A22 Sports Management, who are running the European Super League project, tried to put a positive spin on today’s ruling in favour of UEFA and FIFA.
The European Court of Justice gave its verdict today, confirming that while the Super League clubs could set up their own tournament, they “cannot in parallel with the creation of such a competition, continue to participate in the football competitions organised by FIFA and UEFA without the prior authorization of those federations.”
Only Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid are still formally committed to the project, which was announced in April 2021 and collapsed within 72 hours after the other sides withdrew.
Undeterred, A22 released a statement insisting that the “opinion establishes important restrictions on UEFA’s conduct in any authorisation process” and they believe “the 15 judges of the Grand Chamber will go substantially further and provide the opportunity for clubs to manage their own destiny in Europe.”
The opinion from Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Athanasios Rantos was indeed non-binding, but if the wider chamber took the same approach, then UEFA would feel emboldened to block any Super League project.
“The opinion of the Advocate General is one step in an ongoing case, and we are pleased with the recognition of the right of third parties to organise pan-European club competitions,” said A22 Sports Management CEO Bernd Reichart.
“The Advocate General made clear that UEFA has a monopolistic position which comes with important responsibilities for enabling third parties to act freely in the market.
“However, we believe the 15 judges of the Grand Chamber who are entrusted with the responsibility to examine this case, will go substantially further and provide the opportunity for clubs to manage their own destiny in Europe.”
A final judgment is not expected until Spring 2023.
A22 insist the initial CJEU ruling warns UEFA must make ‘conditions of access to the market clear, objective and as detailed as possible so that organisers of third-party competitions are able to comply with them’ and not be frozen out of tournaments.
UEFA are confident they have the vast majority of clubs and fans on their side, especially with the transformation of the Champions League into something close to a Super League format.