When asked about his thoughts on the Super League, Atalanta defender Robin Gosens told Kicker: “This is a huge disaster for football. I am shocked that it is coming true now. That a small underdog prevails, that was always the basis of football.
“If there is now a Super League in which Arsenal or Tottenham qualify forever without any sporting achievement, then the foundation of football will be taken away. Everyone must be aware that football will then change forever and will never be the same again.
“People are still dying all over the world, there is a lack of money at the front and at the back. These twelve clubs set up their own league and get 100 or 150 million shoved up their asses. You have to question the ethics of that.
“The sad thing is: at the end of the day, it's all about money, money, money. The damage would be so big that many fans will hopefully oppose it. I would take part in such protests.”
If the breakaway plan succeeds, Liverpool will be one of the 12 founding clubs of the new Super League.
The Reds are set to earn up to €350m just for participating in the league and €200m a year. However, they have been warned that playing in the Super League could see them banned from the Premier League and UEFA competitions.
RELATED STORIES
Henderson calls emergency meeting of PL captains over European Super League
Jordan Henderson has called an emergency meeting of the Premier League captains to discuss the European Super League, according to the Daily Mail.
The meeting will include the captains of the six clubs who are forming the breakaway league as well as those of the remaining 14 teams.
Henderson is set to take the leading role in the players' response to the news, just as he did during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic.
His position is not stated yet but in other teams, including Man United, there's clear opposition from the players to the owners' plans to form the new competition.
The Reds' vice-captain, James Milner, has already stated that he does not want the Super League to happen.
At the same time, Liverpool owners FSG are understood to be one of the main driving forces behind the plan.
Pep Guardiola on Super League: 'Sport is not a sport when success is guaranteed'
Speaking about his thoughts on the Super League, Pep Guardiola said in a press conference: “Sport is not a sport when the success is guaranteed, and when the relation between the effort and reward don’t exist.
“It’s not a sport when it doesn’t matter if you lose. It's not fair if teams fight at the top and cannot qualify.”
Guardiola’s side Man City is one of the founding members of the Super League – which could be kickstarted as soon as August 2021.
However, Boris Johnson has vowed to block every single Premier League club – Liverpool included – from participating in the tournament and ensuring new strict laws to stop the elite clubs from forming their own breakaway competition.
