May 28 – FIFA and UEFA “abused their dominant position” and “prevented free competition” by opposing the creation of a breakaway European Super League, a Spanish court ruled Monday.
The court said both governing bodies had imposed “unjustified and disproportionate restrictions” on free competition.
The case was brought before the Madrid Commercial Court by A22 Sports Management, promoters of the project, and the ruling echoed that of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) back in December which ordered FIFA and UEFA “to halt anti-competitive behaviour”.
The Super League project was given fresh impetus by the ECJ’s shock judgement that preventing it was contrary to European law. Many observers viewed the ruling as a blow to UEFA in its attempt to kill off the idea once and for all even though federations, clubs, leagues and fan groups sided with preserving the status quo and insisted they would not back any fresh incarnation.
Real Madrid, ironically back in the Champions League final this coming weekend, and Barcelona are the only footballing giants who still, publicly at least, support a breakaway competition. Most of Europe’s other big clubs quickly abandoned the idea as soon as it was launched back in 2021 but it was resurrected this winter following the ECJ ruling.
“It is not possible to impose a prohibition or restriction as a matter of principle, in other words to prohibit any other project in the future,” explained judge Sofia Gil Garcia in her ruling.
“To admit the contrary would be tantamount to accepting a kind of ban … on any football competition project” that competes with the current Champions League.
The scope of the Madrid court’s decision is uncertain since it tackles regulations that have been significantly rewritten by UEFA in the interim period.
Responding to the latest judgement, UEFA was quick to declare it would have no effect.
“This ruling does not mean that the so-called ‘Super League’ has been approved or validated,” said a UEFA statement.
“The judgment does not give third parties the right to develop competitions without authorisation and does not concern any future project or indeed any modified version of an existing project.”
La Liga’s outspoken chief Javier Tebas, firmly opposed to the Super League project, agreed. “The judgement is not final, nor does it bring anything new of significance,” he said.
But A22 CEO Bernd Reichart inevitably took the opposite view. “The era of the monopoly is now definitively over,” Reichart said in a statement, calling the ruling “an important step towards a truly competitive and sustainable club football landscape in Europe”.
Reichart added that UEFA had stifled innovation for decades and clubs “should not have to fear threats of sanctions simply for having ideas and conversations”.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1732319717labto1732319717ofdlr1732319717owedi1732319717sni@w1732319717ahsra1732319717w.wer1732319717dna1732319717