Officially, Real Madrid and Barcelona are the only teams still linked to the Superleague project that was presented in 2021 and is still on hold. However, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez continues to claim that the Superleague remains alive and real – at the very least, the company that organizes the competition remains active.
Last year, A22 presented a format of a Star League, Gold League and Blue League instead of the Champions League, with 16 teams in the first two divisions and 32 in the Blue League, from which 20 teams would be relegated per year. Two clubs would be promoted and relegated in the leagues, and a knockout competition would be held for the top eight in the Star League to determine the winner.
After A22 spoke to 100 clubs, MD said around 60 clubs were willing to join the Superleague. They feel they could attract more in the right circumstances, and the only significant feedback was that other clubs wanted more meritocracy, with champions from leagues across Europe wanting their place in the Star League, where the likes of Bayer Leverkusen are this year would get into right away. the top division after winning the Bundesliga, instead of going to the Blue League.
Of the original twelve Superleague breakaway members, Barcelona and Real Madrid believe all but Inter (who had an asterisk next to their presence pending shareholder approval) remain linked to the project. Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Bayern Munich remain the main opponents among Europe's biggest clubs, although there is a belief that the Bavarians can be convinced with the right format.
Another important feedback point was the duration of the competition. Currently, each team would need 19 games to win the league, while in the Champions League it is currently 17. If the number of matches can be reduced, this would also be appreciated by the clubs involved. Despite the apparent lack of organization, they believe the Superleague could go ahead in 2025 or 2026.
A court ruling in Spain has so far prevented UEFA from punishing Real Madrid or Barcelona for their role in the project, but A22 would likely have to give clubs more guarantees to convince them to leave UEFA and the Champions League. The Superleague has promised to raise €1 billion to €2 billion more per season through advertising on a free online platform, and hand out more money to clubs, but they are not European football's governing body. No figures have been given on the use of funds for grassroots football or for countries with lower budgets.
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