Real Madrid welcome FIFA U-turn on commercial rights plan

Real Madrid have welcomed FIFA’s decision to abandon a proposal to partially sell the commercial rights to its competitions, describing the move as a victory for football, its institutions and supporters around the world.

FIFA has withdrawn from plans to proceed with the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise project, which would have involved the partial sale of commercial rights linked to its competitions.

In an official statement, Real Madrid called the decision “good news for football” and thanked UEFA, the continental and national associations, and all other organisations that opposed the project.

The Spanish club said the united response had helped protect the future of the game at a crucial moment.

Real Madrid also stressed the central role played by clubs in the development of international football. It said clubs formed the foundation on which national-team competitions and the World Cup were built because they identify, develop and prepare players for their countries.

The club added that the World Cup and international football represented a shared legacy belonging to nations and supporters, rather than financial assets that should be used to generate private profits.

Real Madrid said it firmly rejected any attempt to sell future commercial revenues from competitions without accepting the costs and risks involved. According to the club, those burdens were carried solely by clubs, making any project designed to benefit from football’s future income without taking responsibility for it unacceptable.

The statement also repeated Real Madrid’s opposition to the agreement between the Spanish league and investment fund CVC. That deal involved clubs giving up a proportion of their television broadcasting revenue for 50 years, and Real Madrid said it had refused to take part from the outset.

The club concluded by warning that pledging clubs’ future income over long-term contracts would establish a dangerous precedent. It said such an approach should not be repeated either in Spain or at international level.

FIFA’s decision followed opposition from several football governing bodies.

UEFA had previously announced that its national teams would boycott FIFA competitions “as long as these proposals remain in place”.

CONCACAF formally rejected FIFA’s proposal, while the Asian Football Confederation also announced its opposition.

The Confederation of African Football, meanwhile, announced that its executive committee would hold a meeting to assess the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative.

Real Madrid’s response places the club among the strongest opponents of plans to commercialise future football revenues without what it considers an appropriate share of the associated financial responsibility. Its statement linked the issue to the wider relationship between clubs, national teams and governing bodies, while reaffirming its long-standing opposition to long-term agreements involving future broadcasting income.