Madrid’s Provincial Court has upheld LaLiga’s agreement with the investment fund CVC, rejecting appeals by Real Madrid and Athletic Club. Real Madrid has announced it will take the case to the Supreme Court.
The deal
Under the agreement, approved at the end of 2021, CVC committed around €2 billion to Spanish football in exchange for a share of the future revenue from a company holding LaLiga’s commercial and TV rights — about 10% — for 50 years. The money was intended to help clubs recover from the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and invest in infrastructure, technology and the growth of the competition.
The legal fight
Real Madrid, Athletic Club and Barcelona all opposed the deal and went to court. Barcelona later dropped its legal challenge. The Provincial Court has now rejected the appeals of Real Madrid and Athletic, confirming the validity of an agreement whose funds have largely already been paid out to clubs.
Real Madrid says it will appeal to the Supreme Court, the last route available to it. Athletic has not said whether it will do the same.
Madrid’s small win
Shortly before announcing its appeal, Real Madrid won a separate case. The court found that LaLiga had wrongly excluded Real Madrid and Barcelona from three meetings in 2022 of the body that manages TV rights, a decision taken because of the two clubs’ involvement in the European Super League project. The ruling annuls those exclusions but has no financial consequences.
A separate complaint by Real Madrid seeking to have LaLiga president Javier Tebas disqualified through the sports justice system was dismissed.
Why it matters
Most Spanish professional clubs accepted the CVC money and have used it for stadium improvements, academies and digital projects. If the Supreme Court eventually sided with Real Madrid, the deal could in theory have to be renegotiated — but with the funds already distributed, that would be extremely complex.
For now, the agreement stands, and the long dispute between Real Madrid and LaLiga’s leadership continues.
