Real Madrid president Florentino Perez believes a European Super League can be the beginning of “a new era for the good of football”. The Spanish champions were one of the 12 founding members of the ill-fated competition that was ultimately left in tatters, following a strong backlash from fans around Europe.
Speaking at Reals’ annual general meeting on Saturday, Perez once again took the opportunity to take aim at UEFA, insisting a new Super League would be to the benefit of everyone:
“Football is suffering an unprecedented institutional crisis. At all levels, both in Spain and in Europe, the main problem is that there are a series of managers who act without thinking about the fans. And we are going to continue working so that football can once again inspire the greatest number of fans around the world.
“European football does not belong to the president of UEFA. Spanish football does not belong to the president of La Liga. Football is nobody’s monopoly, because football belongs to everybody. The aim of the Super League is very clear: to offer the best possible club competition.
“We need to impose, once and for all, maximum respect for the rules of financial fair play. To achieve this, we need transparent and modern corporate governance structures that are fit for the 21st century and subject to the principles and laws of the European Union.”
“UEFA continues to manage competitions in the same way as 30 years ago. Without innovation, without modernisation, without transparency, without bringing the competition closer to the fans.
“We have seen many examples where large corporations that seemed invincible in their sectors have gone bankrupt because they did not know how to modernise and adapt to the times.
“We therefore hope that on December 21, when we will hear the decision of the European Court of Justice on this case, it will mark the beginning of a new era for the good of football”.
