How Barcelona’s Super League U-turn ignited a new war with Real Madrid – report | OneFootball

According to a recent report from COPE, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez considers Barcelona’s gradual withdrawal from the Super League project a betrayal of the highest order and has reacted by intensifying pressure through the Negreira case. 

Barcelona’s leadership has been clear in recent months about its desire to normalise relations with UEFA and European football’s governing structures. 

After years of institutional conflict, the club believes that cooperation is the only viable path forward, especially given its financial rebuilding process. 

That stance became public in October when Joan Laporta travelled to Rome to attend the annual assembly of the European Football Clubs (EFC), presided over by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

From Barcelona’s viewpoint, that appearance was not an act of provocation towards Real Madrid, but a step toward stability. 

Within this context, Barcelona should interpret Perez’s focus on the Negreira case as a reaction to losing an ally rather than a sudden concern for football integrity. 

Perez on attack

Florentino Perez has been on attack in recent weeks. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

After all this, Perez has hardened his tone, placing Barcelona under the spotlight, declaring that “the ‘Negreira case’ is the most serious problem that football has today, even at an international level.”

Crucially, Barcelona reject the idea that their Super League stance constitutes betrayal. 

From the club’s perspective, adapting to circumstances is not disloyalty but leadership. 

The Super League project, once presented as a reformist vision, has lost momentum across Europe, and Barça believe it would be irresponsible to mortgage the club’s future to a model lacking institutional support.

What COPE describes as a “new war” is, in Barcelona’s view, a clash of philosophies. 

While Real Madrid continue to frame the conflict as a personal vendetta between presidents, Barça are focused on rebuilding credibility, restoring financial health, and competing within recognised structures.