Football

European Super League 'a question for the president' insists Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane

French coach refuses to comment on new competition and says his focus is on Wednesday's La Liga game against Cadiz

The National

April 20, 2021

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Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has said he will not comment on the proposed new European Super League that has been spearheaded by club president Florentino Perez.

Ahead of Wednesday's trip to Cadiz, Zidane batted away questions about the breakaway, despite the reigning La Liga champions being one of the new competition's 12 founding members.

Uefa has condemned the plans and said teams involved will be banned from their domestic leagues and the Champions League, while Fifa president Gianni Infantino said clubs will "face the consequences".

Read More

European Super League chief Perez says 'it's impossible' Real Madrid or Manchester City will be kicked out of Champions League

Zidane, though, remained tight-lipped about what heel fells about the project. "That's a question for one person, the president," he told a news conference on Tuesday.

"I'm here for the game. Everyone has their opinion but I'm not here to talk about that. I'll talk about the game tomorrow, the league, the Champions League – the rest isn't my job.

"You can say I'm sitting on the fence, and that's fine. Because what I like doing is coach, that's it."

The Frenchman also said there has not been no discussion at the club about any proposed Uefa sanctions, such as elimination from this season's Champions League or players being banned from World Cup finals.

"We don't talk about that kind of stuff in the changing room. We're just focused on the next game," he added.

A disappointing goalless draw with Getafe at the weekend means Real sit three points behind table-toppers Atletico Madrid with seven games remaining.

"It's been a season of eight months and all sorts have happened," he said. "There's been talk of me being fired, the players not being worth anything, and that's never the case. The important thing is that we're in the mix, we're competing and that's what we like."

Zidane did confirm that defenders Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal will travel with the squad. However, Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos and Federico Valverde all remain absent.

World's most valuable clubs

WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE CLUBS: 1. Barcelona - Value: $4.76 billion, according to Forbes. Reuters
WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE CLUBS: 1. Barcelona - Value: $4.76 billion, according to Forbes. Reuters
2. Real Madrid - Value: $4.75 billion AFP
2. Real Madrid - Value: $4.75 billion AFP
3. Bayern Munich - Value: $4.215 billion Reuters
3. Bayern Munich - Value: $4.215 billion Reuters
4. Manchester United - Value: $4.2 billion Getty Images
4. Manchester United - Value: $4.2 billion Getty Images
5. Liverpool - Value: $4.1 billion AFP
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6. Manchester City - Value: $4 billion Getty Images
6. Manchester City - Value: $4 billion Getty Images
7. Chelsea - Value: $3.2 billion PA
7. Chelsea - Value: $3.2 billion PA
8. Arsenal - Value: $2.8 billion Reuters
8. Arsenal - Value: $2.8 billion Reuters
9. Paris Saint-Germain - Value: $2.5 billion AP
9. Paris Saint-Germain - Value: $2.5 billion AP
10. Tottenham Hotspur - Value: $2.3 billion EPA
10. Tottenham Hotspur - Value: $2.3 billion EPA
11. Juventus - Value: $1.95 billion Reuters
11. Juventus - Value: $1.95 billion Reuters
12. Borussia Dortmund - Value: $1.9 billion AP
12. Borussia Dortmund - Value: $1.9 billion AP
13. Atletico Madrid - Value: $1 billion AFP
13. Atletico Madrid - Value: $1 billion AFP
14. Inter Milan - Value: $743 million Getty Images
14. Inter Milan - Value: $743 million Getty Images
15. Everton - Value: $658 million EPA
15. Everton - Value: $658 million EPA
16. AC Milan - Value: $559 million AP
16. AC Milan - Value: $559 million AP
17. AS Roma - Value: $548 million AFP
17. AS Roma - Value: $548 million AFP
18. West Ham United - Value: $508 million. Getty Images
18. West Ham United - Value: $508 million. Getty Images
19. Leicester City - Value: $455 million AFP
19. Leicester City - Value: $455 million AFP
20. Ajax - Value: $413 million AFP
20. Ajax - Value: $413 million AFP
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Always use only regulated platforms

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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
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India team for Sri Lanka series

Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

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