Madrid, Barcelona celebrate European Super League's victory against UEFA and FIFA

Real Madrid, who announced the European Super League project through their president Florentino Perez, and FC Barcelona, who have been the only club that has remained committed to the project of the new European competition, reacted to the European Court's ruling in favour of the competition proposed by the Spanish giants. 

While the president of the 'Merengues' said he was "satisfied" with the European Court's decision, the most important thing was that it meant a turning point. Perez said that from today European club football "will no longer be a monopoly" and that European clubs "will be masters of their own destiny".

On the other hand, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta claimed that "a historic opportunity" was opening up to address the problems that "jeopardise the future viability" of the vast majority of clubs.

In addition, the two most important clubs in the history of Spanish football issued official statements welcoming the decision of the European Court in the European Super League case.

FC Barcelona full statement

"FC Barcelona wishes to express its satisfaction with the sentence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) assessing the Super League project as proposed by A22 Sports. As one of the clubs driving the Super League project, FC Barcelona feels that the sentence paves the way for a new elite level football competition in Europe by opposing the monopoly over the football world, and wishes to initiate new discussions as to the path that European competitions should take in the future.

Since it was founded in 1899, FC Barcelona has always been a pioneering club in the world of sport, leading the drive towards more professionalised structures both on a domestic and international scale, with regard to both men’s and women’s competitions, in a variety of sports and from different social concerns. Hence, as it has been maintaining in recent years, the club feels that the medium-term sustainability of European football entails the need create a concept along the lines of the Super League proposed by A22. A system of competition that will address such issues as fixture overload and the excessive number of games between national teams, that will work towards regulation of financial fair play among participating teams, and that will put local and international players and supporters at the centre. This system must respect the functions and sustainability of domestic competitions and should be a meritocracy that is primarily based on results on the pitch.

In a year when the club is celebrating its 125th anniversary, Barça wishes to continue to offer its experience and knowledge of different sports to propose solutions for current issues in elite sport. That is why it is declaring its support for the Super League promoted by A22 and encourages constructive debate among both domestic and international football bodies, which have now been endorsed by today’s sentence by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The foregoing is all subject to a complete reading of the sentence."

 

December 21, 2023

Real Madrid full statement

"Real Madrid warmly welcomes the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which is responsible for guaranteeing our principles, values and freedoms.

We will study the scope of this ruling in detail in the coming days, but I would like to anticipate two conclusions of great historical significance. Firstly, that European club football is not and will never again be a monopoly. Secondly, that from today the clubs will be the masters of their own destiny. We, the clubs, see our right to propose and promote European competitions that modernise our sport and attract fans from all over the world fully recognised. In short, today the Europe of freedoms has triumphed once again, and today football and its fans have triumphed too.

In the face of the pressures we have been under for more than two years, today the right, reason and freedom prevail. Real Madrid will continue to work for the good of football.

Just as we took a fundamental step in the history of football almost seventy years ago with the creation of the European Cup, today we once again have the duty and responsibility to give European football the new impetus it so badly needs. To this end, we will continue to defend a modern project, fully compatible with national competitions, open to all, based on sporting merit and which will effectively impose respect for financial fair play. A project that will bring economic sustainability for all clubs and that will, above all, protect players and excite fans all over the world.

We will do so despite the campaigns we have suffered and which will undoubtedly intensify from today. But no one said that ending a monopoly after so many decades would be easy.

This is a great opportunity to improve European club football. A football that is fit for the 21st century, with transparent governance, that knows how to coexist with new technologies and that once again provokes the passion and emotion that fans really need.

Let me say to the European clubs that we are at the beginning of a new era in which we can work in freedom through constructive dialogue, without threats, without acting against anything or anyone and with the aim of innovating and modernising football to continue to feed the passion of the fans.

From today, the present and the future of European football are finally in the hands of the clubs, the players and their fans. Our destiny belongs to us and we have a great responsibility before us.

This day will mark a turning point. It is a great day for the history of football and for the history of sport."

 

December 21, 2023