Describing what is happening as saddening: Al-Khelaifi thanks Laporta and Perez and makes a request to Ceferin

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of the European Club Association and Paris Saint-Germain, addressed the ECA assembly with a message of thanks to Barcelona president Joan Laporta for helping bring his club back into a European fold that now numbers more than 850 sides.

According to Marca, Al-Khelaifi also thanked Real Madrid president Florentino Perez for his work towards an agreement that would make Los Blancos an official ECA member.

Talks are already underway. Anas Laghrari attended in Copenhagen representing A22, the company that was meant to run the Super League, and his presence points to warming relations between the ECA and Real Madrid.

Sources close to A22 say a deal on Madrid's return is imminent, at which point the club will drop its lawsuit.

Al-Khelaifi said in his speech: "I would like to thank the president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, for his trust in the European Club Association: welcome back to the club family. I would also like to thank the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, for his belief that the future of European football must be built on the foundation of unity and shared interests. We are delighted to have them rejoin the family of European football clubs."

He continued: "World football is also of the utmost importance to our clubs. We all witnessed the 2026 World Cup this summer, in which 857 players from European clubs took part, representing nearly 70% of the total number of participating players, equivalent to the combined squads of 33 of the 48 participating national teams. I hope people finally realise the value that clubs represent."

He added: "It is truly saddening to see the current situation. Instead of elevating our sport, we waste time dealing with problems and difficulties. Football thrives when we listen to one another, when we are transparent with one another, but most importantly of all, when we are honest. Whatever our differences, football remains bigger and more important than any of us."

The ECA chief also urged UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin to stand in the UEFA elections, a decision Ceferin is due to announce next December, four months before the congress scheduled for Kazakhstan in April 2027.

Al-Khelaifi said: "When UEFA and the clubs work side by side, football is the biggest winner. We confront any matter or problem directly and decisively. UEFA may not be satisfied with the clubs at times, and the clubs may not be satisfied with UEFA at other times, but we always find the solutions."

He pointed out: "Today, 36 representatives of the European Club Association take part in 15 UEFA committees. This is genuine cooperation. I cannot speak about UEFA without referring to its president."

He went on: "Aleksander, I know you are tired of my daily calls and messages regarding all our demands as clubs. So I must thank you for your patience, your support for the clubs, and your defence of the higher interests of football, even at times when that is not an easy thing to do. Football needs great leaders like you, and on behalf of more than 900 clubs that are members of the association, we ask you to stand for the presidency again next year."

He continued his speech: "As our membership grows and develops, our governance mechanisms and organisational structures must also change. The European Club Association (ECA) today is different from what it was in the past, which is why today we are voting to make further amendments to our statutes. This means that all members, whether ordinary or affiliate members, and whether their clubs are small, medium or large in size, will have a direct voice and the right to vote in all of the association's major decisions."

He added: "We will be more democratic than ever before, whether in the executive board, the working groups or the committees, without compromising our effectiveness or our balance. All members will also be able to represent the association before UEFA and FIFA and in other committees, and we will ensure strong female representation in all of the executive board's subsidiary bodies. It is a model of good representation and good governance."

Al-Khelaifi insisted the association would keep growing, saying: "I remember when I first proposed, a few years ago, that we needed to broaden our membership base and aim to reach 1,000 member clubs. At the time some asked: 'Have you lost your mind?', and others said: 'This is impossible.' But our journey has taught us that our diversity is neither a problem nor a weakness, but rather the source of our strength and our exceptional advantage. A club with 5,000 fans can teach a lesson to a club with 50 million fans, a women's club from Ireland can inspire a men's club from Italy, and a youth academy here in Denmark can develop a player who changes the face of football worldwide."