Though now conceding defeat for the breakaway, Juventus’ chairman earlier spoke of
Football facing a fight for relevance
On Wednesday morning two of Italy’s biggest newspapers – La Repubblica and Corriere dello Sport – ran a joint interview with the
Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, in which he insisted that the Super League had a “100% chance of success”. Within hours of its publication, he had admitted defeat. Asked by Reuters whether the league might still go ahead, following the withdrawal of at least half of its founder members, he replied: “To be frank and honest, no.”
The writing was on the wall already as the newspapers went to print, but both chose to press ahead and publish a conversation that offered insights into the thinking behind the failed league. Agnelli’s discourse was wide-ranging, but the two points he seemed most keen to highlight were a frustration with current models of football governance and a conviction that new approaches were required to hold the attention of younger fans.