UEFA, Real Madrid reach deal to end Super League legal battle

UEFA and Real Madrid have reached an agreement that will put to bed their bitter legal feud over the ill-fated European Super League, the club and European soccer’s governing body said on Wednesday.

UEFA, European Football Clubs (EFC) and the Spanish giants said they had reached an “agreement of principles” where sporting merit would be respected after months of talks aimed at promoting the “well-being” of European club football.

“This agreement of principles will also serve to resolve their legal disputes related to the European Super League, once such principles are executed and implemented,” UEFA and Real Madrid said in a joint statement.

In October, Real sought compensation from UEFA after the club said that the Regional Court of Madrid had dismissed appeals filed by UEFA, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) and LaLiga regarding the Super League.

Real were among 12 European clubs that backed the breakaway competition in 2021 before support for the controversial event collapsed under fan and government pressure.

As clubs backed out, including six Premier League sides, Real and Barcelona were the only clubs still backing the project that briefly threatened to rival UEFA’s Champions League.

However, Barcelona officially withdrew from the European Super League project last week, leaving Real Madrid as the sole remaining advocate for a competition.

The organisers tried to revive the idea in December 2024 with a new concept, the “Unify League”, featuring 96 clubs split into four leagues.

However, that too failed to garner substantial backing, with strong resistance from major leagues such as LaLiga and the Premier League.