The Real Madrid president defended his Super League plan and ensured the players risk no UEFA sanctions.
Florentino Pérez is the figurehead of the new Super League. The president of Real Madrid, in the company of Andrea Agnelli, president of Juventus, are those who bring this project to light. The president of Real Madrid was also elected president of the Super League while his counterpart of Juventus is vice-president of the competition. Faced with the marked opposition to this new competition, Florentino Pérez broke the silence. Invited on the set of El Chiringuito in Spain, the president of Real Madrid made a plea to convince of the benefits of the Super League.
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“I have been in football since 2000, football must evolve like everything else in society. You have to adapt to the times. Today, football is losing its interest. Audiences are declining. TV rights too “Something must be done. The pandemic has made us accelerate. We are all ruined. We had to know why young people are less and less interested in football. Because there are a lot of matches, with fewer qualities, and have other platforms to take care of. We understood that we had to change something to boost the attractiveness of football. “, explained the president of Real Madrid.
“We have been working for more than two years. The situation was already deteriorating, and the pandemic has pushed us to accelerate. The players and managers of the club have lowered their salaries, we have sold players who might still be there. the announcement now to be able to try to launch this format from next season. We are not talking about just any clubs. Football is going through a very serious situation. Real Madrid lost 100 M € last season. 300 M € this season 5 billion for all football“, added Florentino Pérez.
“Every player can be calm because they won’t be banned if they join the Super League”
The president of Real Madrid insists, the reform of the C1 is not good and anyway, the clubs need change now: “When you have no income, besides TV rights, the only way to increase them is to play competitive matches, for fans all over the world. Instead of the Champions, if we create a Superleague, we can regain the lost income. With the income of the Champions as it is, we die. Who says less audience, says less money. We all die. With the new format, scheduled for 2024, it is too late “.
Florentino Pérez assures us that the championships will continue and that this competition will benefit everyone: “Someone said that would mean the end of the championships, it’s madness, it’s wrong. (…) The future of football is being played out now. Some do not want to lose their privileges. ‘Also opposed to the European Football Cup in the 1950s, UEFA and FIFA opposed this competition and it changed football. Competitiveness will be attractive, to attract income. We are doing this to save football, which is at a critical juncture. It will generate more income, more attractive matches than a smaller poster. We have fans all over the world, TVs donate money. It’s a pyramid, with a trickle. If there is no money at the top of the pyramid, there is not at the bottom either. “
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“The 15 founders ensure value for the broadcasters, the 5 guests will be on purely sporting merit, on merit only, and that will change every season. The Super League is not closed as I hear since Sunday, we never thought about it, we believe in sporting merit. Once the money is there, we are united and we distribute. The clubs receive on average 130 M € of income through UEFA for the Champions, with the Super League, that would be € 400m. There would be a better distribution. To save football in general. If we come to an agreement with UEFA, we would start next season. Or in 2022/23. We are getting closer to all parties involved. Maybe we won’t succeed, but we will try to the end“, added the president of Real Madrid.
Finally, faced with threats from UEFA to deprive players of Euro and World Cup, Florentino Pérez is very calm and assures that it is impossible: “Each player can be calm because that will not happen. They will not be banned if they join the Super League. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea will not be banned from the Champions League or the domestic leagues. Impossible, I can assure you. 100% that will not happen, the law protects us. It’s impossible”.
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