The European Super League, a controversial football tournament, may be revived following a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The project was proposed back in 2021, with 12 top clubs from Europe, led by Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus’ chiefs. However, it was soon shelved amid backlash from supporters and staunch opposition from UEFA and FIFA, who threatened to sanction the clubs involved.
The Grand Chamber of the ECJ debated whether UEFA and FIFA acted against competition law by blocking the competition in 2021 and sanctioning the clubs involved.
And the court ruled that the regulations at the time were inadequate and that the governing bodies acted illegally in blocking the tournament.
The European Court of Justice agreed with the Super League and ruled that it is an “abuse of a dominant position” for UEFA and FIFA to sanction the founding clubs. It has no right to exercise these sanctions and reprisals.
“The FIFA and UEFA rules on prior approval of interclub football competitions, such as the Super League, are contrary to EU law. They are contrary to competition law and the freedom to provide services,” the ECJ said in its ruling.
Bernd Reichart, the CEO of A22 Sports Management, the company backing the creation of the Super League welcomed the ruling and has announced a press conference for later today.
“We have won the right to compete. The UEFA monopoly has ended. Football is FREE. Now the clubs will no longer suffer threats and sanctions. They are free to decide their own future,” Reichart wrote on social media.
“For fans: we are going to broadcast all Super League matches for free. For clubs: club income and payments in solidarity with football are guaranteed.”
After being criticised for the closed structure of the competition, the Super League have come up with a new format, potentially involving as many as 80 teams.
With the ECJ ruling coming as a boost, it will be interesting to see how things develop, with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez still fully behind the project.
