The implications of the court rulings could lead to a significant change in the way football is organized in Europe, which has been going...
The implications of the court rulings could lead to a significant change in the way football is organized in Europe, which has been going on for decades, and to new legal fights: UEFA has insisted that it will resume its efforts to punish clubs once she has the legal right to do so.
Ceferin reminded Stillitano of this in his response.
“I heard about your ‘business’ with the three clubs,” Ceferin said in the text message, which was included in Stillitano’s lawsuit. “These clubs didn’t ’cause problems with UEFA’. They tried to destroy UEFA, football and me personally. It’s a shame you don’t understand that. The fact that you work with them means that I, UEFA or anyone I can influence will have no commercial or private relationship with you until you are on the other side.
Stillitano’s attorneys called Ceferin’s message “threatening.”
“It became clear that Ceferin and UEFA – and by extension their new partner, Relevent – were declaring war on Stillitano for considering affiliation with all three teams,” the lawyers wrote.
UEFA recently negotiated a contract with Relevent, choosing the company as a commercial partner sell broadcasting rights to competitions such as the Champions League in North America. The organizations are also discussing the possibility of Relevent holding an off-season competition which would be approved by UEFA.
In an interview on Friday, Ceferin said he wasn’t interested whether or not Stillitano was working with all three clubs. But the mere idea that he would, Ceferin said, was enough to end their relationship.
“When I realized he was cooperating with them at the same time, I decided to end all relationship with him,” Ceferin said. He was angrier, he said, that a private text message had leaked into a public record. “I never told anyone about it because I have more important things to deal with than dealing with Stillitano,” Ceferin said. “By using private correspondence publicly, Stillitano showed what his moral values are.”
The case is the latest example of the lingering bad blood between UEFA and the three teams, which are among the richest and most powerful in world football, and the peripheral damage the Super League fight continues to cause. This has already destroyed the once close relationship between Ceferin and Juventus president Andrea Agnelli; the men haven’t spoken since last year, even though Ceferin is godfather to Agnelli’s youngest child. Now it’s Stillitano who has been cut.
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