Florentino Perez blasts new Champions League format

Real Madrid Florentino Perez has continued his attack on LaLiga and UEFA. Speaking on Saturday at the Spanish side’s Annual General Meeting, Perez claimed that the need for the European Super League (ESL) is now “more necessary than ever.” The remarks come as UEFA recently revealed plans to change the format of their Champions League.

“Football is undergoing an unprecedented institutional crisis at every level, in Spain and in Europe,” proclaimed Perez. “The situation is serious. We must change, or football as we know it won’t survive. The main problem is that the organizers aren’t thinking about the fans… European football doesn’t belong to the UEFA president [Aleksander Ceferin], and Spanish football doesn’t belong to the LaLiga president [Javier Tebas].”

Perez hopes to reform previously failed ESL

“The Super League is more necessary than ever,” Perez continued. “We need respect for financial fair play. We need transparent governance structures… The Super League’s main objective is to strengthen European competitions. It would be totally compatible with national leagues. It would be a meritocratic competition.”

The European Super League initially attempted formation in the spring of 2021. 20 of the top teams in all of Europe planned on splitting from their traditional domestic divisions to form the league. Nevertheless, thanks to fan backlash, the ESL quickly fell through and most of the clubs dropped out.

Real Madrid, however, has remained adamant that plans for the ESL should continue. In fact, the league’s organizers are currently in a court battle with UEFA regarding the legality of rules currently blocking the new league. The European Court of Justice is set to rule later this month on the issue.

Champions League format changes are unpopular

Perez was already upset at UEFA, but proposed changes to the Champions League have only fueled the feud. The governing body of the sport in Europe recently announced that they are getting rid of the group stage of the competition.

Instead of 32 total teams in eight groups of four clubs, the 2024/25 Champions League campaign will feature one massive division featuring 36 teams. Each side will play eight different clubs, four at home and four away. Teams will no longer play the same opponents home and away. The move has not exactly gone down well with fans and Perez.

“UEFA executives are going in the opposite direction. Their new model will have more games and less interest. It’s an absurd competition,” declared Perez. “They don’t take the demands of fans, players or the needs of clubs into account.”

“UEFA doesn’t innovate. It doesn’t know how to deal with the threat of other sports which keep growing, above all American sports. We’ve seen many examples of large corporations that seemed invincible but ended up going bankrupt because they weren’t able to adapt.”

Despite calls by Perez to reform the Super League, it remains to be seen if other clubs will still be interested. Even if the organizers can legally create the league, teams previously received intense backlash for the plans. This means that Perez’s Real will likely be forced to compete in the updated Champions League next season.

Photo credits: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire : IMAGO / PA Images