In an apparent rebuttal to Juventus’ chairman Andrea Agnelli’s comments questioning Atalanta’s Champions League credentials, Torino president Urbano Cairo has said he is against the creation of a competition that only serves Europe’s top clubs.
Agnelli appeared to question whether La Dea’s lack of history performing at the highest levels should prevent them from competing in the Champions League as it kept bigger clubs such as Roma out of the competition.
Bergamo’s mayor, Giorgio Gori, quickly responded to Agnelli himself, dismissing the comments.
“I find it absurd, at this moment, that we return to the subject,” Cairo said in La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“The division of resources is often disproportionate, a competition of a select few would make the rich clubs even richer, and would increase the gap with all the others.
“We would risk teams like Leicester, Atalanta and Getafe not being seen anymore, because the huge difference between turnover would prevent the investments necessary to be competitive.”
Cairo then appeared to take aim at Agnelli’s suggestion that elite clubs shouldn’t miss out on a Champions League place because of one bad season.
“Sport is competition and there must be room for everyone,” he added.
“If a great club has invested a lot but cannot get the desired results, it means that it has done something wrong.”
“It happens, but those who have done better must not be penalised. If we leave competitions only for some clubs, we eliminate the essence of sport.”
