All language subtitles for Super.League.The.War.for.Football.S01E02.720p.WEB.h264-TRUFFLE

Arsenal Football Club
has always been part of my life.

ARSENAL FANS WELCOME LEYTON ORIENT

It was less than 500 meters to the stadium.

I've had a season ticket,
since I was ten.

It's practically a religion.

We only go to the stadium
instead of going to church.

The most important word
in the name of Arsenal is "club".

It is a community.

The city where I was born
has a pretty rough working-class neighborhood.

Coal mining and shipbuilding were...
the essentials. Soccer was the sport.

The local team was Newcastle.
It belonged to the communities.

They said: If you're missing a striker,
just whistle down the shaft.

In the beginning, soccer was a deeply
a deeply ecclesiastical, local enterprise.

As children, we didn't even know
that these teams had owners.

You sat with a season ticket
with the same people week after week.

Their names were not known.

But they knew her through and through.

What makes soccer special,
is the local identity. The pride of home.

The working class
is organized in groups.

These non-profit soccer associations,

some even belong to fans,
are managed by members.

We used to be a club where the fans owned a
owned a significant proportion of the shares.

The biggest single change
in the history of Arsenal

is the transfer of the fans' shares
to an American investor.

When did the decline begin?

Was it when the soccer association allowed
that you could earn money with soccer?

Stan Kroenke led Arsenal under his own management
into an investor model.

All those whose grandparents
had bequeathed them shares,

have been without thanks
or a vote from a man,

who never went to a game,
was forced out of the club.

Kroenke should get out!

The Manchester United fans
hold him responsible: Joel Glazer.

Thousands came to express their
their feelings and it escalated.

In the last ten or 15 years
admission prices have become increasingly expensive,

as well as the transmission subscriptions.

The television says when the game will be played.

Television rights and global corporations
combined to create a perfect storm.

The richest teams
set themselves apart from the crowd.

They realized that they could divide the world
into segments,

with an official credit card sponsor
in every segment,

an official airline partner and
even an official potato snack.

They basically turned the club
basically into a cash machine.

We were told, fans of a big club,

which in principle
turned into an entertainment business,

that would be progress.

That the game
becomes global through a global audience.

But it's about the concentration of power

in the hands of a few owners
from a few countries.

These clubs
grew beyond their communities.

Away from the roots,
tribalism and the communities.

We are losing something precious.

This is my club. I was there first.

KROENKE OUT - A LOVE

The danger is that billionaires
kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

1 MRD. DOLLAR REVENUE

SUPER LEAGUE:
THE GAME OFF THE FIELD

That's how I see it. We had the perfect
proposal for international competitions.

Changes are painful.
The older you get, the more painful they become.

JUVENTUS CHAIRMAN

That is a fact.

And we had to face up to that.

No, listen. Okay?
I'll... I'll tell you one thing.

None of this would have happened,
Aleks hadn't chickened out in 2019.

If we want to continue to grow,
we need UEFA.

With UEFA, we have all the tools
to work well together. Forever.

The data is absolutely clear.

In medium-sized and small leagues
interest and spectator numbers are falling,

and the transmissions
and commercial values are declining.

The younger generations
do not follow the sport.

They evaporate.

For many clubs, making it into the
Champions League is of great importance.

It is our duty to consider improvements
for the world.

DECLARATION OF INTENT

They are the biggest
power brokers in European soccer.

-That's a sign of unity, isn't it?
-Yes, definitely.

In 2019, a truly innovative
competitive landscape was proposed.

Aleksander Čeferin believed in it
and supported them.

We worked hand in hand for over 15 months
worked hand in hand,

until we got to the point
where we made the first joint presentation

with the members of the ECA Board
and the UEFA Executive Committee.

Then I saw the violence of the resistance
of the system against change.

At the beginning of friendship

Andrea Agnelli
and Aleksander Čeferin came up with a plan,

to create a new
Champions League model,

according to which the historical elite

due to their status

with regard to qualification for the
Champions League was privileged.

Who did that favor?

It would have been immense...

SOCCER COMMENTATOR

...for dwindling powers like Juventus
and a disaster for smaller teams.

Who would watch national leagues?

The changed format
would benefit rich clubs...

LALIGA PRESIDENT

...and harm the domestic leagues
and poorer clubs.

It is an elitist thought,
without thinking about the others.

The reform in 2019,

the failure of a joint project
between Čeferin-UEFA and Agnelli-ECA,

we radically rejected
and did not want to accept it.

In 90 years, we have had an industry

and functioning competitions
with promotion and relegation.

Why stamp it out?

And then Čeferin saw,
the pragmatist, saw which way the wind was blowing.

-The idea was put on hold.
-When the idea was announced...

UEFA PRESIDENT

...we talked to shareholders and associations
with links to national associations.

We discussed a lot

and realized that the idea was not ideal.

Sometimes ideas are not good.

If the ideas are not good,
you give them up.

This created a rift
between the two men,

even if Aleksander didn't notice them.

...to trust...

Aleks, President of UEFA,
my daughter's godfather,

didn't want to take the steps at the length
and the tempo,

as I thought necessary.

I had tried for eight years
to shape the system from within.

We encountered a lot of resistance from UEFA
met with a lot of resistance.

That made it extremely difficult
to make progress,

the way I think we should have
should have progressed.

There was an agreement.
That's why Agnelli felt betrayed.

So that was the first step towards
what a few years later

in a much more personal betrayal...

EUROPEAN-CLUB-ASSOCIATION-CHIEF

...on that weekend in April
went the other way round.

DAY TWO
APRIL 18, 2021

SWITZERLAND

5 O'CLOCK

Sunday morning.

I lay in my bed
and thought about the situation.

I know how fans see such projects.

The working class goes to the games.

I know a Croatian,
whose dog is also a member of the club.

And he pays for his dog every month.

Fans identify with their club.

They are together. United.

They are proud.

The Super League
threatened the fans' sense of identity.

At 5 o'clock in the morning I realized:

We have a plan.

The moment Aleksander understood,

that Agnelli betrayed him,

I saw him as vulnerable.

-But then he reacted like a lion.
-He revealed everything.

He was so focused.

UEFA HEAD OF FOOTBALL

He gathered us together and told us
what to do.

I thought we could still
convince them not to go.

I said we had to attack them
with some kind of press release

and say: "Don't do that.
That's a bad idea.

Nothing annoys fans more
than big changes."

I hoped,

the Super League clubs
would come to their senses.

The aim was, of course, that the pressure
on the clubs would be so great,

that they would abandon the nonsense of the project.

UEFA
includes people, movement and press.

It was the right moment,
to talk about the Super League,

during the UEFA Congress.

They wanted to show
that they are more powerful than UEFA.

They wanted to
publish the Super League promptly.

It is always better to prevent something like this
before it becomes public.

I'm like: "I have the hardest task
in the next 48 hours."

Aleks told everyone: "We have to
call anyone who can help."

One of the clubs called me and said:

"We have to participate."

I said: "If you join in,
we'll be enemies from tomorrow."

We spoke to the soccer people.

With players, coaches and experts.

PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS

There have been many discussions
between us, UEFA,

the Football Association, LaLiga
and above all the Bundesliga.

The phones were ringing off the hook that day.

We called our partners,
broadcasters and sponsors.

UEFA SECRETARY GENERAL

I told Giorgio:
"Stop it, I'm going to break."

I say: "I take
the French and the Germans,

and you take the rest."

10 AM

I called the leagues

to sign a release agreement with
UEFA and the associations concerned.

We prepared a press release.
I thought the first draft was too nice.

We need to be more aggressive.

WILL BE BANNED FROM PLAYING

We had to look strong.

ALL MEASURES AVAILABLE TO US

We needed their attention.

We threatened to ban them from playing...

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

...and club exclusions.

SEND

The message went out.

THE CYNICAL PROJECT

They certainly surprised the Super League,
because they had other plans.

How should they react?

ITALY

10:15 AM

On Sunday
I played with my children in Turin.

Some speculation arose.

People began to talk.

Okay.

We were attacked by shareholders
from the industry.

At the time, we didn't know
in which direction we would go.

Ultimately, this is not
a bilateral agreement.

Not about two parties. Many parties
had to sign a contract,

which would not necessarily happen.

I set a deadline. If it happens
at a certain time, it happens.

If not, I'll have to jump in a car
and drive to the UEFA Congress in Montreux.

Time was of the essence.

Andrea Agnelli's position was crazy.

He was in favor of the Champions League,
which he secretly intended to blow up.

We are very close to my ideal
Champions League very close.

In a couple of weeks
pretty much everything should be settled.

That is the hope that both
President Čeferin and I have.

Agnelli did such a big splits,
that his pants threatened to tear.

This pressure on him.

I worked on two projects.

I had the spin-off project,

did on the other hand
but really did everything I could,

in the interests of the clubs and the ECA.

I really hope and ask you
that we approve this system today

and instruct the Executive Board to
to carry out the final details.

There was still a lot to do that day.

The most important clubs in Europe.

INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS

You put together a competition
and launch it on the market.

THE FOUNDING ASSOCIATIONS

But they have to sign a 150-page
binding document.

SPAIN

Agreeing on a document...

SUPER LEAGUE SECRETARY GENERAL

...which was almost 200 pages long, was difficult.

But the owners of the clubs
were all motivated by a common cause.

They were united by frustration
about the current soccer system

and how it works.

To understand today's game,

you have to go back a few decades
back to the era of the Galácticos.

THE GALÁCTICOS

Real Madrid...

REAL MADRID PRESIDENT

...had a hard time in the year 2000,
when I arrived. The club belongs to members.

So every four years
the members elect their president,

who manages the association.

I introduced myself and said:
"I can save Real Madrid."

I had to privately
with almost 150 million euros,

to get Real Madrid out of there.

Nothing scares me.

I am very happy...

...and will dedicate myself to the task of
inspire the partners.

I said: "I will
put all my energy into it,

because Madrid lasts forever."

Florentino Pérez
revolutionized soccer,

when he said in 2000:
"Football is Disneyland, is Hollywood."

He picked out the biggest stars
and put them all in this one team.

This attracted so much attention,
that revenue skyrocketed.

Since 2000

have played here
the best players in the world have played here.

I signed Zidane.

Ronaldo.

Beckham,

the Galácticos.

Cristiano Ronaldo.

Because he makes it so pure.

Modrić, Ronaldo!

Don't run any further!

Goal! Real Madrid
wins the UEFA Champions League!

These top players
have brought us 14 European Cups to date.

That's why Real Madrid
has the most fans in the world.

We used to take in 100 million euros,
now 300 million euros,

We recorded gains instead of losses.

There is a very strong correlation...

FIFA GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

...between money and victory.

The more you are prepared to pay players,

the higher
the chances of success in the league.

We destroyed the competitiveness
in our local leagues.

In Italy
Juventus have won nine in a row.

In Germany
Bayern Munich is the eternal winner.

In Spain there is the duopoly
of Barça and Real.

Paris Saint-Germain in France.

Why start the season?
You know the result.

Very rich people,
who buy European clubs,

have a competitive advantage
over all other clubs,

which leads to this distortion of competition.

It is the result of the emergence
of the sugar daddies of soccer.

ARMS RACE IN SPENDING

Arab capitalists,
Russian oligarchs,

very rich people from China...

The sugar daddies were not interested in profit,
but prestige

and political power.

Man City is owned by a sheikh,
Chelsea to an oligarch.

The fight for money,

Oligarchs and sheikhs against each other,
when Man City take on Chelsea.

Sugar daddies
have become much more important.

UEFA COMPLIANCE MANAGER

"Sugar daddies" is a good term,
but they want something for that sugar.

These associations are part of
of the soft power division of these countries,

to project a better image
on their countries.

Sportswashing is one way,
using sport to improve images.

We donated
the soccer field for the children.

Man City takes care of
communities, children.

For oligarchs,
Sheiks and petrodollar teams

soccer is
is not a profit-oriented business.

You gain a global reputation

and change,
how they are perceived worldwide.

You immediately get
millions of supporters worldwide.

Support Manchester City,
you support Abu Dhabi.

You can see this huge mass
of capital from all over the world.

From the Middle East,
from Russia, from Asia.

Roman Abramovich
buys into Chelsea.

A Russian oligarch...

...estimated to be worth 23 billion dollars.

Sheikh Mansour
took over Manchester City...

The brother of the Prince of Abu Dhabi.

A multiple
of Abramovich's fortune.

Qatar buys Paris Saint-Germain.

And recently, the Saudi Arabian sovereign
sovereign wealth fund bought Newcastle United.

Saudi Arabia's human rights situation
is condemned by 36 countries.

These countries already have money.
They don't want to earn any more money.

Their main goal is to mobilize
hundreds of thousands of fans. You want them to think:

"The human rights thing
is not so bad."

They just want their team to win.

Roman Abramovich!

Sheikh Mansour drove to Spain
in a Lamborghini!

A reason to celebrate
for many Newcastle United fans.

Everyone wants
the richest owner in the world.

Every nation state, Qatar for example,
which bought Paris Saint-Germain,

is thus planting its flag
into the center of world sport.

KATAR

I carry the Qatar flag with pride.

THE AMBASSADOR

Hello.

Hello, how are you?

Hi, nice to meet you.

PARIS-SAINT-GERMAIN PRESIDENT

Qatar deserves
a place on the world map.

That is so important for us.

Is everything okay here?

You are at home here.

You should feel comfortable.

This is normally the center court.

I always wanted to work in sport.

It's in the blood of all Qataris.
We love sport.

Really, sport is
our oxygen, so to speak.

I played tennis all my life.

I learned more from tennis
probably more than I did at school.

Discipline. Self-confidence.

Giving up tennis was difficult for me.

I asked myself, "What now?"

I wanted to do something in the sports sector.

An investment.

That's how I started to build my career.

The ex-tennis pro from Qatar

is worldwide
one of the youngest soccer presidents

and is leading a kind of revolution
in France's capital.

Nasser played tennis
tennis with the future Emir of Qatar.

MODERATOR

The relationship helped him to the position
chairman of the beIN Media Group,

one of the largest soccer broadcasters in the world.

And he became president
of the PSG soccer club.

Soccer is
a very conservative industry,

and here comes a figure
in the shape of Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

He doesn't look like her,
he doesn't talk like her...

...and he is the biggest shark in the water.

One senses a certain degree
of contempt and skepticism.

"This is our game."

To see this newcomer
struts into the saloon

and one
and makes a "new gunslinger".

Soccer fans outside Paris
found these owners cheeky.

They embodied everything
that was wrong with soccer.

With the purchase
the club took in 70 million.

We spent ten years building this up.

Today, the value of the association is
between 2.7 and 3 billion.

Is this a good investment?
A great one for me.

Our dream is to play in the top league
of the top clubs.

PSG doubled the record transfer fee,

last month when it paid 200 million pounds
for the Brazilian Neymar last month.

First it was Neymar, now it's Mbappé.

180 million euros
for the 18-year-old striker from Monaco.

How can they afford it?

You lose a lot of money.

And they don't care.

They are a completely different class.

You are Qatar.

The money literally shoots
literally shooting out of the ground.

PSG is becoming this
absurd collection of top-class players.

Qatar got the World Cup.

And they wanted to do everything,
what was possible,

to make Qatar
into a soccer stronghold.

It's all about that,

to promote the image of the emirate
in the best possible way.

...one of the most popular athletes in the world
brings his talent to Paris.

He took
farewell to Barcelona last week.

He wanted to stay,
but they couldn't afford him.

PSG has proven that it can afford almost anyone.
can afford. Hardly any other club can do that.

They box the others out.

Goal from Messi!

With the transfers of Neymar and Mbappé
for 400 million euros in one summer

they suddenly bought
other players for horrendous sums.

That created a crazy bubble,
that defied all reason.

WAGE COSTS RISE BY 400 MILLION FUND

Costs rose dramatically.
Income did not follow suit.

The Real Madrids and the Barcelonas
can't keep up with teams,

who can invest endless amounts of money
into their clubs.

I can't go on a spending spree
with Roman Abramovich,

with the brother
of the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

I have a good hedge fund.

I'm not taking on Saudi Arabia.

Florentino Pérez's strategy was:
"I will buy icons.

If I spend too much on them,
they increase my fame."

Other wealthy owners
adopted this model.

Some have more money than Real Madrid,
so they were even more successful.

It's like owning the
most beautiful penthouse in the world,

this is Real Madrid.

Your brand stands for the best.
The best players for the most money.

And then someone builds
a penthouse above your penthouse.

Suddenly the petrodollar teams arrive

and say: "We are reorganizing the world."

You have to invest in the company,
to make it profitable.

We invest
not only in Paris Saint-Germain.

But throughout Europe.

This will increase the revenue
of the television rights in France

and subsequently
the rest of Europe as well.

This benefits small clubs,

middle

and large.

-PSG's first goal!
-It's flimsy,

to say that more money means
we could save soccer.

In the past, more money meant
meant more problems,

as one famous rapper said.

Mbappé!

If the players' salaries rise,
the other teams can't keep up.

UEFA let the problem
become so excessive,

that Barcelona
now has a debt of 1.1 billion euros.

Paris Saint-Germain
storms one of the largest castles in Europe.

The system is not getting us anywhere.
We are getting poorer and poorer.

BARCELONA PRESIDENT

For example, if we are looking for a player
for the Barcelona soccer club,

then PSG and Manchester City have
have more resources,

to double the supply.

It is difficult
to compete under these circumstances.

Shocking figures
and financial situations...

Barcelona in financial distress
with debts of over 1 billion dollars.

You have 1.15 billion pounds in debt.

A DESPERATE SPORT

The players would probably
would probably not even have been paid.

Take a look at the market. Only associations
that belong to a state invest.

But the rest of the clubs
have financial problems.

Barcelona drift into mid-table.

Even the most passionate
Barcelona fans

see nothing positive here.

Kwame is lurking! And it's an own goal!

The Juventus temple collapses.

Real Madrid takes a beating.

At the same time, you can see the tensions
between other owners are growing.

THE NEW AMERICANS

American sports moguls,
who own European soccer clubs,

it's all about the money.

It's the billionaires,
who used to make money from the NFL

-or with the NBA.
-Jokic with a 5-meter throw!

The Glazers,
Owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,

bought into Manchester United.

GLAZER GAINS CONTROL OF MAN UNITED

Stan Kroenke, he owns the LA Rams.

He bought Arsenal.

ARSENAL FOR £1.8 BILLION

-John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox...
-The Red Sox win!

...bought Liverpool.

HENRY'S $476M LIVERPOOL 'THEFT'

For the American investors
it was not just a hobby.

It should earn them money
and be a safe investment.

That is why they are drawn
to the Premier League,

the league
with the highest revenue in soccer.

We love the Premier League!

The Premier League was powerful.
The big fish.

This attracts American owners.

You saw the worldwide ratings
for Liverpool v Manchester United.

They surpassed those of the Superbowl.

She says: "I'm in."

The Premier League has more fans

than US sport.
3 billion viewers worldwide.

It is broadcast in 188 countries
to almost one billion households.

The Americans were horrified to realize
that there was a group,

against which they were no match.

Sheikhs, oligarchs, nation states.

America has salary caps,
that limit spending.

You compete
with the same budget as everyone else.

How do you compete as a businessman
without unlimited oil money?

The American investors
extrapolated their balance sheets

and saw diminishing returns.

It was a Wild West.
There was no control over spending.

What happens when clubs don't care
whether they are in the black?

The other clubs,
who see themselves as a company,

are in favor of financial regulation.

The clubs understood
that soccer had no future

without a new base.

The corona pandemic
has opened a new front today:

The biggest sports competition in the world
has been canceled...

...as a reaction
to the escalating pandemic.

...decided,
to postpone the match in England.

The soccer industry lost money
money structurally in the years before Corona.

But when Corona came,

basically all the problems of the football
of the soccer industry.

No professional soccer until further notice

or grassroots soccer is no longer played.

The pandemic came. The game stopped.

The situation had
been difficult even before Corona

and then became disastrous during Corona.

Our ecosystem is fragile.

We must act responsibly
and help each other.

The five best soccer leagues in Europe

could lose around 4.5 billion dollars
in revenue.

The television stations
no longer pay the clubs,

because they have nothing to send.

The sponsors are also unhappy...

Professional clubs in England and Europe

threat of economic collapse.

What then?

Do you then sit at home
and say "Damn"?

No, you look for something new.

The system is obviously unsustainable.

I personally
learned about the Super League project

only very late in 2020.

The most outstanding clubs in Europe,

who wrote European soccer history
have written,

who said... as a wake-up call:

"Either something changes
or we take care of ourselves."

For the Super League clubs

UEFA's cost control
of UEFA simply did not work.

So they looked for something of their own,

that they could control.

We need the same rules for everyone.

We are only allowed to spend
what we earn from soccer,

not what we generate from mysterious
external financial sources.

The Super League reached an agreement,

that nobody should use soccer for anything other
other than soccer.

Spend unlimited money.

We controlled the unlimited
inflation that takes place in soccer.

I was informed
about a possible Super League.

It was the proposal
for a new competition format

under new management.

And they wanted Barça
in this group.

Pérez, Agnelli and I are rivals.

Barça should win.
They want the same for themselves.

With the Super League

the financial sustainability of the
of the soccer clubs was guaranteed.

MARCH 2020

APRIL 18, 2021

THE INFORMATION PUZZLE

1 PM

The Super League thing
came out at a strange time:

on a Sunday afternoon.

EXCLUSIVE - 5 ENGLISH CLUBS
SIGN FOR SECESSION LEAGUE

Martyn Ziegler of the Times tweeted it,
published a story,

and we followed it up.

CLUBS WANT "SUPER LEAGUE"

It went viral.

The developing story from the Times...

...like an earthquake...

...European Super League...

...new structures for European soccer.

A manager of a
of a Super League team called me,

and I said: "You're crazy.
This is never going to happen."

He said:
"No, this is a huge operation.

We have lobbyists in every country.

We have specialized
PR teams in every country. It's a machine."

I was emotionally overwhelmed.

I thought
of cross-generational memories.

To the small clubs in England.

The thought of the Super League
buried it all alive.

I've never been worse.

This will change the soccer world,
as we know it.

The start of the biggest
poker game in European soccer.

EHEM. MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYER

A war against soccer.

We heard more and more
media reports and feedback

about the Super League of some clubs.

I was so surprised to see Arsenal on the list
of these clubs.

We did a lot of research.
Arsenal fans didn't want that.

A Super League would destroy everything
we believed in.

It was probably still under development.

What particularly outraged people
and even disgusted them, was,

that you can
for the Super League not through performance

qualified in the local leagues.

It would be an organization
with basically exclusive membership.

This shows that the fans

the club owners don't care.

Extreme greed.

The clubs
should be ashamed of what they do

and are prepared to leave behind.

FRANCE

My colleague Kevin Miles
from Great Britain called me.

Some English clubs would probably disappear.

But at the time that was
just a rumor.

It was just a credible threat.

The details are still unclear.
We have until the evening

or wait until tomorrow,
to find out more details.

BROADCASTER

When I heard about it, I thought...

I really wanted details.

Everyone was waiting for information.

1:30 PM

This Super League
had an advantage in this respect,

that we didn't know what they were planning.
The aim was to be ready.

We didn't know what to expect.

We put the information
together like a jigsaw puzzle.

We're talking about billionaires here,
the owners of our biggest clubs.

Are they coming with something big?

We didn't know what kind of weapons

and support
they would have in this project.

It is called the European Super League.

But everyone probably knows
that five countries are important here.

England, Germany,
Italy, Spain and France.

They represent
the most viewers and the most money.

If you get
the biggest clubs in these countries,

the battle would have been won, so to speak.

Especially Italy and Spain.
These are the highly indebted clubs,

that are at risk of going bankrupt.

They really think they're trying to
to save soccer.

In England they were,
I think, less concerned

about this existential threat.

The big six, Liverpool,

Manchester City, Manchester United,

Arsenal, Chelsea

and Tottenham Hotspur.

They play in a super league,
the Premier League.

The state clubs,
Chelsea and Man City,

don't need the Super League or money.

They own clubs for reasons
that go beyond money.

But the Super League always thought
they would get the Germans and the French.

They wanted PSG and Bayern Munich
because of their top positions

in France...

-PSG, domestic triple.
-and Germany.

Bayern Munich
became Bundesliga champions once again.

If a Super League really wants to
really wants to include the best clubs in the world,

who all play together
in the same competition,

then you would assume 100%,
PSG and Bayern would take part.

These two clubs are undoubtedly
undoubtedly at the top of the pyramid.

We were wondering whether the two
representatives of the clubs will show up.

One of the two

was Nasser Al-Khelaifi
from Paris Saint-Germain.

Before that, Madrid
and its president Florentino

came to Paris to offer me
to join the Super League.

They sold it as guaranteed money.
More games, competitive games.

And no risk.

That was their goal,
the best five leagues in the world.

It was definitely important for them
that we took part.

They put pressure on me.

"Yes or no?"

I thought my decision...

It was really so important for everyone.
For both sides.

Aleksander called me on Sunday.

He said: "Nasser,
please come to the UEFA meeting

and show that you are still with us."

It would be massively damaging to UEFA,

PSG to the Super League.

As head of UEFA

you don't want to see Neymar and Mbappé
to play for the Super League.

There was a lot of speculation about
what PSG would do.

We wondered,
what role PSG might have played.

It's a soccer team
on steroids.

Exactly what the Super League is.
Of course, such a competition would

have an attraction for PSG.

Then on Sunday
another piece of the puzzle came to light.

THE LEAK

I've had people make suggestions to me via secure
chat functions leaked suggestions

and documents.

ACCESS GRANTED

IS WANTED...

THIS BINDING DECLARATION

There were details there,
what this Super League should look like.

I can't reveal my sources,
but I got it from someone nasty.

The aim was to strategically damage the Super League
strategically before its launch.

It was called "Framework agreement
between the founding associations".

A 78-page contract.

In addition to the founding clubs, there were also
clubs that were to join later.

They were Paris Saint-Germain
and Bayern Munich.

Objectively speaking,
no person responsible for these clubs can

remain on the outside forever.
You will then want to join.

Should the Super League come into being,

it would be clear and inevitable,
that PSG, given its ambitions

and its essence.

The same applies to Bayern Munich.

Germany,
where Bayern Munich always wins.

We knew that Bavaria had been
invited to this elite group.

In the published documents
there was this 30-day period,

to join.

The alleged deadline for us to join...
We were never informed of this.

LEGAL COMMITTEE

Bayern Munich is one of
of the largest sports institutions in the world

in one of the richest economies.

If a Super League had been founded,
they would have talked to Bayern.

They seemed to want to push us into it,

by saying: "Okay, we won't take them in
not take them in, but put them under pressure."

As Bayern Munich, you would assume
they would want us in the Super League.

Juventus and Real Madrid
wanted to get everyone to sign.

I just didn't know
how long the fight would last.

I'm a big club,
but for me... I was ashamed.

That is not the image
that the big clubs want to project.

We cannot destroy the dreams, the hope
of the fans and clubs.

The Super League
will break the whole system.

Our answer is clear.

We do not participate.

Every format, every league, every competition
should be supervised by UEFA.

So

I flew.

5:20 PM

My first question was:
"Where is Aleksander?"

I went inside.

I hugged him.

I said: "We'll get through this together.

Right to the end."

Nasser Al-Khelaifi
came from Paris Saint-Germain.

He supported us in every way.
I trusted him completely.

He understands soccer,

and he knows that it is a mistake
to kill a cow for a kilo of meat.

What counts is how you behave in a crisis.

New alliances were formed very quickly.

PSG has shown the necessary loyalty
at the right time.

And this has proved to be an excellent solution.

Nasser Al-Khelaifi made it
from the annoying nouveau riche of soccer

to the established bodies
to the top of European soccer.

This weekend in April
curiously enough

his place
as a key figure in the establishment.

In the days that followed
there was a call to arms.

Who will be the head
of the European Club Association?

Departure from the stage Andrea Agnelli
from Juventus. He had to go.

It is the Super League.

Who will be the new manager?
Nasser Al-Khelaifi on the right?

We have to organize ourselves.
Our army. Who are our soldiers?

You want to find out
who is for you and who is against you.

I phoned around.

I called clubs.

Bavaria.

We confirmed,
we would not be part of the Super League.

Bavaria could not have been clearer

against the renegade league
can pronounce.

Bayern Munich will
not become part of the Super League.

...an outright rejection
of the Germans to the Super League.

A project like the Super League
would be a red rag for a bull,

when it comes to the German fans.

No owner can own more than 49% of
of a German team.

The German soccer feeling

rejects the idea
of big money from owners.

A move from Bayern
to a super league would therefore

the very activist and socially conscious
German soccer public.

Bavaria was on our side.

These people were invited, but refused to
to take part in the project.

I said: "You were on the right side at the right moment
on the right side of history."

Nobody can take that away from you.

I'm like, "Maybe nothing will happen after all."

Perhaps they understand
that I have significant support

and it's just a stupid project.

SWITZERLAND

6:30 PM

The fact that PSG and Bayern
were against the Super League,

demonstrated the strength
and support for UEFA.

But our information
was still incomplete at the time.

Certain people
no longer answered the phone.

My last conversation with my
ex-Chairman of the Board Agnelli

was at the board meeting on Friday
of the European Club Association.

I tried to call Andrea myself.
He didn't answer.

Charlie tried 100 times,
to call Andrea. No one reached him.

Everyone mistrusted everyone.

THE HEART OF FOOTBALL

The right thing to do was to convene
a board meeting.

Nasser Al-Khelaifi from PSG turned up.

Michael Gerlinger came from Bayern Munich.

Edwin van der Sar from Ajax.

NETHERLANDS

I have to make sure...

AJAX MANAGING DIRECTOR

...that medium-sized countries are represented.
Sunday was a final day in Holland.

Ajax wins the Dutch Cup!

The players
took photos with the trophy.

I had a Zoom conversation
with clubs that were still with the ECA.

MEETING WAS SCHEDULED

CONNECT...

All Board members were invited

and then waited,
who, especially from the larger clubs

would come from the big leagues,
where all the focus was.

"Are they the Super League?"

No one came from Italy.

Spain? No club.

But then...

None from England.

You could see that a few clubs didn't show up,

although they should be there.

We thought
they had pulled it off. Yes.

EXIT

Everything began to crumble.

Chelsea as well as Manchester City.

Why would oligarchs and Gulf states
want to join the European Super League?

I spoke to people from these clubs.

-They thought, "There goes soccer."
-There was a fear of missing out.

If the train left the station
and it would pass,

we have to go along for the ride.

Manchester City is a major coup for the
coup for the Super League teams.

Likewise Chelsea.
Because you can control them.

Stop this runaway inflation.

The American owners
want order and regular profits.

Then there was Agnelli and
Barcelona in its current state.

Everything came together at that moment.
This is Florentino Pérez's dream.

He finally has the right partners,
the henchmen to make this possible.

11:30 PM

I got on the phone
and called everyone.

But no one answered.

Not via WhatsApp, no message.
No phone calls.

You were in the Super League.

I received a tsunami of resignations.

All these clubs
left the ECA one after the other.

From this position, from this, this.

Juventus...

EMPLOYEE SECRETARY GENERAL

I was still awake. The first
publications came shortly after midnight.

Real Madrid...

I received 25 e-mails.
Formal letters with resignations

of the clubs,
obviously very coordinated.

Barcelona...

For the first time
we saw the names of the clubs.

Arsenal, Man United,

Atlético Madrid...

Her decision to cross this line
was a shock.

FORMAL COMMUNICATION

Milan...

Six Premier League teams.

00:10 AM

PRESS RELEASE

TOP FOOTBALL CLUBS
ANNOUNCE SUPER LEAGUE

Your press release appeared at night.

LEAVE OUR ROLE AS MEMBERS OF THE

It was a direct confrontation.
No... no further conversation about it.

That was the worst experience
of my life.

Then followed 48 hours of
of complete chaos.

I love Juventus as a club.

I love the games,
the passion of the games.

I love winning games.

What I don't love is the leadership.

As a monopolist, UEFA is abusing
its dominant role.

Subtitles by: Maja Chalhoub