- Barca president Joan Laporta said last October club wanted to reestablish links with Uefa
- Real seeking damages from Uefa following rulings linked to efforts to form European Super League
Spanish soccer giants Barcelona have officially withdrawn from the European Super League, dealing the latest blow to the breakaway competition.
The LaLiga champions were one of three Spanish clubs to sign up to the project when it was first announced in April 2021, alongside Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. However, the plans quickly unravelled following a backlash from supporters, with all six Premier League teams withdrawing within 72 hours of its announcement.
Italian heavyweights Juventus became the tenth club to exit the project in June 2024, leaving Barcelona and Real Madrid as the only clubs still formally involved.
Last October, Barca president Joan Laporta confirmed that the club wanted to re-establish links with Uefa and rejoin the European Football Clubs (EFC), formerly known as the European Club Association (ECA), having been expelled alongside the other Super League founding members.
Clubs that previously quit the project have since been reinstated to the EFC.
Barca confirmed their decision to withdraw from the Super League in a brief statement released on 7th February.
“FC Barcelona hereby announces that today it has formally notified the European Super League Company and the clubs involved of its withdrawal from the European Super League project,” said the club.
It means Barca’s rivals Real Madrid are the only club still involved in the Super League. Los Blancos said last October that they will seek “substantial damages” from Uefa following a series of court rulings made against the way European soccer’s governing body responded to the breakaway league plans.
According to documents seen by the Financial Times (FT) , Real believe they have missed out on revenues of between €4.5 billion (US$5.3 billion) and €4.7 billion (US$5.6 billion) as a result of the failed launch of the competition, which factors in lost matchday, broadcast and commercial income.
The FT also reported that the club was planning to file a claim for damages of more than €4 billion (US$4.7 billion).
SportsPro says…
A European Super League has appeared to be on life support for years. Barca’s exit, while expected, feels like another nail in the coffin.
Realistically, the project looked doomed from the moment the six Premier League clubs walked away nearly five years ago. Fan outrage, the absence of Bundesliga participation, and other founding members pulling out made a questionable concept even less viable.
Despite this, the Super League’s promoter, A22, is yet to throw in the towel, rebranding the competition as the Unify League. The proposal features four leagues comprising 96 teams in total, with the top division limited to 16 clubs. Although it is based on sporting merit, the revamped league has failed to gain widespread support.
Real Madrid, which topped the latest Deloitte Football Money League after becoming the first football club to generate more than €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) in revenue, may persist with their Super League case. But the prospect of another breakaway competition posing a serious threat to the Uefa Champions League feels more remote than ever.
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