Florentino Perez has admitted that football is becoming "ill" with the way the game is heading as the Real Madrid president is slammed for his latest Super League ideas.
Los Blancos held their General Assembly on Sunday morning as they look to gain the approval of their members for this season's budgets. Perez used the platform to address several issues including the Super League and how football is changing quickly to suit the needs of the younger audience.
The 75-year-old also admitted that the sport is losing the global entertainment value with US sports, backing the dormant European Super League project as the way to retain its position as the world's most popular sport. Perez has been one of the breakaway competition's most high-profile backers since its attempted launch in April 2021, with Barcelona and Manchester United amongst the club's first involved.
"Our beloved sport is ill, losing global leadership," Perez said in his press conference. "The young people are increasingly less interested, a trend to revert before it is too late. The new generations prefer other spectacles, like the online platforms or video games.
"They are asking for a quality product that football does not provide because the current competitions do not attract them… Even the final phases.
"With maximum respect to the national leagues, the big European leagues should offer matches throughout the year, matches that bring the young people back."
The ESL and football's governing bodies are awaiting a ruling from the European Court of Justice, due in December, on whether UEFA's attempts to block the Super League breached European competition laws. Six Premier League clubs were first involved with the breakaway, as Tottenham, Arsenal, United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all agreed to form the new European powerhouse of a tournament.
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Perez believes that there must be a change with the Champions League and the other European competitions with the prospect of the Super League in the pipeline. In addition, Perez added football is losing its "leadership".
"To fix a problem, you have to first recognise that you have a problem," Perez added. "Our sport is sick. It's losing its leadership as a global sport.... We mustn't be confused by the impact of Real Madrid's European Cup run [in the Champions League last season] when we were involved in seven games of the highest intensity and interest.
"That was the result of the draw, and of the quality and greatness of our team. It was a spectacle that helped bring excitement back to the viewers. That's why we believe European competitions must change, to offer fans top-level games year-round between the strongest teams, with the best players competing."
Meanwhile, La Liga president Javier Tebas took a dig at Perez's idea of the Super League on his Twitter account and stressed that it was not everyone's cup of tea to manage a competition. "Florentino, being a great club president does not mean you can be a great competition president (the Super League)," he wrote.
Tebas went on to say that the Real Madrid president’s idea spelt doom for all clubs involved. "From ignorance, you’re launching proclamations that can 'kill' the rest of the clubs, including Real Madrid."
