Al-Khelaifi welcomes Barcelona, Real Madrid back to ECA, urges Čeferin to run again

ECA president Nasser Al-Khelaifi welcomed the return of Barcelona and Real Madrid and urged UEFA chief Aleksander Čeferin to seek another term.

• Al-Khelaifi delivered a speech before the European Club Association General Assembly in Copenhagen.
• He thanked Barcelona president Joan Laporta for the club's return and Florentino Pérez for pursuing Real Madrid's membership.
• Al-Khelaifi urged UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin to run again, saying more than 900 member clubs request a new term.
• Sources close to A22 said Real Madrid's return to the ECA was imminent and the club would withdraw its lawsuit.
• Al-Khelaifi revealed he reached an agreement with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez during a half-hour conversation, without disclosing details.
• He defended Pérez and Real Madrid, saying they deserve more respect for their contributions to football.
• Joan Laporta criticized Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez over his accusations against Barcelona, deepening the clubs' rift.
• Laporta confirmed a reconciliation meeting with Pérez is scheduled for 25 November in Madrid.
• Al-Khelaifi unveiled plans for a new global body, 'World Football Clubs', to give clubs a unified voice alongside the six continental confederations.
• The ECA has grown from 247 clubs in 2021 to more than 900 across 55 countries, with a goal of reaching 1,000.
• The joint ECA-UEFA UC3 project is projected to generate over 20 billion euros in the next four-year cycle.