Yahoo Movies Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Champions League semi-final might not go ahead, Uefa’s Aleksander Ceferin hints
Uefa’s Aleksander Ceferin took a strong stance against the Super League earlier this week
(AFP via Getty Images)Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has said there is a “small possibility” Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid will not go ahead next week, as European football’s governing body decides whether to punish the clubs involved in the failed Super League breakaway.
Chelsea and Real Madrid were two of the 12 clubs to sign up to the Super League, which collapsed on Tuesday after Chelsea withdrew from the competition due to fierce public backlash, and are set to play each other in the semi-final first leg on Tuesday 27 April.
Following the clubs’ formal announcement of the Super League on Sunday, Uefa executive committee member Jesper Moller said that the teams still involved in this season’s European competitions - Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal - were to be expelled at a Uefa executive committee meeting on Friday.
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Ceferin has since vowed to “rebuild the unity” of European football after the English clubs climbed down from the proposals, but it is unclear if there will be punishments for the teams involved.
The Uefa president said this season’s Champions League and Europa League were set to go ahead due to television contracts, however, but admitted there is a chance Chelsea and Real Madrid’s semi-final does not go ahead as planned.
“The key is that this season has already started, so broadcasters would come at us for damages if we don’t play the semi-finals,” Ceferin told Slovenian station 24UR.
“So, there’s a relatively small possibility that this match isn’t played next week. But, things could be a little different in the future.”
Ceferin, who labelled those at the heart of the Super League plans “liars and snakes” in an extraordinary press conference on Monday, but later welcomed the decision from the Premier League clubs to withdraw.
“I said yesterday that it is admirable to admit a mistake and these clubs made a big mistake,” he said.
“But they are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game.
“The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together.”
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