Real Madrid To Continue Push For "Super League 2.0" With Clubs In Control
Real Madrid has outlined its commitment to a reimagined Champions League in which clubs, rather than UEFA, are in control - a vision The Guardian describes as a European Super League 2.0.
The club's chief executive, Jose Angel Sanchez, who is known to be Real Madrid president Florentino Perez's right-hand man, discussed the issue in a Harvard Business School (HBS) case study prepared by HBS professor Anita Elberse.
He explained that "change is essential" and compared UEFA to the musicians on the ill-fated Titanic ship.
"The current governing bodies are like the musicians on the Titanic, who kept playing even when the ship went under. The system as we know it is over – we need to organize things differently in the industry. That was the rationale behind the Super League, and it is even more pressing now."
- Jose Angel Sanchez
Sanchez outlined several reasons why a change was needed, including the economic strength of the English Premier League, the increase in sovereign wealth funds owning clubs, UEFA's influence over media rights, and governing bodies' failure to act on "unfair competition."
"We feel like Asterix’s village in a world dominated by the Romans. We, too, feel like we have our magic potion – we are a very special club, with a strong tradition – but we keep having to fight these battles to defend ourselves. It is one thing to fight private companies but something else to fight countries that own clubs and have infinite pockets of money."
- Jose Angel Sanchez
Sanchez said Real Madrid would "keep working on the execution" of a fresh European competition. At this time, it's unclear if any other teams support it as they did for the controversial European Super League plans back in 2021.
When that proposed idea emerged, several major teams backed the new competition created by Los Blancos president Perez. However, following a significant backlash, the project was swiftly abandoned, and the clubs involved ended up facing legal repercussions.
Real Madrid and Barcelona remained the only teams publicly advocating for it.
When it comes to a revamped European competition, Sanchez believes that clubs should be completely in control.
"We are advocates for a model in which clubs can determine their own destiny, as they do in pretty much every sport or even in football at the domestic level – a model in which they have control over how competitions are managed and in which we can create one-to-one relationships with our fans."
- Jose Angel Sanchez
Meanwhile, Anas Laghrari, an advisor to Perez, believes a new-look Champions League competition would provide "the highest-quality football all year round."
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