The major football associations FIFA and UEFA may not make other competitions dependent on their approval and may not prohibit clubs and players from taking part in these competitions, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Thursday in Luxembourg.
However, that does not necessarily mean that the Super League has to be approved, according to the judges. There is no framework for the associations’ rules that ensures that the requirements are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate. The rules that give FIFA and UEFA exclusive control over the commercial exploitation of competition rights would also restrict competition in the EU, the ruling said. FIFA and UEFA would abuse their dominant market position.
“The UEFA monopoly is over”
The initiators of the Super League immediately celebrated the verdict as a great victory. “The UEFA monopoly is over,” said former RTL manager Bernd Reichart, who represents the project for the A22 agency. UEFA initially did not comment. The Spanish league announced that the Super League initiators were “selfish and elitist”.
This was preceded by a two and a half year long dispute. In 2021, twelve top European clubs had already rehearsed the big revolution. The clubs around Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus Turin announced that they would establish a Super League as competition for the established Champions League. The outcry from leagues, fans and politicians was violent – the project failed resoundingly.
Exclusion from all competitions threatened
UEFA threatened to be excluded from all competitions and the players involved should no longer be allowed to take part in World and European Championships. The English teams, among others, quickly withdrew and the Super League was off the table – for the time being. But Real and Barcelona in particular didn’t let up.
The European Superleague Company then sued a Madrid court: It accused UEFA and FIFA of acting as a cartel because they opposed the creation of the Super League. The football associations are therefore abusing their dominant position on the market for football competitions. The ECJ largely followed this.
