Super League not dead, says Real boss Perez

PARIS • Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has insisted that the widely condemned European Super League was not dead but merely "on standby".

The breakaway tournament crumbled on Wednesday after 10 of the 12 founding clubs turned their backs on the three-day-old project.

Mastermind Perez shrugged off the withdrawals of the six English clubs as well as Inter and AC Milan, and Atletico Madrid. Juventus said the project was unworkable.

"The project is on standby. The project exists, but half of them have left, tired of what they have heard over 24 hours, saying they don't want to continue," he told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.

When asked if it was wrong to think the breakaway competition was now dead, the 74-year-old added: "Absolutely. We are going to keep working. I'm convinced that if this project doesn't work, another similar one will."

Barcelona have yet to make their plans clear but they are "thinking about it", added Perez.

Fans, politicians, leagues and federations have all campaigned against the Super League, which they feel would increase the power and wealth of the elite clubs, and the partially closed structure goes against European football's long-standing model.

Of the campaigning, Perez said: "It seemed orchestrated. It was like we had killed football. We were working on how to save football. Uefa made it look like we dropped an atomic bomb."

The Spaniard also said the six English teams who withdrew were not convinced of the project and that their reluctance "infected the others".

The withdrawals by Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham had come just 48 hours after the league's unveiling late on Sunday, following a furious response from fans and officials.

Perez also compared football to tennis and said it needed more regular matchups like Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal. And he dismissed the expanded Champions League due to start in 2024 as too little, too late.

"The Champions League is obsolete because it's only of interest from the quarter-final stage," he said.

"We need to do this now. We can't wait three years. When all this is over the reality will come and we'll see what happens. Clubs are going to lose more than €2 billion (S$3.2 billion)."

Meanwhile, executives from the Premier League's top six have apologised to fans over the fiasco.

"We got it wrong," said United co-chairman Joel Glazer.

"This is the world's greatest football club and we apologise unreservedly for the unrest caused during these past few days."

Glazer's apology followed an earlier similar act of contrition by compatriot and Liverpool owner John Henry.

City chief executive Ferran Soriano admitted his club made a "mistake" to get involved.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS