Al-Khelaifi slams Real Madrid for trying to banish smaller clubs

FT Desk

• 16 Feb 2022 17:12 GMT
• 3 min read

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has blasted Champions League opponents Real Madrid, referring to their role in the doomed European Super League.

PSG beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in Paris on Tuesday, with Kylian Mbappe scoring the winner in injury time.

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The build-up to that game was dominated by the future of Mbappe, who is set to leave PSG on a Bosman transfer this summer to join Madrid.

The imminent transfer has caused a lot of bad blood between the two clubs and this is something that Al-Khelaifi did not hide.

The PSG boss slammed Madrid for their role as one of the ring-leaders in the failed Super League.

In April of last year, 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs (not PSG) released a statement indicating that they were forming a breakaway Super League, though within 72 hours the plan had crumbled.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham were all ‘Founder Members’ from the Premier League who quickly backed away, while Milan, Inter and Atletico Madrid similarly withdrew.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus – three clubs in financial strife – have since refused to pull out and are still clinging to the possibility of the competition being formed.

This led to UEFA threatening the three teams with legal action and possible suspension from the Champions League.

However, the UEFA Appeals Body announced in September that it is no longer suing Juventus, Barca and Madrid.

Nevertheless the three clubs are still planning to form a Super League, with Juve president Andrea Agnelli, Barca’s Joan Laporta and Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez all publicly stating this in recent weeks.

What did Al-Khelaifi say about Mbappe?

"I'm not going to hide it, we barely have any relationship with Real Madrid," Al-Khelaifi told Canal Plus in France.

"I'm not going to remind you what happened [with the Super League].

“I believe in football being accessible for smaller clubs; Madrid don't think the same."

Al-Khelaifi was named as the new chairman of the European Club Association in the aftermath of the Super League debacle.