Rodriguez becomes latest player to criticise European Super League
Everton playmaker James Rodriguez has joined a whole host of people to have spoken out against the now-suspended European Super League.
Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham all officially announced their plans to withdraw from the newly proposed competition on Tuesday following an insurmountable level of player, fan and pundit backlash.
Plans for a European Super League were only officially announced on Sunday night but such was the reception so overwhelmingly negative that the Premier League clubs had no choice but to backtrack.
Many current and former players had spoken out against the concept of a Super League and Rodriguez added himself to that list on Tuesday, condemning a competition that removed the ‘spice’ of football.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Rodriguez said: “I do not agree at all.
“The spice is taken away from soccer, the teams that formed it benefit themselves. When you are a child, you dream of playing a Champions League or a World Cup, not a Super League.
“If because of the pandemic, the big clubs have had a bad time, imagine the small ones. They suffered a lot.”
Wise move
After receiving such an overwhelming amount of backlash it is no wonder that the Super League crumbled as fast as it did, but all the same those who spoke out against it deserve credit.
James Rodriguez is just the latest to condemn the proposals said to pose a threat to the very existence of British football, and as someone with proven pedigree and prestige his words strike harder than most.
Rodriguez is right to draw attention to the smaller clubs, who throughout the COVID pandemic have been pushed to the breaking point through their severely decreased revenue stream.
Real Madrid may have suffered financial losses since the beginning of the pandemic but many more clubs out there have equally suffered hardship and they wouldn’t immediately benefit from a Super League competition that sought to fill the pockets of the rich.
Thankfully the English clubs have withdrawn and the Super League has been suspended for the time being, and hopefully that’s the last we’ll hear of it for a good long while.
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