Aleksander Ceferin is in the eye of the hurricane. The latest events leading up to the start of Euro 2020 are leaving him in a bad place. Its management and formula to address and solve the problems that are emerging in this last week with the appearance of several positives for coronavirus in some of the 24 teams classified for the great continental event. The different Federations are very upset with the UEFA president and await explanations.
The feeling transmitted by the Federations is one of concern at the current situation, with several countries with positives, close to the outbreak –among them Spain–, and with the possibility of generating chaos a few days after the tournament begins, not to mention Let this happen once the big event has started, where there will be little room for rectification by the technical bodies of the national teams.
Ceferin is focused on other matters at the moment. The UEFA president is seeing how the positives are occurring in various teams but remains firm with his initial plan and indicates that the protocol is followed. The situation has not made him change his mind or rectify. The possibility of forcing the teams to be vaccinated before the Eurocup , or to step forward to ensure their competition has not been considered at any time by buying the vaccines for each and every one of the participating teams.
This last measure, for example, has been taken by other organizations such as Conmebol or the IOC , which have bought the vaccines to ensure that participants in the next America’s Cup or the Olympic Games are vaccinated. Both organizations already communicated a couple of months ago that they had reached agreements to be able to supply vaccines against Covid-19 to all footballers and athletes from each of the countries and delegations participating in both competitions. It should be noted that neither Conmebol nor the IOC force the use of vaccines , they only facilitate and recommend them.
It should be noted that some teams have vaccinated their players of their own accord. For example, Italy , which had already vaccinated the 26 players that Roberto Mancini included in the list before starting the concentration prior to the Eurocup. Another case is that of France , which gave its players the opportunity to receive the vaccine – Kylian Mbappé made it public. Also Turkey , Poland or Russia .
Ceferin only thinks about the Superliga
But Aleksander Ceferin has spent days focused solely and exclusively on waxing the Super League. His interventions and demonstrations in recent weeks, far from being merely focused on the Euro 2020 that is about to start, is directed more towards the clubs that remain firm with the Superliga: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus .
In his last statements to The Telegraph , far from putting out the fire and putting the issue aside, he continued to fan it: “They went with a press release: ‘The Super League still exists, we still have a Super League.’ Two days later, they submitted an application to play in the Champions League. So they are in the Super League and out of the Champions League but they want to be in the Champions League? His point of view is ‘we play our elite competition and give a little charity to everyone’. Nobody wants charity.
His approach to the Super League is very personal, particularly irritating, especially with Andrea Agnelli , president of Juventus and godfather of one of his sons, of whom he has come to say this: «I put Andrea Agnelli in the first ranks, in the staff. In my eyes, this man no longer exists. I thought we were friends, but he lied to my face until the last minute of the last day, making sure there was nothing to worry about. While the day before he had already signed all the necessary documents for the launch of the Super League ».
While Ceferin continues to stoke the fire of the Super League , his Eurocopa falters before possible outbreaks that seriously endanger the competition in the expected terms, with a certain normality. This is not the case, the UEFA president refers to his protocol and does not take action before the different teams with the possibility of general vaccination. Meanwhile, the Federations begin to group to hold him accountable for what is happening.
