Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has admitted that the European Super League is “on standby” after eight of the 12 clubs involved announced their withdrawal – while the current Champions League format has exploded as “outdated”, claiming the reaction to the project ‘was like’ we killed football. ‘
Perez – one of the leading instigators of the proposed breakaway competition, named as the first chairman – also rejected protests from fans such as those seen outside Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, saying ‘only 40’ fans were involved and suggested that they were there “mobilized” by Super League opponents.
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“I’m sad and disappointed,” Perez told Spanish radio program El Larguero after Real’s 3-0 win over Cadiz. “We’ve been working on this project for three years … I’ve never seen so much aggression, it’s like it’s orchestrated, it surprised us all. I’ve been in football for 20 years, it’s an aggression I “We’ve never seen it in my life. We’ve had threats, it’s like we killed someone, killed football.”
All six Premier League clubs that initially entered the competition – Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur – pulled out on Tuesday before Atletico Madrid and Internazionale followed them a day later.
“Someone in the English group did not have much interest, and it became contagious,” Perez said. ‘One of them was never convinced … [The English clubs] away because of the atmosphere. UEFA hosted a show. It was as if we were dropping an atomic bomb. Maybe we did not present and explain it well, but they did not give us the opportunity either. ‘
Over the protests on Tuesday night outside Chelsea’s 0-0 Premier League draw against Brighton, Perez apparently inferred that La Liga president Javier Tebas had a role in those protests.
‘There were 40 [Chelsea fans] and I can tell you who put them there, “he said. The same person who gave Cadiz [anti-Super League] t-shirts, “Perez said in a veiled reference to Tebas.” This is not normal. Soccer is a world of values. ‘
While AC Milan and Juventus released statements on Wednesday acknowledging that the competition would probably not go as planned, Real Madrid and Barcelona remained silent.
“The project is ready,” Perez said. “Juventus did not leave, neither did Milan. We are all together. Barcelona reflect. The first thing we agreed on yesterday was to stop, to explain, as we should have done from the beginning … Nobody did not pay [a penalty to leave], the 12 are still there, they did not leave. We signed a binding agreement after much work. ‘
Perez has insisted that the reduction in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with declining interest from new generations of fans, should be met with radical changes to European football beyond the proposals proposed by UEFA in their new Champions League format launched Monday.
“[Big signings] would not exist without the Super League, “he said. Not for Madrid or anyone. This is impossible if the money does not flow. ‘
Perez has denied that Real Madrid – which is a club owned by its members or socios, just like Barcelona, the plans must be put to the vote at its annual meeting.
“Do you think [the members] is stupid? “he said.” If you tell them every Tuesday or Wednesday, you’re playing against Manchester [United] or Barcelona … Won’t they prefer it? Do you not think the fans would prefer to play against the big clubs from the start? Do you think I should ask them this? ‘