European justice dealt a setback to UEFA on Thursday by ruling that its 2021 rules aimed at preventing the Super League, a dissident of the Champions League, were contrary to the law, a decision which could reignite the battle over the future of the European football. “The rules of Fifa and UEFA requiring their prior authorization the creation of any project for a new competition (…) and prohibiting clubs and players from participating in it, under penalty of sanctions, are illegal ” indicated in a press release the court established in Luxembourg.
The initiative remains supported by two clubs: Real Madrid and FC Barcelona
The court, which ruled on the texts of Fifa and UEFA in force at the time of the launch of this procedure, considers in fact that the powers of these two organizations were “not framed by any criterion ensuring their character transparent”.
UEFA downplayed the significance of this ruling, stressing that it did not constitute an approval or validation of the Super League. “It rather highlights a pre-existing gap” in UEFA regulations, the organization stressed, specifying that this had been corrected in June 2022 with new texts.
The threat of a partial secession of the most powerful clubs, who dream of the very lucrative model of North American closed leagues while wanting to remain in the national championships, has hovered over European football for more than twenty years. “UEFA’s monopoly is over. Football is free,” Bernd Reichart, boss of A22, the company promoting the Super League, reacted on the X network. But the future of this initiative, which is currently only supported by two clubs – Real Madrid and FC Barcelona – remains uncertain.
In its press release, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) takes care to specify, however, that the Super League project “must not necessarily be authorized”, stressing that it does not rule in general and not on this specific project. . The A22 organization spoke of “a new open European competition”, with 64 clubs divided into three leagues, promising free broadcasting of its competition on a streaming platform. However, she gave no details on the timetable or the level of approval among European clubs.
“Selfish and elitist model”
The Spanish football league, La Liga, immediately reiterated its strong opposition to the project, denouncing “a selfish and elitist model”. “Anything that is not completely open, with direct access only through the national championships, season by season, is a closed format,” reacted the organization on the X network (formerly Twitter).
For the Football Supporters Europe association, there is “no place in European football for a separatist Super League”. The project launched in 2021 “endangers the future of European football”, believes the organization, promising that its members “will continue to fight” to prevent it.
In April 2021, twelve major clubs announced their own private competition, with enormous commercial potential, with an offensive launched at midnight just before a vast reform of the Champions League, which was in direct competition. Attacked by surprise, UEFA and Fifa had threatened sanctions.
The disastrous communication from the mutineers and then the strong opposition from supporters, particularly in England, had prompted several countries to consider legislative measures, pushing nine of the rebel clubs to throw in the towel. The dissident adventure collapsed in less than 48 hours. Two years later, only the Spanish clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have not disarmed.
The rebels are defended by the Dupont-Hissel law firm, at the origin of the famous Bosman ruling which established, in 1995, the freedom of movement of players within the EU and abolished “nationality quotas”.