Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin defends Premier League from 'jealous' critics

Slovenian insists English top-flight model should be applauded, not attacked

Aleksander Ceferin was re-elected unopposed for a third term as Uefa president on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. AP

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has described criticism levelled at the Premier League's financial dominance as “jealousy” and said that the English top-flight's model should be celebrated.

The Slovenian, who was re-elected unopposed for a four-year term until 2027 in Lisbon on Wednesday, also took the opportunity to again criticise the failed attempt by some of the continent's top clubs to create a new European Super League.

The gap between the English top flight and Europe's other big leagues in terms of broadcasting revenue and transfer spending has been highlighted as a problem by officials in some countries, including La Liga president and Uefa executive committee member Javier Tebas.

But at the Uefa Congress on Wednesday, Ceferin made it clear that he Premier League should be applauded, not criticised, for its success.

“We must never forget that jealousy has never been a good counsellor,” said the 55-year-old. “A few months ago, Uefa and its club competitions were being blamed for all the evils in football and the inequalities within the leagues. Today, it's the English Premier League that seems to be under attack.

“Since the British government, supporters and clubs said no to the Super League, the Premier League has been demonised and labelled a Super League in its own right that needs to be toppled.

“However, the Premier League's success was not achieved by accident. By adopting an audacious approach based on a vision, a strategy and a lot of hard work, its leaders and clubs developed a remarkable model founded on sporting merit and a highly egalitarian distribution of wealth – one of the most egalitarian systems in the world.

“Rather than a model to be destroyed, this is a model that should be followed.”

Ceferin was asked whether Spain should follow England's lead when it comes to distribution. The Premier League distributes domestic broadcast revenue at a ratio of 1.6 to 1 from the top team to the bottom and at 1.8 to 1 for overseas revenue, whereas Spain's ratio is 3.5 to 1.

“I don't want to compare any league to the other,” the Slovenian said later at a press conference.

“I just want to say that the Premier League is obviously doing a good job. And when somebody is doing a good job, our view is that you look at them and you try to learn why this is done so well.”

Ceferin also railed against the rebel clubs backing a breakaway European Super League, likening the project to “Little Red Riding Hood”.

However, the league is not dead yet, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus continuing to pursue the project.

A lawsuit has been launched against Uefa and Fifa at the European Court of Justice, accusing the governing bodies of abusing their power by threatening to expel clubs and players interested in joining a breakaway league.

A final ruling is expected in the coming weeks, although the court's advocate general, whose opinions are often followed by judges, provided a first ruling favourable to Uefa in December.

“Those who promote this project are now claiming that they want to save football,” Ceferin said. “In the space of a few months the so-called Super League has turned into a character in Little Red Riding Hood, a wolf disguised as a grandmother ready to eat you up.

“Is anybody fooled? Here we have two opposing world views, cynicism over morality, selfishness over solidarity, greed over benevolence, shameful lies over the truth, cartel over meritocracy and democracy, the quest for profit over the quest for trophies.”