The Financial Motivation Behind the Super League Attempt

The attempt of twelve top European football clubs from England, Italy and Spain to found their own, closed Super League has shocked many football fans. Florentino Pérez, President of Real Madrid C.F. and one of the driving forces behind the Super League claimed: "We are doing this to save football. Without the Super League, we will all be dead in 2024." But is this statement actually true?

I briefly analyzed the current financials of all twelve founding members, also including FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund as a benchmark. The analysis reveals that Florentino Pérez' claim is only valid for some clubs. Unlike publicly perceived, Real Madrid (just like the six Premier League teams) does not need the Super League to survive. The club will only have to adapt its cost structure in the future. Yet, the remaining clubs FC Barcelona, Club Atlético de Madrid, Juventus Football Club, AC Milan and FC Internazionale Milano already faced severe financial problems before the Covid-19 pandemic due to unsustainable financial management. For them, the Super League would have been the urgently needed lifeline to financial recovery.