Top Premier League clubs allegedly met with American billionaire Stephen Ross earlier this week in order to discuss the idea of a European Super League. But the plan does have its critics, and Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal recently made it clear that he does not support the idea.
Though Louis van Gaal may not currently be in contention for the UEFA Champions League, he has a wealth of experience in the Europe’s top competition. Van Gaal won the Champions League in 1994-95 with Dutch club Ajax and most recently led Bayern Munich to the Champions League final in 2009-2010.
“Everybody knows, when you follow my career, that I am against all the super leagues and things like that,” the Dutchman said, according to BBC.
However, the Manchester United manager did say that the Champions League needed to become an exclusive competition only for the title winners of Europe’s domestic leagues, instead of having several teams from one league participating in it as they do at present.
The Dutchman said: “It has to be between champions in my opinion. I said that 20 years ago and I say it now again.
“I think sport is to win, not to be second or third.”
Most clubs oppose the idea
The idea pitched by American billionaire Stephen Ross, the brains behind the International Champions Cup, was to have a super league comprising the elite clubs across Europe, where the biggest teams would qualify each year regardless of their domestic league position. He held a meeting earlier this week with representatives from some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League.
Since then, a number of clubs and managers have come out to dismiss the idea. Arsenal have been the only club to officially denounce the plan, but Van Gaal and Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink have also stated that they do not agree with the idea of a European Super League
