NYON, Switzerland -- New UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin wants to protect Europes national leagues from the threat of breakaway competitions.Ceferin was elected last month amid talk of a future closed-shop Super League and breakaway cross-border divisions, as some clubs seem ready to chase bigger commercial deals by moving beyond the bounds of national leagues.I am against killing national leagues. That is out of the question, Ceferin told The Associated Press.He spoke ahead of Fridays annual meeting of the group of European leagues, which revived recent tension with UEFA, and could become the new presidents most difficult stakeholders.The former Slovenia soccer federation leader said he was open to innovation -- such as creating regional leagues -- but within limits and inside UEFAs control.There are some new ideas and not necessarily bad, but UEFA should be involved in that, Ceferin said in his first major interview at UEFA headquarters on Thursday. It should not hurt national leagues because without national leagues I think football is dead.Radical change looked possible this year as UEFA was without a president during talks with clubs on Champions League entries and distributing billion-dollar annual prize money for the three seasons from 2018.Some wealthy and influential clubs exploited FIFAs ban of Ceferins predecessor, Michel Platini, by framing the negotiations around threats to break away, or forcing UEFA to lock a cartel of storied clubs into Europes top competition without the need to qualify via domestic competitions.Ceferin took office three weeks after UEFA sealed a compromise deal that favored the big-four countries: Spain, Germany, England, and Italy. It left mid-ranked clubs doubting where they fitted in the Champions Leagues future as broadcasters demanded more high-profile match-ups.Moving quickly to build relations with European Club Association leaders, Ceferin believes the Super League threat is over for now.It would create a war, he said. We are on the same side with the big clubs. They dont want to do it without UEFA. Clubs also know they would have problems if they would break away. If it would be easy, they would be already gone.The latest trend is exploring regional leagues where neighboring countries each provide some teams. The North Atlantic and Balkans are options, creating more compelling and higher-standard competition than the individual national leagues.Ceferin said cross-border leagues could supplement national leagues, not replace them.As an additional competition its a good idea. (I)t should be played for those who dont qualify for the Europa League and Champions League, maybe from the New Year on, he said.We cant kill the national leagues. If you take, for example, two clubs out of the Slovenian league (into a Balkan league) then the Slovenian league is over.Elected in a landslide with a mandate to help the smaller UEFA member federations, Ceferin also wants to defend tradition.People like revolutions, they like to speak about big changes, but you should be clever, the criminal lawyer said. You should take into consideration everything, and national leagues are too important.On Friday, the group representing leagues in most of Europes 55 member federations stated its claim to be treated by UEFA with more importance.Angered at being left out of recent Champions League talks as a deal neared, the European Professional Football Leagues ended its working agreement with UEFA and set a March 15 deadline to negotiate a new one.The current accord means European top-tier matches have not been played in direct clashes with the Champions League on midweek evenings protected by UEFA for its signature club competition.Asked about his negotiating and leadership style, Ceferin said: The important thing is that you are ready to listen. Matt Joyce Jersey . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. 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Evan Fournier has agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract to stay with the Orlando Magic, a source told The Undefeateds Marc J. Spears.Fournier, 23, has spent the past two seasons with the Magic after being moved by the Denver Nuggets in an offseason trade in 2014. The Magic extended a qualifying offer to the swingman on Wednesday, giving them the right to match any offer sheet.Magic general manager Rob Hennigan has said that re-signiing Fournier was a major priority for the club.dddddddddddd Last weeks trade of Victor Oladipo to the Oklahoma City Thunder makes it seem likely that the Magic plan to make Fournier their starting shooting guard.Over his four seasons in the NBA, Fournier has raised his points and assists per game in each year. ' ' '