Inter boss Antonio Conte has called out UEFA for not giving clubs enough money after the Nerazzurri withdrew from the European Super League.

The Nerazzurri were held to a 1-1 draw at Spezia tonight but Conte’s post-match interview was inevitably dedicated in large parts to the story which has sent shock waves through football this week.

Before kick-off, Inter CEO Beppe Marotta warned that football ‘could collapse’ without urgent reforms to the financial structure of the game.

Conte adopted a similar tone, telling Sky Sport Italia after the full-time whistle: “UEFA take all the TV rights but they only reserve a small part of it for all the participating clubs.

“They need to reflect on this: the clubs provide the players who get squeezed like lemons but then it’s the clubs who lose out.

“UEFA need to think about the fact that clubs deserve to be rewarded in a more appropriate way, because it’s the clubs who invest on players, coaches and so on.

“If you take in €10 million and only give €3 million to clubs, for instance, that’s not right.

“It’s the clubs who put the money in so I think the distribution must be changed.”

Inter were one of 12 clubs to sign up to the Super League on Sunday night, before withdrawing along with eight clubs in the last 24 hours.

The plans were widely condemned by fans, players, politicians and rival clubs because of how it threatened sporting merit, guaranteeing the franchise’s founding clubs a permanent spot in the tournament.

“You should never forget football’s traditions, because they’re part of history and need to be maintained,” Conte added, when asked for further reflection on the Super League.

“Sport needs to be about passion and it needs to be meritocratic; the European competitions should be played by those teams who earn the right to do so in their domestic leagues.

“Sporting merit needs to go before everything, otherwise you’re losing the ‘salt’ of the sport and it becomes difficult to find a meaning to all of it.

“But the institutions need to reflect on the fact that clubs need to have a more appropriate slice of the pie.”