Real Madrid reportedly expect the six Premier League clubs that signed up for the aborted European Super League in 2021 to pay their share of the funds spent trying to launch the breakaway competition. According to a new report from The Athletic, Madrid "want" Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur to cover what they are thought to owe, given that their swift withdrawals effectively ended the project.
The sum in question could total as much as €80 million ($89.9 million), which would mean each of the 12 founding clubs stumping up roughly $7.5 million. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, the three clubs that held on to the ESL plan the longest, are thought to have been sharing that financial burden up to now.
A Five-Year Collapse
The ESL was announced via a joint statement from a dozen clubs on April 18, 2021, proposing a closed European competition without promotion or relegation to rival UEFA's Champions League. The backlash was immediate and fierce. Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United all withdrew publicly on April 20, 2021, with Chelsea following a day later alongside Atlético Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan.
Juventus held on to the plan until pulling out in June 2023. Barcelona did not relinquish their involvement until February 7, 2026. Real Madrid have yet to formally withdraw, though the club reached what was described as "an agreement of principles for the wellbeing of European club football" with UEFA on February 11, 2026.
Do Real Madrid Have a Legal Case?
As the project collapsed in April 2021, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez insisted the founding clubs remained bound by their commitment. "I'm not going to take my time to explain what a binding contract is here," he said. "But the fact is, the clubs can't leave."
Former Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli has said the 12 founding clubs signed a 120-page contract when they agreed to the ESL plan, making them legally binding shareholders rather than simply conspirators. It has been widely reported that 11 of the 12 founders remain tied to the project, with Inter Milan the only club to have managed to extract itself.
Whether the six Premier League clubs can be forced to pay ultimately depends on the finer details of that contract's wording, details that could support more than one legal interpretation.
