Real Madrid president was one of the leading figures in the proposed European Super League which fell apart when all six English clubs withdrew and others followed; Perez said: "I don't need to explain what a binding contract is but effectively, the clubs cannot leave"
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says the 12 clubs who were to found the European Super League cannot abandon it due to binding contracts, and he promised the project would return after a period of reflection. Perez was one of the leading figures in the breakaway competition, which was unveiled last Sunday only to fall apart within days when all six English clubs involved withdrew and others followed. But Perez, whose club are one of three teams along with Barcelona and Juventus yet to abandon the project, said it was not so simple for clubs to leave.
"I don't need to explain what a binding contract is but effectively, the clubs cannot leave. Some of them, due to pressure, have said they're leaving. But this project, or one very similar, will move forward and I hope very soon."
The Super League was dealt another blow on Friday when JPMorgan, who had provided a 3.5 billion euro (£3 billion) grant to the founding clubs, said it had "misjudged how the deal would be viewed". Perez, however, said the bank was still on board.
"It's not true they've withdrawn. They have taken some time for reflection, just like the 12 clubs. If we need to make changes we will but the Super League is the best project we've thought of. The partnership still exists as do the members who comprise the Super League. What we have done is taken a few weeks to reflect in light of the fury of certain people who don't want to lose their privileges and have manipulated the project."
Devised in secret among club bosses and financiers, the project has effectively imploded, however, after a ferocious backlash from fans, pundits and politicians. Perez reiterated the need for the new competition to boost clubs struggling to cope with losses from the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that the 12 Super League clubs had lost a combined 650 million euros last year and stood to lose up to 2.5 billion euros this year. He was also not convinced by UEFA's next reform of the Champions League, which will see the competition expanded to 36 teams from 2024.
"The Super League does not go against domestic competitions and its objective is to ensure that more money is available for all sections of football. The concept is to generate more interest for the games. Nor do I think that the changes which UEFA have made are a real solution to the problem because what has been proposed isn't even an improvement on the current model. Also, we cannot wait until 2024. But in any case, we must have done something badly. We are going to try to turn this around and develop more ideas. Maybe the solution is for the top four teams in every league to play. The truth is, no. Not the format, that nobody understands, not the time period, because by 2024… either we fix this before or all the clubs go bankrupt."
But what are UEFA's next steps?
Ceferin spoke for The Associated Press: "It's crystal clear that the clubs will have to decide if they are Super League or they are a European club. If they say we are a Super League, then they don't play Champions League, of course ... and if they are ready to do that, they can play in their own competition. For me, it's a very different situation between the clubs that admitted their mistake and said, 'We will leave the project’. The others mainly know I would say that this project is dead, but they don't want to believe it, probably."
Europe's governing body met on Friday to discuss the possibility of punishing the club officials involved in the Super League planning. Ceferin said that UEFA is planning on connecting with national federations and domestic leagues next week to discuss possible sanctions. In the meantime, UEFA is pushing forward with its plan for a reformatted Champions League starting in 2024.
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