Real Madrid Reportedly Make European Super League Threat After Celta Postponed

Real Madrid have reportedly threatened to break away from La Liga and form a European Super League after their match with Celta Vigo on Sunday was postponed due to bad weather causing damage to the Estadio Municipal de Balaidos.

Per Alvaro de la Rosa and Clemente Garrido of AS, Los Blancos are angry the match was called off on Saturday morning ahead of the scheduled kick-off on Sunday night, and no one at the club "can understand how the damage to the stadium's roof could not be repaired 36 hours ahead of the match."

Real also felt other options could have been explored, such as the game going ahead with the damaged parts of the stadium closed off, or it being played at a nearby ground instead.

The story made AS' front page on Monday:

Sid Lowe of the Guardian offered some insight as to why Real were desperate for the match to go ahead:

Real Madrid TV's Phil Kitromilides explained why it wasn't possible, however:

Indeed, per De la Rosa and Garrido, the damage to Balaidos has been such that it would have been dangerous to the players and the fans for the match to go ahead. That is especially the case for Real supporters, as it would have been them sitting under the damaged roof.

The stormy weather in Spain's Galicia region has been so bad that making repairs has simply not been possible, and "engineers are waiting for the weather to improve before they can repair the damaged roof."

ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan believes the club seriously overreacted to the postponement of the match:

While their frustration was understandable, particularly given its potential impact on Real's fixture schedule later in the season, it's hardly a reason to form a breakaway league.

The idea has been floated before, though, with Europe's wealthiest and most illustrious clubs potentially set to reap the rewards of playing one another on a more regular basis than in the UEFA Champions League.

Should Real make the proposal concrete, it seems they would have the support of Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, who are in favour of the idea.

It's unsurprising the two would be—the two European giants would perhaps gain the most from such a Super League, as it could give them the finances to put them on a level playing field with Real, Barcelona and the Premier League's elite.

The inconvenience of a rescheduled fixture is unlikely to be the tipping point should the idea ever become a reality, but the prospect of a Super League in the future is hardly out of the question.