Gianni Infantino, FIFA President
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Real Madrid have welcomed FIFA’s decision to abandon its proposed partial sale of the commercial rights to its competitions.
Los Blancos have described the outcome as an important victory for football clubs and the long-term sustainability of the sport.
In an official statement published, the Spanish giants thanked the organisations that opposed the project while reaffirming their long-standing position against selling future football revenues.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA President
Infantino under fire. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
The club praised FIFA’s decision to drop the proposal and expressed gratitude to the institutions that stood against it.
“Real Madrid CF welcomes FIFA’s decision to abandon its proposal for the partial sale of the commercial rights to its competitions. Our club believes this is good news for football, its institutions, and above all, for the millions of fans of our beloved sport.
Real Madrid wishes to express its gratitude to UEFA, the confederations and federations, and all the institutions that firmly and responsibly opposed this project. Their unity and sense of duty protected football at a crucial moment,” the statement said.
“Clubs are the foundation upon which international football and the World Cup are built. They are the ones who discover, train, develop, and provide the national teams with the players who make these major competitions possible.
International football and the World Cup are, above all, events of public interest, and they constitute a heritage that belongs to nations, fans, and society as a whole.
Therefore, we believe they should never be treated as mere financial assets to be traded for the benefit of a select few,” it added.
Real Madrid went on to speak vehemently against the attempt to gain commercial revenue from footballing competitions.
“Real Madrid firmly opposes any attempt to sell future commercial revenue from competitions without assuming any of the associated costs or risks.
It is the clubs that bear these costs and risks, and any initiative that seeks to appropriate future football revenue without assuming the responsibilities that generate it is unacceptable and should never be considered again,” the statement read.
Florentino Perez, Real Madrid president
Real Madrid have come out strongly against FIFA. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
The club also thanked UEFA, the continental confederations, national federations and other football institutions that opposed the project.
Infantino’s proposal triggered an unusually broad revolt across the football world.
UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation all criticised the plan, with opponents objecting to both the possible sale of a stake in FIFA’s commercial operations and the lack of consultation before the project emerged.
UEFA went as far as declaring that football’s soul and governance were not assets to be traded, while European associations reportedly discussed the possibility of boycotting FIFA competitions if the proposal advanced.
This public backlash eventually forced FIFA to backtrack on their own proposal and not move ahead with their proposed deal.
Meanwhile, the statement also reaffirmed Real Madrid’s opposition to La Liga’s agreement with CVC, maintaining a position the club have defended consistently in recent years.
“This is also the same principle that Real Madrid has consistently upheld at the national level.
“Our club opposed and did not participate in the operation whereby LaLiga committed a percentage of the clubs’ future audiovisual revenues for fifty years in exchange for the entry of a private fund like CVC.
“Mortgaging for half a century revenues that belong to the clubs, who are the ones who bear all the costs and risks, sets a precedent that football must not repeat, whether in our country or internationally,” they concluded.
Madrid argued that clubs should never mortgage future broadcasting income for decades in exchange for short-term financial gains, insisting that protecting long-term revenues is essential for the future of the game.
This is the stance the club have maintained for a long time now, ever since La Liga tried to introduce the deal in 2021.
The latest statement therefore extends beyond FIFA’s decision alone. It reinforces Real Madrid’s broader philosophy on football governance.
Vinicius Jr., Real Madrid and Brazil player
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
The future of Vinicius Jr. is currently the hottest topic in Europe, with Arsenal emerging as a surprise candidate to sign the Real Madrid.
In the wake of his return to the Real Madrid after an extended break, Vinicius is tipped to hold talks with Jose Mourinho, which will likely decide his fate at Santiago Bernabeu.
In the background, Arsenal are desperate to sign the Brazilian international, with Mikel Arteta, in particular, keen on acquiring his services.
Vinicius Jr. Real Madrid and Brazil star
Arsenal are ready to go all out to sign Vinicius. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
According to Miguel Serrano, Arsenal are expected to table a first bid worth €100 million for Vinicius Jr., an offer that will likely get rejected by Los Blancos.
Even though Vinicius’ contract at Santiago Bernabeu expires at the end of next season, Real Madrid rate him much highly and won’t let him go for cheap.
What Real Madrid won’t do, however, is to make another offer to Vinicius. The club are simply not willing to meet the player’s hefty €30 million a season demand.
Vinicius already has an offer on the table from Real Madrid and if he is not willing to agree to those terms, a summer exit cannot be ruled out, but only for the right price.
Vinicius Jr. and Erling Haaland
All eyes on Vinicius’ future this summer. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
While Arsenal are willing to offer only €100 million for Vinicius Jr., their personal offer to the player himself is much more lucrative.
Indeed, the Gunners are ready to fork out as much as €25 million in salary, which is much closer to the €30 million the Brazilian international is demanding at Real Madrid.
Not to mention, Arsenal are willing to offer him 100% of his image rights, which will lead to him earn more money in addition to his salary at the Emirates.
Under the existing contract, Real Madrid and Vinicius equally share the player’s image rights, so the Arsenal offer is a definite upgrade.
The Premier League giants aren’t desperate either. They are not in a rush to make an offer and are ready to play the waiting game, knowing Real Madrid will be under pressure to sell the player if he doesn’t renew his contract.