Real Madrid chief Perez labels new UCL format ‘absurd’

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez said on Saturday that the European Super League was “more necessary than ever” and called the new UEFA Champions League format “absurd” in a speech to members of the club.

In an 80-minute intervention at the club’s annual general meeting, Pérez reiterated his support for the dormant Super League project, criticized the level of Spanish refereeing and VAR and criticized La Liga for its revenue management clubs from television rights.

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Perez has been the Super League’s most ardent defender since it attempted to launch in April 2021.

Later this month, the European Court of Justice will rule on the compatibility of UEFA rules banning separatist competitions with European competition law.

“Football is going through an unprecedented institutional crisis at all levels, in Spain and in Europe,” Perez said. “The situation is serious. We have to change, otherwise football as we know it will not survive. The main problem is that the organizers do not think about the fans… European football does not belong to the UEFA president . [Aleksander Ceferin]and Spanish football does not belong to the president of La Liga [Javier Tebas]”.

Tebas responded later on Saturday in a post on X (formerly Twitter)claiming that Pérez had told “serious lies” about La Liga, which he claimed was a “democratic organization”.

The new UEFA Champions League format, due to be introduced in 2024, will abandon the group stage system in favor of a new league stage, involving four additional clubs.

“The Super League is needed more than ever,” Perez said. “We need respect for financial fair play. We need transparent governance structures… The main objective of the Super League is to strengthen European competitions. It would be fully compatible with the national leagues. It would be a meritocratic competition.

“The UEFA leaders are going in the opposite direction. Their new model will have more matches and less interest. It is an absurd competition… They do not take into account the demands of the fans, the players or the needs of clubs. UEFA does not take into account the demands of fans, players or the needs of clubs. It does not know how to deal with the threat from other sports which continue to grow, especially American. We have seen many examples of large companies that seemed invincible but ended up going bankrupt because they weren’t able to adapt.

“It would be more comfortable if we hadn’t led this [Super League] project, but [Real Madrid’s] history demands it… I believe in the European judicial system. I think UEFA should not have a monopoly on European football. On November 21, we will hear the resolution in this [Super League] case. The future of European football depends on it… We hope that November 21 will mark the start of a new era in football.

Real Madrid have regularly criticized refereeing decisions during their La Liga matches this season via the club’s internal television channel.

“It is essential for the well-being of Spanish football that issues such as the quality of refereeing and the use of VAR are addressed,” Perez said. “No one understands who draws the [VAR] lines, no one understands why we don’t see the whole picture of offsides. This generates more doubts.

“I think the Spanish government will take steps to improve the refereeing bodies in this country. It is urgent, more urgent than ever. The credibility of our competition has been damaged.”

Madrid have engaged in a series of legal battles with La Liga in recent years over the league’s handling of television rights revenue, which came to a head with the club’s opposition to the investment deal HVAC in 2021.

Pérez accused La Liga of “attacking the club’s financial wealth” and said he would “take measures so that Real Madrid and its members, as owners, have the capacity to protect our club”, but stopped short of specify how.

He also discussed the ongoing criminal investigation into payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to the former vice-president of the Spanish arbitration commission, José Maria Enriquez Negreira.

“It’s in the hands of the judges, and we respect that,” Perez said. “But it is not normal for a club to pay 8 million euros over 20 years to the vice-president of the referees committee… Real Madrid has been admitted [to the proceedings] as an injured party. This affair seriously damages the image of Spanish football. We believe in the justice system. »