Real Madrid and UEFA Reach Agreement That Formally Ends Divisive Super League Project

The formal end of the divisive Super League project in European soccer was signaled on Wednesday with an agreement announced between Real Madrid and UEFA.

A short statement in dense legal language was published days after Barcelona formally pulled out of the Super League that left 15-time European champion Madrid and its president Florentino Perez looking even more isolated.

Though Madrid and Barcelona won a ruling at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg against UEFA more than two years ago, no new clubs publicly came forward to join the breakaway project, which had no clear path forward.

The agreement on Wednesday between Madrid, UEFA, and the influential European Football Clubs group said principles were agreed that “will also serve to resolve their legal disputes.”

It was announced as European soccer leaders met in Brussels on the eve of UEFA's annual congress of 55 member federations.

The statement spoke of “months of discussions conducted in the best interests of European football” with a future principle being “the enhancement of fan experience through the use of technology.”

Real Madrid was at the head of 12 Spanish, Italian, and English clubs that attacked Champions League organizer UEFA in April 2021 by launching a breakaway Super League, which hoped to start play with 20 teams.

The project quickly collapsed within 48 hours amid a fierce backlash in England by fans and the government, which threatened legislation to protect the traditional structure of European soccer.