Michael Zorc comments on the Super League collapse as Borussia Dortmund fans protest UCL reforms
By Tushar Bahl
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has welcomed the collapse of the European Super League after the majority of the founding clubs decided to pull out of the proposed tournament.
Twelve of Europe’s biggest clubs from England, Italy and Spain announced on Sunday that they would be forming a new breakaway European Super League in direct competition to the UEFA Champions League. The announcement was met with widespread criticism from all over the world. And several clubs in Germany and France (including Borussia Dortmund), publicly announced that they would not be taking part in the tournament.
The proposed Super League was suspended just two days later, with a number of the founding members deciding that they no longer want to take part in the tournament, amid backlash from supporters, coaches and players.
Michael Zorc was asked about the collapse of the Super League before Borussia Dortmund’s game against Union Berlin on Wednesday. And the 58 year old welcomed the news. He also said that he was pleasantly surprised with all the fan protests against the tournament in England.
"In an interview with Sky Sport, Zorc said: “I’m glad that it is over before it really began. I’m also glad that we and Bayern already took a clear stand against these plans.”Zorc added, “I was positively surprised with the way the fans in England stood up against it. The fans there have already had to suffer a lot: Foreign owners, high ticket prices and kick-off times. Thank goodness they took to the streets and played their part in bringing this construct down.”"
Borussia Dortmund fans continued their protests against the Champions League reforms that have been announced by UEFA, as they unveiled a banner outside the Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday. The banner said, “A Champions League reform as compromise supports those who do not know what compromise is. UEFA, DFB – You hypocrites are playing the same wrong game.”
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BVB fans had also displayed a banner in the stadium last month that said, “Stop UCL reforms.” As part of the announced reforms, the Champions League will have a new format starting from the 2024/25 season. A 36-team league will replace the current group stage, and special places will be reserved for teams that fail to qualify for the Champions League but have a high UEFA coefficient.