Real Madrid: New Super League would pay for €570m Bernabéu revamp
Real Madrid would be in line to receive a cash injection of €583 million for joining the proposed new European Super League, which would explain Florentino Pérez's support for the project.
British paper The Times recently published an exclusive report on the 18-page dossier that lays out the foundations of the European Super League being sought by the continent’s elite clubs, and which is strongly supported by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez.
One of the major factors in the Madrid president’s support for the project will be the financial gains on the table. According to the Times report, each of the 15 founding clubs will receive €350 million, plus another €233 million for stadium reforms. Madrid, then, could bank on a €583 million cash injection that would be enough to pay off the Bernabéu renovation project, for which the club requested a loan of €570 million.
The Super League project revealed by The Times outlines an attempt to close off the highest level of football to the continent’s 15 most powerful clubs. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are the Spanish teams that are involved in this project, which FIFA, UEFA and even the European Commission are all firmly against.
But for Madrid, aside from the much-needed financial boost in these times of crisis, the Super League means ensuring – as it does for the other 14 founding clubs – their supremacy in European football. Below are the highlights of the unveiled project.
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$350 million for each Super League founding club
According to the document, that is the amount that is assured from the outset for each of the 15 founding clubs – six clubs from England, three from Spain, three from Italy, two from Germany and one from France. In addition to those 15 fixed members, there would be another five places open to clubs assessed on sporting merits. These five would be the only ones that change each year.
$3.5 billion more for facility upgrades
The document also reveals that the investment bank JP Morgan Chase (which is also involved in the loan for the Bernabéu revamp) is willing to give $3.5 billion to promote the Super League project, which would be shared out among the 15 founding members ($233 million each), for facility upgrades or to restore part of the income lost due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Super League competition structure (more matches)
The initial idea raised in the dossier is to play during the week and continue participating in the national leagues. The Super League would be made up of two groups of 10 teams each, with each team playing a home and away fixture against the other teams in their group.
The top four teams from each group would then go directly to the quarterfinals. The quarter and semi-finals would be two-leg ties, with the final being a one-off game. Therefore, the teams would play a total of between 18-23 games. Currently teams play between 6-13 games in the Champions league.
Super League gives more power for the elite clubs
The competition would also ensure much higher television income than what the Champions League currently provides, and even more so for the 15 founding clubs, who would each receive a larger portion of TV revenues than the five qualifying clubs that change each year.
The Super League would also entitle those 15 clubs to show four games around the world through its own digital platforms, which would further increase income.
Since The Times unveiled the content of the 18-page dossier, talk has turned to the new 'Super Champions League’ that UEFA plans to launch in 2024, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin negotiating with clubs such as Real Madrid in a bid to establish the revamped version of the competition.
Real Madrid support for Super League
Nevertheless, Florentino Pérez has made Madrid's position clear regarding the European Super League at the club's General Assembly in December.
“This club has been a part of every innovation and has protected these innovations in our sport. It was the only club to be a founding member of FIFA in 1904, together with seven national federations. In 1955, L’Équipe and Real Madrid were the driving forces behind the creation of the European Cup - a revolutionary moment that changed the history of the game,” Pérez told delegates.
“Without all these changes, football wouldn’t have become what it is today - and we need a new change. Football has to face up to this new period […]. Reform of the game cannot wait; we have to tackle it. We have the responsibility to fight for this change.”