Barcelona and Real Madrid reportedly stand to receive a gargantuan €1bn (£868.9m) loyalty payment if the European Super League comes to fruition in the future.
From the 12 clubs to sign up to the original doomed project in April 2021, the two Spanish giants are the only teams still committed to the highly controversial plans.
All other founding members of the European Super League pulled out of the plans over the course of a few days two years ago, having received significant backlash from supporters and authority figures in government.
FIFA and UEFA went as far as to threaten clubs and players with expulsion from competitions, but Barca and Real have refused to back down and were given a huge boost in their efforts to create a breakaway league last week.
Alongside principal backers A22 Sports, the La Liga powerhouses took FIFA and UEFA to the European Court of Justice over their threats to ban players, which have now been ruled to have been unlawful.
© Reuters
The ECJ's decision was warmly received by Barca and Real Madrid, who continue to insist that a Super League is the way forward from a financial viewpoint and for fans, even though spectators across the globe continue to denounce the idea.
Following the court ruling, A22 announced their vision for a revamped Super League, which would involve 64 men's teams and 32 women's teams across three separate leagues, compared to the 12 founding members in a closed-off competition.
The project has still been condemned by a surfeit of European clubs, including every member of the Premier League's Big Six and former advocates AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid.
The clubs in question have all released statements saying that their position remains unchanged and they will continue in UEFA competitions, but A22 are still hoping to hold talks with Premier League and foreign teams.
According to Sport, if the Super League idea does eventually take off - which is still seen as highly unlikely - both Barca and Real Madrid will receive €1bn (£868.9m) owing to their loyalty to the project.
© Reuters
Barcelona in particular possess financial motivations for pushing for a European Super League, as the Blaugrana remain saddled with debt, which the club placed at €552m (£479.6m) at the end of the 2022-23 season.
The ESL loyalty payment would allow the La Liga champions to clear the lingering debt off their books, but the other 10 clubs to withdraw from the original plans could supposedly have to pay €300m (£260.7m) in compensation if they do not have a change of heart.
After the ECJ's ruling broke on Thursday morning, Real president Florentino Perez - a staunch proponent for a European Super League - hailed the decision as a "great day for the history of football".
Meanwhile, Barcelona also reaffirmed their commitment to the footballing "monopoly" overseen by FIFA and UEFA, who were determined to have been abusing a dominant position.
Ben Knapton
