Faced with the still tenacious threat of a European Super League, the ECA, through its president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, is on the way to reaching an agreement of 15 billion euros for the new formula of the Champions League. .
The little music of the Champions League is heard in the distance. Next week, PSG will return to the round of 16 of the C1 with a first leg match at the Parc des Princes against the great Real Madrid. The fight will be bitter between two contenders for the final title. There is also a rivalry off the pitch that has exacerbated the two managements since the spring of last year. La Casa Blanca along with 11 other major European clubs (FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, Inter and AC Milan) wanted bring their European Super League project to life.
Faced with the outcry that this caused and the epidermal reaction of supporters, especially in England, this competition which was intended to be closed and reserved for the leaders of this sport was nipped in the bud. The fact remains that the threat still looms, even for those who refused from the start to integrate this project. This is the case of Bayern Munich and PSG. The French club even grew out of this clash because President Agnelli, the boss of Juventus, had returned his mandate as president of the ECA (association of European clubs) to join the Super League. It was Nasser Al-Khelaïfi who replaced him with one goal: to kill the wounded beast definitively.
A contract worth 15 billion euros over 3 years
The president of PSG has cleverly prepared his coup. According to information from The Times, who was able to obtain a letter sent by the Qatari leader, Al-Khelaïfi is very close to completing a contract for TV rights and marketing for the new formula of the Champions League covering three years at 15 billion euros! This would amount to 5 billion euros per season for the clubs participating in the C1. In this letter, he himself speaks of a “tectonic shift”. Power would change hands.
For the management of the ECA, and of course of UEFA, the signing of this new XXL agreement would allow to deal the last fatal blow to the clubs wishing to set up their European Super League. With such a contract, there is no longer any need to create your own competition since the billions injected into the new formula of the C1, which must come into force from the 2024/2025 season, going from 32 to 36 teams in the form of a championship and then a knockout phase, would satisfy everyone. “It also represents a new dawn of financial stability and opportunity for European football clubs as the way our club competitions are marketed will be transformed”, argues Al-Khelaïfi in this letter. The showdown is turning to UEFA’s advantage.
