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- Real president Florentino Perez was one of the chief architects of the Super League
- Club has been involved in legal action against Uefa over efforts to block the competition
- Peace deal brought about by talks between Perez and EFC chair Nasser Al Khelaifi
The European Super League has been consigned to history after Uefa and Real Madrid reached an agreement to end a near-five-year dispute.
Real, and their president Florentino Perez, were among the chief architects of the breakaway project which also included the Premier League’s ‘big six’ when it was launched in April 2021.
The English contingent withdrew within days amid fan and government pressure, but Real appeared to be still wedded to the project, and were involved in legal action against European soccer’s governing body Uefa over its efforts to block the competition’s formation, seeking billions of euros in compensation.
Barcelona announced their withdrawal at the weekend and now Real have announced they have agreed to a peace deal.
The Press Association (PA) understands this has largely been brought about by talks between Perez and Nasser Al Khelaifi, the president of Paris Saint-Germain and the chairman of the European Football Clubs (EFC) group.
A statement from Real read: ‘Following months of discussions held for the benefit of European football, Uefa, European Football Clubs and Real Madrid CF announce that they have reached an agreement in principle for the good of European club football, respecting the principle of sporting merit and emphasising the long-term sustainability of clubs and improving the fan experience through the use of technology.
‘This agreement in principle will also serve to resolve their legal disputes related to the European Super League, once a final agreement is implemented.’
Al Khelaifi, speaking at the end of a Uefa executive committee meeting in Brussels on 11th February, said: “Everybody honestly has done a fantastic job in good faith and football will win after this.”
The exact nature of the agreement is not known, but Perez and Super League promoters A22 have always stated they believe clubs should have a greater say over the governance of Europe’s club competitions, and in how the money they make is shared.
To a great extent the clubs already do direct the operation of the competitions, through the UC3 commercial joint venture with Uefa.
For supporters in England, the Super League news has been greeted positively.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the Football Supporters’ Association (FCA), told PA: “Florentino Perez’s European Zombie League has shambled along dead on its feet for years while Real Madrid and Barcelona tried to pretend it had any future.
“It’s taken Perez almost five years to understand what fans instinctively knew – the European Super League would be widely despised and it was never going to work.
“Let’s not forget that six English clubs originally backed the competition as well. Football’s top executives must never again try to stitch up things in secret – supporters have to be heard on the big issues.”
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