Real Madrid News
Atletico Madrid CEO aims dig at Real Madrid president over Super League – ‘A dead project’
Atletico Madrid are currently the only Spanish representative in on the executive committee of European Football Clubs, the recently renamed European Clubs Association.
The club’s CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin was present in a general assembly that was held today in Rome, which was attended by representatives of around 800 clubs as well as guests such as Gianni Infantino (FIFA), Aleksander Ceferin (UEFA), and Joan Laporta (FC Barcelona).
Atletico Madrid CEO on Real Madrid president and Super League
At the assembly, Gil Marin spoke to EFE (h/t AS), talking about the converge of the EFC and how it shows strength and unity among European football clubs.
Gil Marin also talked about the Super League project, who he thinks only exists in Spain because of Real Madrid and its president Florentino Perez.
“The reality is that it’s only being talked about in Spain, and that’s undoubtedly due to the importance of Real Madrid and its president as the driving force behind the idea. In Europe, it’s long been considered a dead project,” he said.
The Atletico Madrid CEO went on to explain how the next sponsorship and distribution cycle for UEFA competitions is totally different from what the Super League proposed.
“Proof of this is that the current formats, distribution systems, and the marketing of television and sponsorship rights for the next 2027-31 cycle have been agreed upon between clubs and UEFA,” he said.
“They are completely opposite to what the Super League model proposed,” he added.
This is not the first time Gil Marin has taken a dig at Real Madrid, as Atletico Madrid have been a strong opposition to Barcelona and Los Blancos‘ desire to propogate the Super League project.
Gil Marin, though, did express delight at the fact that Joan Laporta accepted the invite from the EFC, stating that it is important for a club like Barcelona to once again become involved in the decision-making of European competitions.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
