Porto president proposes ‘Iberian Super Cup’ involving Barcelona, Real Madrid and Portuguese giants | OneFootball

Andre Villas-Boas, president of FC Porto, has expressed his support for the idea of taking Portuguese league matches abroad, as part of a broader internationalisation strategy for football in the country.

Speaking at the Portugal Football Summit in Oeiras (Lisbon), the former Chelsea coach outlined his proposal to create an Iberian Super Cup involving clubs from both Spain and Portugal.

The tournament proposed would pit top teams from Spain, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico against Portuguese heavyweights Porto, Benfica, and Sporting CP.

Villas-Boas even went on to confirm that he had spoken about the idea with both Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proenca.

“We have considered other competition models that exist in different sports. Super Cups or cross-border leagues, and I believe football is moving in that direction. These ideas have been well received,” said Villas-Boas.

“For example, we have discussed creating an Iberian Super Cup, which I have spoken about with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético, and, of course, the Portuguese clubs Benfica and Sporting. It is a challenge within Porto’s internationalisation process.”

Following in Barcelona’s footsteps

Meanwhile, Villas-Boas also expressed his desire to follow in the footsteps of clubs like Barcelona and AC Milan and play their league matches outside of Portugal.

FC Porto president Andre Villas-Boas. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

This comes after UEFA approved the La Liga game between Villarreal and Barça to be played in the USA, while Milan will take on Como in a Serie A encounter in Serie A.

While UEFA are against such a move, Villas-Boas was hopeful that clubs from Portugal are allowed to play abroad.

“President Ceferin has said that he does not want this to happen. I do not know if the European Commission will allow this to continue in the future with more matches,” he noted.

“The talks about taking Milan–Como and Villarreal–Barcelona abroad have been ongoing for some time. If this becomes common practice, UEFA could find itself in trouble, and the issue might end up in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

Further making his case, the Porto president added: “The reality in Portugal is that we often see matches with 2,000 or 3,000 spectators, except when the three big clubs are involved.

“If we consider the Portuguese communities in cities like Paris or New York, we could probably fill stadiums with 30,000 or 40,000 fans to watch a league match.”

Concluding, Villas-Boas noted: “I would be in favour, because I believe that Villarreal, Barça, Milan, and Como are doing this for international exposure and to be closer to their supporters in different parts of the world.

“Matches like these already happen with the Italian and Spanish Super Cups, for example. The exception has already been made, and now others want to do the same. It depends on the opinion of the European Commission.”

Source: AS