that.
“That is why the clubs need to speak to each other to come up with a more modern and lucrative tournament for everyone in it.”
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis proposes a reduction in the number of clubs in domestic leagues
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has advocated for the reduction in the number of clubs allowed to feature in domestic leagues across Europe.
The 72-year-old movie producer who has been the owner of Napoli since 2004, argued that it would be better to have 18 clubs in the domestic leagues instead of 20 clubs.
This, according to the Italian businessman, would give more room for clubs to participate in the proposed €10 billion league.
“We need to reduce the number of games by reducing the size of the top divisions across Europe”, the Napoli president said. “Also, we create a European league with a democratic system of entry, based on what teams achieve in their domestic competitions.
“I have examined a project ready to bring €10bn to the European game, but we need willingness and total independence.”
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis bought Napoli in 2004 when the club suffered bankruptcy and gone down to the Italian second division.
He gave the club financial stability that enabled the club to gain promotion until they returned to Serie A. They are currently playing in the Europa League and at the top of the Serie A table.
