He essentially said that you don't deserve to be among the elite because you haven't had enough games at the elite level. But you won't have enough games at such a level if you are excluded from it in the first place. If this guy hasn't realized what he said, then everything, unfortunately, makes perfect sense now, including people he surrounded himself with.
Also, is he sure that this club will be ready to compete with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City, PSG, etc.? One of the reasons this club is among the elite now is that they are Italian champions. In Super League they will probably make more money, but will they be able to win at least one trophy in ten years? Does he really believe that the league format is the only missing piece for his club's success? If no, he should probably win the CL first. Actually, if the club quits this tournament before finally winning it it will be quite pathetic.