Real Madrid convinced of ‘winning Super League battle’
MADRIR, Spain – Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez reaffirmed the club’s commitment to pursuing a future European Super League on Sunday, using the team’s annual general meeting to criticise UEFA, LaLiga and rival FC Barcelona while outlining structural reforms aimed at strengthening the club’s institutional power.
Around 1,500 representatives of the club’s 98,000 members attended the AGM at Valdebebas, approving Madrid’s annual accounts and questioning the board during a wide-ranging session. In an 80-minute address, Pérez argued the club was “more convinced than ever” it would prevail in ongoing legal and political battles over the Super League project.
Pérez targeted LaLiga president Javier Tebas over the league’s attempts to host a regular-season match in Miami, calling the initiative a “failed plan.” He also described recent refereeing reforms in Spain as merely “cosmetic” in the wake of the ongoing Negreira investigation, and criticised Barcelona’s departure from the Super League initiative amid their reconciliation with LaLiga.
The Madrid president confirmed that the club would convene an extraordinary assembly to vote on proposed changes to its statutes. The reforms, which he first introduced at the 2024 AGM, include creating a subsidiary structure owned by club members while permitting up to five percent external investment from partners who “respect our values.”
“We’ll call a referendum so all members can vote,” Pérez said. “The objective is to protect the club from threats to our assets. We will remain a members’ club, but we need the tools to compete on equal footing.”
Pérez said Madrid would not be intimidated by governing bodies, insisting the club is uniquely positioned to challenge football’s institutional structure. “Real Madrid have nothing to fear from these executives, not in Spain or in Europe,” he said. “They can’t pressure us with threats of punishments.”
Addressing the Negreira case directly, Pérez criticised Barcelona for payments of more than €8 million over 17 years to José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee. While he had previously avoided direct confrontation due to the ongoing legal process, Barcelona’s recent shift in stance on the Super League prompted a harder line.
Madrid last month announced its intention to seek compensation from UEFA after the European Court of Justice and a Madrid court ruled that UEFA’s handling of the Super League violated EU competition law. Pérez said the judgments had “changed the situation entirely,” granting Madrid both the right to create competitions and to pursue damages.
“We still insist the Super League is an essential project for football,” he said. “We have two rights: to be compensated for our losses and to organise a competition in the future. We will tirelessly pursue both.”
Pérez added that negotiations with UEFA had been “tireless” in recent months but had failed to produce an agreement.
The president’s remarks underscore Madrid’s long-term ambition to reshape European football governance, positioning the Super League as a central part of the club’s strategic landscape in the years ahead.