Court ruling could revive the plan for the Super League in Europe
An attempt to create a new football Super League that collapsed so spectacularly within 48 hours in 2021 has been revived after Europe’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the sport’s governing bodies “abused a dominant position” when they shot down a football club. the plans for the new competition.
Immediately after the ruling, A22, the Madrid-based company behind the original Super League plan, held a press conference to announce proposals for a 64-team, three-division men’s league and a 32-team women’s league, which would be free are streamed. . However, A22 CEO Bernd Reichert did not provide details on how the events would be financed or how many teams were in favor of the idea.
The original $4 billion Super League project brought together twelve of Europe’s biggest and richest clubs in a largely private competition. But the sudden, ill-conceived announcement of the plan, which would have upended the competitive landscape for the sport on the continent and the age-old structures that underpinned it, caused most teams to withdraw despite widespread fan protest and even the threat of government legislation.
Despite the stunning rejectionSpanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid remained committed to the breakout project even after the almost immediate withdrawal of the eight other clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, from England; Internazionale and AC Milan, from Italy. One remaining partner, Juventus of Italy, also eventually withdrew.
Thursday’s ruling by the European Court of Justice found that the rules governing the creation of new competitions, controlled by world football’s governing body FIFA and European association UEFA, were not “transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate ” goods.
Jade-Alexandra Fearns, an antitrust and competition law expert at the firm Paul Hastings, said the judgment was “a turning point for the future of inter-club football projects.”
“The ruling essentially means that FIFA and UEFA abused their dominant positions by blocking the creation of the European Super League and penalizing the clubs involved, in complete violation of EU competition law,” she added to.
The consequences of the verdict could be drastic, especially for UEFA, which scored a major victory two years ago after the collapse of the Super League project. The court’s ruling threatens UEFA’s iron grip on top European football, including the immensely popular and lucrative Champions League.
The ruling does not make a Super League inevitable, and the court said its decision “does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved.” However, it does create uncertainty about the future – and opportunity for those who want change.
A22’s new proposals appeared to be an attempt to move away from the elite club format that was met with widespread disapproval in 2021. The updated plan also appeared to be an attempt to comply with a reference in the judgment that a European competition model based on merit. A22 said none of the teams in the league would be granted permanent status.
Yet there was very little public support for a break with the status quo, apart from celebratory statements from Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“As one of the clubs driving the Super League project, FC Barcelona believes that the ruling paves the way for a new football competition at an elite level in Europe by opposing the monopoly over the world of football,” said the Spanish club in a statement.
Whatever the consequences, the verdict is still a major rebuke to the way global football is governed, and comes amid attempts by UEFA and FIFA leaders to push back on changes designed to reduce their power to curb this, including extending the statutory twelve-year terms that they must apply. must now adhere to.
“The court has said there are systemic governance problems at the top and if they don’t address them, the exercise of their regulatory powers is unlawful,” said Miguel Maduro, FIFA’s former head of governance.
Football Supporters Europe, an organization representing the fans, immediately underlined its opposition to a breakaway. “Whatever happens, the Super League remains an ill-conceived project that puts the future of European football at risk,” the group said in a statement.
Following the ruling, UEFA expressed its determination to maintain firm control over football in Europe. The governing body “remains steadfast in its commitment to uphold the European football pyramid and ensure it continues to serve the wider interests of society”, it said, adding that the new rules introduced in 2022 address the most of the issues raised in the ruling.
“We will continue to shape the European sporting model together, together with national associations, leagues, clubs, fans, players, coaches, EU institutions, governments and partners,” UEFA said.
But UEFA’s control of the Champions League, the most watched annual international sporting competition, which generates billions in revenue, is now under threat. The ruling means that other groups can propose alternative competitions, provided they comply with European Union regulations and adhere to criteria that UEFA must now explicitly lay down.
UEFA has taken steps in recent years to create a structure that at least gives the impression that it is losing its grip on club competition in Europe. It set up a joint venture with the European Club Association, an umbrella organization representing 200 of the biggest clubs, to control the commercial rights for the Champions League and two lower tournaments, ceding a 49 percent stake to the teams.
All new competitions still face serious hurdles despite Thursday’s ruling.
After the collapse of the first Super League plan, teams in the rich and powerful English Premier League signed rules aimed at preventing them from unilaterally joining future breakout attempts. Teams in France and Spain would also find it difficult to part ways after agreeing to sell long-term commercial rights to private equity investors across the league.
In a statement, Manchester United said: “Our position has not changed.”
“We remain fully committed to participating in UEFA competitions and to positive collaboration with UEFA, the Premier League and fellow clubs,” the team added.
The British government, which strongly criticized the Super League plans in 2021, reiterated its opposition to any similar project. Lucy Frazer, the minister responsible for sport, posted on social media that the government was “bringing forward legislation for a football regulator that can stop similar attempts to do this in the future and protect the game.”