Efforts to create a new soccer Super League that collapsed over 48 hours in 2021 have been given new life after Europe’s highest court ruled on Thursday that the sport’s governing bodies were “abusing a dominant position” when they dropped plans for the new competition.
Immediately after the decision, A22, the Madrid-based company behind the original Super League plan, held a news conference to announce proposals for a 64-team, three-division men’s competition and a 32 -team competition for women to be streamed for free. However, Bernd Reichert, chief executive of A22, did not give details about how the events will be financed or about how many teams are in favor of the idea.
The original $4 billion Super League project brought together 12 of Europe’s biggest and richest clubs in a largely closed competition. But the sudden, ill-conceived announcement of the plan, which could change the competitive landscape for the sport on the continent and the centuries-old structures that underpin it, led most teams to quit in the face of widespread fan protests and even the threat of government legislation.
Despite the stunning rejection, Spanish behemoths Barcelona and Real Madrid remained committed to the breakaway project even after the near-immediate withdrawal of eight other clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, from England; Internazionale and AC Milan, from Italy. One remaining partner, Italy’s Juventus, also pulled out.
Thursday’s ruling, from the European Court of Justice, found that the rules relating to the creation of new competitions controlled by soccer’s world governing body FIFA and the European association, UEFA, were not “transparent, objective, nondiscriminatory and proportionate.”
Jade-Alexandra Fearns, an expert in antitrust and competition law at the firm of Paul Hastings, said the verdict was “a watershed moment for the future of interclub football projects”.
“The decision essentially finds that FIFA and UEFA have abused their dominant position by blocking the creation of the European Super League and sanctioning the clubs involved, completely contrary to EU competition law,” it added. he.
The implications of the judgment could be seismic, especially for UEFA, which two years ago claimed a major victory following the collapse of the Super League project. The court decision puts UEFA’s grip on top European club soccer, including the hugely popular and lucrative Champions League, under threat.
The decision does not make a Super League inevitable, and the court said that its decision “does not mean that a competition like the Super League project is necessarily approved.” However, it creates uncertainty about the future — and opportunity for those eager for change.
The new proposals from A22 appear to be an attempt to move away from the elite-club format that was met with widespread disapproval in 2021. The updated plan also appears to be an effort to comply with a judgment reference that appears to support a European competitive model based on merit. A22 said none of the teams in the competition will be given permanent status.
However, there is very little public support for a break with the status quo, beyond statements of celebration issued by Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“As one of the clubs driving the Super League project, FC Barcelona feels that the leader is paving the way for a new elite-level football competition in Europe by opposing the monopoly in the world of football,” said of the Spanish club in a statement.
Whatever the outcome, the ruling is still a major rebuke to how global soccer is governed, and it comes amid efforts by UEFA and FIFA chiefs to row back changes intended to curb their powers, including extending the 12-year statutory term limit they must now abide by.
“The court said there are systemic problems with governance at the top and if they don’t address those their use of their regulatory powers is illegal,” said Miguel Maduro, former head of governance at FIFA.
Football Supporters Europe, a body representing fans, immediately underlined its opposition to a breakaway. “Whatever comes next, the Super League remains a bad project that endangers the future of European football,” the group said in a statement.
After the decision, UEFA expressed its determination to remain firmly in control of soccer in Europe. The governing body “remains resolute in its commitment to uphold the European football pyramid, ensuring it continues to serve the wider interests of society,” it said, adding that the new rules introduced in 2022 address most of the issues raised in the decision.
“We will continue to shape the European sports model together with national associations, leagues, clubs, fans, players, coaches, EU institutions, governments and partners,” UEFA added.
But UEFA’s control of the Champions League, the most watched annual international sports competition, with revenues in the billions, is now under threat. The ruling means that other groups can propose alternative competitions, provided they are in line with European Union regulations and a commitment to the standard that UEFA must now explicitly lay down.
UEFA has moved in recent years to create a structure to at least give the impression that it is loosening its grip on European club competition. It created 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-tier tournaments, giving the teams a 49 percent interest. .
Any new competitions still face serious obstacles despite Thursday’s ruling.
After the collapse of the first Super League plan, teams in England’s wealthy and powerful Premier League signed up to regulations aimed at preventing them from unilaterally joining any future secession efforts. Teams in France and Spain will also find it difficult to split after agreeing to a league-wide sale of long-term commercial rights to private equity investors.
In a statement, Manchester United said, “Our position has not changed.”
“We remain fully committed to participating in UEFA competitions, and to working positively with UEFA, the Premier League and fellow clubs,” the team added.
The British government, which has strongly criticized plans for a Super League in 2021, reiterated its opposition to any similar project. Lucy Frazer, the minister responsible for sport, posted on social media that the government is “promoting legislation for a football regulator that can stop any similar attempts to do so in the future and protect the game.”
