Al Khelaifi urges Ceferin to run again at UEFA and welcomes Barcelona and Real Madrid back to the EFC

Nasser al Khelaifi turned the European Club Association general assembly into a homecoming. The EFC chairman and Paris Saint-Germain president thanked Joan Laporta in Copenhagen on Thursday for bringing Barcelona back into the organisation and said Real Madrid are close to ending their estrangement from it after years of conflict over the Super League. Al Khelaifi also called for Aleksander Ceferin to stay on as UEFA president and championed new statutes that would hand direct voting power to the group's more than 850 member clubs.

• Al Khelaifi thanks Laporta and Florentino Perez for moving towards the EFC.
• A deal with Real Madrid is near and would lead to the club dropping a multi-million lawsuit.
• The EFC now has over 850 members and aims to grow to 1,000 clubs.
• The EFC chairman publicly asks Ceferin to stand again at UEFA.
• The assembly votes on reforms to give every club a direct say in key decisions.

Barcelona back in the fold as Real Madrid close in on an EFC return

The EFC's top executive devoted a notable part of his address to the reconciliation with Spain's two biggest clubs. He thanked Laporta for the trust shown in the association and welcomed him back to the family of European football. On Florentino Perez, he highlighted the belief that the future of the continental game must be built on unity and collective interests as key to the current understanding.

We are pleased that they are about to rejoin the family of European Football Clubs.

Talks between the EFC and Real Madrid are already under way. The presence of Anas Laghari in the Danish capital as a representative of A22, the company behind the Super League project, was read as another sign of the thaw between the two sides. Sources close to A22 suggest the agreement is close and that, once signed, the Madrid club will withdraw the multi-million lawsuit it had filed against the organisation.

Al Khelaifi's warning on world football and FIFA

Without naming Gianni Infantino directly, the EFC chairman called for unity to avoid conflicts like the one now surrounding FIFA's attempt to privatise the World Cup through the back door. Al Khelaifi pointed out that 857 players from European clubs took part in the 2026 World Cup, almost 70 percent of the total and a figure equivalent to the composition of 33 of the 48 national teams.

The PSG president said it is truly sad to see the current situation, with time being wasted dealing with problems instead of improving the sport. He argued that football works when people listen to each other, when there is transparency and honesty, and he stressed that the game is bigger and more important than any individual.

Ceferin, the ally the EFC wants to keep at UEFA

Al Khelaifi was generous in his praise for Aleksander Ceferin, openly encouraging him to stand again for the UEFA presidency. The Slovenian must announce his decision next December, four months before the Congress due to take place in Kazakhstan in April 2027. The EFC chairman underlined how UEFA and the clubs work side by side, adding that any issue is tackled face to face.

There are currently 36 EFC representatives sitting on 15 UEFA committees, which for Al Khelaifi shows true collaboration. In a lighter moment, he joked about Ceferin's patience with his daily calls and messages, thanked him for defending the clubs even when it is not easy, and formally asked him, on behalf of more than 900 member clubs, to run again next year.

A 1,000-club EFC: the statute reform being voted on in Copenhagen

The growth of the association means its governance must evolve, according to its chairman. Al Khelaifi argued that today's EFC is no longer yesterday's ECA and that is why the assembly is voting on further changes to the statutes. The reform will ensure that all members — ordinary and associated, small, medium and large — have a direct voice and vote in every important decision.

The new model is designed to be more democratic across the Executive Board, working groups and committees without losing efficiency or balance. It will also allow any member to represent the EFC at UEFA, FIFA and other committees, while guaranteeing strong female representation in every subdivision of the board.

Diversity as strength in the race to reach 1,000 members

Al Khelaifi recalled that when he first raised the idea of expanding the membership to 1,000 clubs some years ago, people told him he was crazy or that it was impossible. The journey since then has proved the point: diversity is not a problem or a weakness, it is the organisation's superpower. A club with 5,000 fans can teach a club with 50 million, a women's team in Ireland can inspire a men's side in Italy, and a youth academy in Denmark can shape a player who changes football worldwide.