Real Madrid considering minor shift in ownership model: Report

Madrid’s president is open to the idea of selling some stakes of the club.

Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid, announced at the club’s annual meeting (AGM) on Sunday that the team will soon host an extraordinary general meeting where members will vote on amendments to their laws.

Perez did not specifically mention a rumoured proposal to change the club’s ownership structure, which would allow private investors to purchase up to 5% of the most valuable football team in the world.

Perez intends to allow outside investors to join the approximately 100,000 members who own Real Madrid, according to a number of media sources. Such a proposal was being considered.

Florentino Perez to propose his ideas on Sunday

A request for comment was not answered by Real Madrid.

Perez said that later during Sunday’s AGM he would outline “statutory reforms of the club, which we are going to propose to the members so that Madrid is properly equipped and can face the challenges of the next 50 years.”

Real use a membership arrangement, just like Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao, and Barcelona. Approximately 2,000 club members are chosen as delegates to the annual meeting, where they have the opportunity to vote to amend the club’s constitution, examine yearly accounts, and elect the club president.

A move to make ownership more accessible to outside investors would come after U.S. fund Apollo (APO.N) opened a new tab this month to become the majority shareholder in Real Madrid’s rival Atletico Madrid.

This is the latest attempt by private equity firms to enter the soccer market, drawn by the sport’s steady and predictable revenue streams. According to Deloitte, Real Madrid are the only football team in the world with earnings above one billion euros ($1.2 billion).

However, Perez has cautioned that the membership model hinders them, particularly when competing in the transfer market against other European teams like Chelsea, Manchester City, or Paris Saint-Germain, which are owned by billionaires, private equity firms, or oil-rich governments.

Real Madrid have spearheaded the effort to establish a European Super League, with Perez claiming it would help the team maintain its competitiveness.

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