LaLiga boss says Florentino Perez's ESL rant was 'full of lies'

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has responded to recent remarks by Real Madrid exec Florentino Perez regarding the European Super League. The Real president made headlines earlier in November when he stated that the ESL is now “more necessary than ever.” Perez was one of the founding members of the failed league.

Tebas delivered his rebuttal during a recent interview with Agencia EFE. The LaLiga exec claimed that Perez’s speech was “full of lies” and that he has not physically sat down with the Real boss in years.

“[Perez] said that the pandemic has changed everything and that we need a new model of competition, but he has been pushing for this project for years, even before the pandemic,” Tebas told the news outlet.

“He said that the Super League would benefit all the clubs, but he only cares about his own interests. He said that the Super League would be open and meritocratic, but he wants to create a closed and elitist league.”

“The last time I sat down with Florentino was two or two-and-a-half years ago, and with one of their executives a little earlier,” continued Tebas. “But it’s impossible… It’s like I go to your house and say ‘hey, I want these two rooms to be mine, we can sit down and negotiate or not.’”

Perez previously attacked the new Champions League format

Part of Perez’s new plan to resurrect the Super League is to also ridicule new changes to the UEFA Champions League. The governing body of the sport recently revealed that they are making fairly drastic changes to the competition.

The 2024/25 Champions League group stage will feature one massive division composed of 36 teams. Each side is set to play eight different clubs, four at home and four away. This is quite different compared to the current format of eight groups of four clubs.

“[Perez] wants to break the system that has made football the most popular sport in the world,” Tebas added. “He wants to destroy the domestic leagues, the Champions League, the World Cup, and the European Championship. He wants to create a monopoly that would kill the competitiveness and the emotion of the game.”

Tebas expects court ruling to go against Perez and the Super League

The new changes to the Champions League may not exactly be favored by fans at the moment. Nevertheless, the Super League is even less popular. A vast majority of clubs quickly dropped out of the plans for the proposed division. Perez, however, is still attempting to reform the league.

Organizers of the Super League are in a tense legal battle with UEFA. Perez and company say that the governing body has overstepped their boundaries by blocking the new league. The European Court of Justice is ruling on the matter later this month.

Tebas, however, has full confidence that the courts will side with UEFA. “We have the law and the justice on our side,” proclaimed the LaLiga chief. “We will not allow a few clubs to put at risk the future of football.”

Tebas said LaLiga and UEFA will fight the development of the European Super League with any means necessary. “We will defend our rights and our interests with all the means at our disposal. We will not let them steal our dreams.”

Real currently finds themselves two points behind surprise LaLiga leaders Girona. The Catalan club, currently co-owned by Manchester City officials, only earned promotion to the top flight in 2022. Perez’s team will attempt to get back on top of the league when play resumes on Nov. 26.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.