Real Madrid president Florentino Perez concocted a supposedly groundbreaking plan to “save football”. In reality, he and the heads of 11 other elite clubs came up with a barely-cogent plan, an amateurish logo, and no concerted PR response against an easily predictable backlash from both football’s governing bodies and the vast majority of hardcore supporters.
So now, the Premier League’s “big six” has reportedly pulled out of this purported European Super League entirely, and so will both Milan-based clubs. Fabrizio Romano reports that the league has been paused in order to, in the official words of the fantasy league, “reshape the project”. And it’s left us wondering, “Uh, what exactly is the project?”
But from a Real Madrid perspective, it leaves us with even more questions, because this very club’s president was the Chairman of this project. So here are three big questions I have now that it seems like the Super League has collapsed. At least for now.
How ‘dead’ is the European Super League?
And that brings me to the first question, which is either the most immediate or the most distant. Is it all really and truly over?
Perez appeared on El Chiringuito on Monday night and made some wild claims. He apparently lied about PSG, Dortmund, and Bayern being offered places in the league. But the most important thing he said may have been a threat – that the signed-on clubs were legally bound to stick around. Now, at least eight clubs are reportedly looking to move out, leaving potentially only the La Liga trio and Juventus on board.
Can Perez really sue them all? Will he try? And if he can’t, will he try to replace the departed clubs with desperate lower-tier clubs? Would any investors want to pump money to help an ambitious, mid-level side make the step up to a Super League? I’m not sure there’s a point.
Streaming services like DAZN and Amazon quickly denied any interest in the European Super League, making it look like a farce business-wise. And now, more than half of the clubs are out.
But would Perez – or someone else, perhaps even Andrea Agnelli – try to remake the Super League with far more detail in the future? Would these failings galvanize a more competent group of billionaires to try something more ambitious and fleshed-out in the future? The truth is, we don’t know, and it feels like we are headed into new territory.
What will UEFA do to Real Madrid?
UEFA can’t be happy with Real Madrid, that’s for sure. Their president pretty much tried to completely undermine European football’s governing body, which was an existential crisis for not only the entity itself, but also to FIFA and FAs all over the continent. They all fought full force to protect their money, and they have seemingly scored a victory over what can aptly be described as an attempted coup led by Florentino Perez.
Attempted coups don’t often end well for the perpetrators. Ed Woodward already left his post at Manchester United, seeing the writing on the wall after he presumably played a key role in getting JP Morgan to invest into the league.
Perez and Real Madrid must be prepared to face the full fury of UEFA and La Liga. Because Perez doesn’t back down without a fight, and it is his name at the top of the list in this Super League endeavor. He was the one who went on national television in Spain and made grandiose claims in what proved to be a foolish interview. The fallout from it may not yet be fully felt either.
Expect sanctions for the clubs that attempted to breakaway, especially for those who did not initially leave, such as the big six. And of the clubs that have not backed out yet, expect Real to be punished more harshly than the others. UEFA now have even more power after brokering an agreement with the big six, and they will use that power to make an example out of Real Madrid.
If you are a true Madridista, you must accept these consequences and support the players of the club. It is all you can do. The decisions the club makes are out of your hands, as are the ensuing consequences from those who take umbrage with said decisions. We will be frustrated and tested, but the club will most likely have to suffer severely for the ambitiousness (greed, even) of one man. And all the fans wanted was a dream, a chance, of a Galactico. Not all this.
Is this the end for Florentino Perez?
Out of these three questions, this is the one I know the least about. Because I do not know how much pressure Florentino Perez will face from within the organization, nor do I know how much he would resist pressure from inside and even outside the club.
What Perez has done for Los Blancos over the years is incredible. His contributions to the club make him one of the most beloved figures in the history of Real Madrid, and he will always be remembered for that.
Not every decision he has made was a good one, but it is safe to say the club has been much more successful because of him.
Unfortunately, this Super League decision was one of his poor moves. And it may be the worst of them all, in terms of the impact it will have on his legacy.
Time heals all. But right now, there is a bitterness among Madridistas towards Perez that must be acknowledged and will surely manifest in the form of action. Whether that action leaves to his resignation or removal, remains to be seen. There is still so much more that will be played out in this story.
But the harder Perez fights, the harder he will fall. That is the truth. Perez is a stubborn, idealistic man, moreso than the billionaires he surrounded himself with in this seemingly failed venture. For that reason, he is the most vulnerable to the harshest punishment and fallout.
Is Perez’s legacy forever tarnished? I don’t think so. Has it been damaged? Absolutely. Will there be consequences? There MUST be consequences. How far these consequences go and how long the damage extends, I cannot prognosticate. All I can say is if Perez truly cares about Real Madrid above all else, he may have to fall on his sword at some point in the process to avoid the worst punishment for the organization as a whole. That decision could be a defining one for a man who has already made a serious mistake.