Carlo Ancelotti admits he thought the European Super League plot was ‘a joke’.
Everton led English football’s condemnation of the controversial breakaway plans which saw six of its top-flight teams all sign up to be a part of it.
In a strongly-worded statement, the Goodison Park board slammed the ‘preposterous arrogance’ while Farhad Moshiri advocated point deductions.
Each Premier League club later withdrew from the proposals after they faced widespread backlash from supporters, employees and throughout the game.
Four of Ancelotti’s former employers – Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea and AC Milan – were among those who signed up for the initial 12-club collective.
But the Blues’ manager insisted that he could not foresee the planned move away from the Champions League coming to fruition in its existing form.
“My immediate reaction was: ‘They are joking, this is a joke! It’s a joke because it’s not going to happen. It’s impossible’,” said Ancelotti.
“Sport culture in Europe is different to American sports. Not because we are right and they are wrong, but because the culture of the people is different.
“In America, in the USA, sport is different. Sport is entertainment.
“In Europe, we live with more passion. When we grow up, we want to beat our neighbours. We grew up differently. It is not sport [in the USA].
“Football is a sport first and then, with a lot of investment, it also becomes a business. We need to take into consideration both. This is absolutely normal.”
Ancelotti also believes all 12 clubs should have consulted supporters and first-team staff before agreeing to the move, which could incur UEFA sanctions.
He added: “For every supporter of football it was a strange day, a surprise.
“We heard about the Super League in the past few months but I was sure it was not going to happen. What can I say? They were wrong.
“These 12 clubs were wrong. They did not take into consideration the opinions of the players, managers or supporters.”