A22, the company in charge of the revamped European Super League, took their case to the European Court of Justice in the hope of reviving the controversial idea
The European Super League has WON it’s court case against UEFA and FIFA – boosting the competition’s hopes of returning.
A decision was reached at the EU Court of Justice on Thursday morning. A22 Sports, the company leading the revamped ESL charge, put their case in front of 15 judges to stop football’s governing bodies from punishing clubs taking part in the competition.
The EU Court of Justice have confirmed: “The FIFA and UEFA rules making any interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful.”
Although the ruling “does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved”, it is a huge blow to UEFA and FIFA. They cannot lawfully stand in the way of the ESL being established in the near future. Barcelona and Real Madrid, two of the original 12 ESL clubs, have welcomed Thursday’s news.
“We have won the right to compete,” said A22 Sports CEO Bernd Reichard. “The UEFA-monopoly is over. Football is FREE. Clubs are now free from the threat of sanction AND free to determine their own futures. For fans: We propose free viewing of all Super League matches. For clubs: Revenues and solidarity spending will be guaranteed.”
The new ESL plans are different to the initial project in 2021, which saw a dozen teams – including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham – try to create a closed shop of elite clubs and ruin the existing pyramid.
ESL 2.0 will see up to 80 European teams involved in a multi-divisional format. Crucially, there will be no permanent members and qualification will be based on sporting performance. It’s unclear how this will work in practice.
It’s also unclear whether clubs would risk a potential backlash from their fans by signing up. The initial ESL collapsed within 48 hours after protests from supporters of the clubs involved. Managers, fans and pundits – most famously Gary Neville – also fiercely criticised the idea drawn up by club owners. Neville described the initial ESL as “pure greed”.
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But Thursday’s ruling is a hammer blow for the Premier League and other divisions, as it makes it harder for them to stop their top teams from cashing in. It may also have an impact on their new £6.7billion TV deal if their leading clubs are involved in the ESL.
If it goes ahead, the ESL will be played alongside domestic competitions. The long-term futures of the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League are now in serious doubt. It’s hard to imagine those competitions existing alongside the ESL.
UEFA have released a statement in response to Thursday’s ruling. It read: “UEFA takes note of the judgment delivered today by the ECJ in the European Super League case.
“This ruling does not signify an endorsement or validation of the so-called ‘super league’; it rather underscores a pre-existing shortfall within UEFA’s pre-authorisation framework, a technical aspect that has already been acknowledged and addressed in June 2022. UEFA is confident in the robustness of its new rules, and specifically that they comply with all relevant European laws and regulations.
“UEFA remains resolute in its commitment to uphold the European football pyramid, ensuring that it continues to serve the broader interests of society. We will continue to shape the European sports model collectively with national associations, leagues, clubs, fans, players, coaches, EU institutions, governments and partners alike.
“We trust that the solidarity-based European football pyramid that the fans and all stakeholders have declared as their irreplaceable model will be safeguarded against the threat of breakaways by European and national laws.”
But Real Madrid Florentino Perez said: “At Real Madrid we welcome with enormous satisfaction the decision adopted by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which is responsible for guaranteeing our principles, values and freedoms.”
Perez added: “From today, the present and future of European football are finally in the hands of the clubs, the players and their fans. Our destiny belongs to us and we have a great responsibility before us. This day will mark a before and after.”
Barcelona’s statement read: “FC Barcelona wishes to express its satisfaction with the sentence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) assessing the Super League project as proposed by A22 Sports.
“As one of the clubs driving the Super League project, FC Barcelona feels that the sentence paves the way for a new elite level football competition in Europe by opposing the monopoly over the football world, and wishes to initiate new discussions as to the path that European competitions should take in the future.”
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