"Football needs European Super League", says Barcelona president Laporta

and

argue that UEFA has an illegal monopoly over football and still supports the Super League project.

An advisory opinion from the Court of Justice of the European Union recently said that FIFA and UEFA have the right to block clubs from joining any new competitions. A final ruling will be announced in 2023.

Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta believes football needs a new competition like Super League and urged UEFA to change its stance.

"We have to reform how European football works,"

Laporta told Barca TV on Thursday.

"The Premier League will pass from €5 billion to €7bn in television rights -- and LaLiga from €2bn to €1.7bn. LaLiga teams cannot compete with Premier League sides. [Barca] compete because of our history, but [English sides] have more and more resources all the time. This has to change.

"We hope the final court resolution in the spring will be favourable and in the interest of the clubs and free competition in Europe, which is the argument with UEFA.

"We are working hard to improve the competition for the financial sustainability of the clubs and to change the governance model, because in the football industry, it's the clubs that make the least [money]. That cannot be the case.

"I am optimistic. I think the final resolution will have an impact similar to the Bosman ruling. The clubs need the power to create and govern our [own] competition.

"UEFA should be at the governing table with us. And if they aren't, we could find investment from a country outside the EU with resources to organise a competition. I think football needs it. But I always try to create dialogue, [whether] with UEFA, LaLiga... we are open to talking.”

Sergio Busquets’s contract with Barcelona will expire at the end of the season and reports suggest that he wants to leave the club in January.

"We want him to stay,"

the Barca president added.

"[Coach] Xavi told me he wants him until the end of the season; he is counting on him.

"We will see what Busquets decides, either now or in the summer, on his future. It's been commented that he has offers from MLS now, but I hope he stays until the end of the season. Whatever decision he takes will be a well-considered one.”

Laporta also said that Barcelona will not sign any players in the January transfer window.

"We did our work in the summer,"

he said.

"There are no signs that we will have to make any signings in January. The team is very well balanced."

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