Ranieri rips into Euro Super League plan

LEICESTER boss Claudio Ranieri believes plans for a European Super League show weakness from the established elite — and says any such competition would run contrary to the spirit of sport. Executives from Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool held talks in London this week with Charlie Stillitano, an American businessman who is keen to set up a Champions League rival reserved for the continent’s richest clubs. Stillitano has suggested that Premier League top dogs Leicester, and other clubs not traditionally involved at Europe’s top end, would not be required to generate revenue. The plans are already sparking unrest across Europe, where clubs such as Celtic, Ajax and Porto fear they will be left behind if they lose their traditional champions route to the blue-riband tournament. Ranieri jokily referred to Stillitano’s meeting with the big five, saying: ‘Maybe next time our sporting director will also be there,’ before making a passionate argument against any breakaway. ‘People must think about what the fans want, not only about money,’ said the Italian, who takes his side to Watford today. ‘Because culture and the fans are more important. ‘All fans want sport to be very clear, for there to be respect for everybody. I understand that bigger teams want to get money and don’t want a year with no Champions League. But this is sport. ‘For one year you don’t achieve this, you want to do something different? It’s not right. You are afraid. You are not strong. You are afraid to lose money. It’s not good for the sport. ‘They are to blame. They should ask: “Why is a little team like Leicester doing better than us?”.’