PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi calls on Real Madrid to rejoin football 'family' and claims Super League 'dead before it even started'

The proposed ESL's failure was triggered by a massive, unified backlash from nearly every sector of the football world. The plan, bankrolled by JP Morgan, involved 12 of Europe's wealthiest clubs creating a closed, 20-team midweek competition that would rival the Champions League. The core controversy stemmed from the ESL's "founder member" structure, which would guarantee permanent spots for the 15 founding clubs, eliminating the possibility of relegation. This was widely seen as a betrayal of football's sporting merit, which rewards clubs for their performance. Fans led the charge against the breakaway league, protesting outside stadiums and on social media. Their vocal outrage was quickly supported by politicians, managers, and players. After seeing the strength of the criticism, the six English clubs involved, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham, all withdrew, triggering the bid's collapse.

Real Madrid, spearheaded by president Florentino Pérez, remain a key advocate for the Super League project, arguing for its necessity to ensure football's financial stability and competitiveness. They believe the current system, particularly the Champions League format, is outdated and doesn't generate sufficient revenue or fan interest, especially among younger audiences. Despite the initial collapse of the project in 2021 after widespread backlash and the withdrawal of most founding clubs, Real are now alone in continuing to publicly support a revived Super League. Perez has stated that the league is "more necessary than ever" and represents a crucial step to "save football". Real Madrid's CEO, Jose Angel Sanchez, stated in December last year that the club would "keep working on the execution" of a new European competition. Real Madrid perceives the Super League as a solution to concerns about the financial dominance of the Premier League and the overall health of European club football.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi , speaking at the European Football Club’s (EFC) annual assembly in Rome, said: "We're a family. We want everyone back, that's true. Real Madrid too, we want everyone back. This is their family and their home, it's everyone's home. So we don't need any other competition; today we have the best club competition, and with even better formats. That's what we want, and it's what Barcelona has wanted so far. We'll see what happens next."

PSG, of course, won the Champions League last season after years of chasing Europe's top trophy, so it is perhaps little surprise that their president is opening the door for Real to walk back through. Both sides are continuing to play in the competition and the pair could well meet in this season's competition; PSG beat Real's eternal rivals Barcelona in their last European outing, winning 2-1. 

Real Madrid, along with Barcelona, co-founded A22 Sports Management, the company tasked with promoting and assisting in the creation of the ESL. A22 launched a rebranded proposal known as the "Unify League" which addresses some of the criticisms of the original ESL, particularly the "closed league" aspect, by incorporating a system of promotion and relegation based on domestic league performance. It also includes a women's competition and plans for a free-to-air streaming platform. However, the project continues to face opposition. Barcelona president Joan Laporta also attended the EFC meeting in Rome, and signalled the club’s intent to reconcile. Laporta said: "Nasser, the president of the EFC, invited us. We graciously accepted; there's a very good relationship. With Barcelona, we're in favour of pacifying European football; we want an agreement and a return to UEFA."