football
In case of doubt for the Super League – EU judges weaken UEFA
UEFA suffered a defeat before the ECJ in the dispute over the establishment of a Super League. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
The European Court of Justice makes its judgment in the Super League dispute – and it reads significantly differently than expected. European football faces turbulent months ahead.
The Super League verdict from Luxembourg, delivered in a calm voice in Spanish, shocked the long-established forces in Europe Football in shock.
With unexpected clarity, the judges of the European Court of Justice punished the international associations UEFA and FIFA for their monopoly position. According to EU law, a product that competes with the Champions League must in principle be possible – even if great resistance arose immediately after the announcement.
The verdict “does not change the attitude of FC Bayern and the attitude of the ECA that such a competition would represent an attack on the importance of the national leagues and the statics of European football,” said Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of FC Bayern and deputy of the powerful club association ECA at the request of the German Press Agency.
BVB managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke made a similar statement: “For Borussia Dortmund, completely independent of the discussions surrounding the verdict, we are not available for a Super League.” The fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) wrote on X that there was no place for “a breakaway Super League”.
The judgment
It quickly became a matter of sovereignty over the interpretation of the judge’s verdict. The European Football Union pointed out that the ECJ ruling did not mean “endorsement or confirmation of the so-called Super League”. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said during a press conference that the existing model had actually been strengthened because the associations had already improved their regulations in the meantime. With biting irony he added that anyone who wanted to could play their own competition at any time.
However, the highest European court ruled that morning that FIFA and UEFA cannot generally make other competitions dependent on their approval and cannot prohibit clubs and players from taking part in these competitions. However, that does not necessarily mean that the Super League has to be approved, according to the judges.
The rules, which give FIFA and UEFA exclusive control over the commercial exploitation of the competitions, would restrict competition in the EU. FIFA and UEFA were abusing their dominant market position, the ruling said. The associations’ current rules were not designed in such a way that they were always transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate.
The Super League
The initiators of the Super League immediately celebrated the decision as a great victory. “Football is free,” said former RTL manager Bernd Reichart for the A22 agency, which represents the project. “Today a new era begins.” One of the key points of the new competitions is that fans can “follow all games live and free of charge via a new digital streaming platform,” according to the concrete Super League proposal. Men’s football involves a three-tier league system with 64 clubs. For women, a total of 32 clubs will play in two leagues.
So far, however, only Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are considered supporters; no other clubs were initially added on Thursday. “There are clubs that are very interested,” said Reichart. But naming names straight away would divide football; that is not the intention. Ceferin countered a little later that he had seen the presentation of the Super League model. “It’s hard to decide whether to be shocked – or amused. Because we’re close to Christmas, I’m more inclined to be amused,” said the UEFA president.
The opponents
According to reports, no clubs from Germany will dare to take cover. “The Bundesliga forms the foundation of FC Bayern, just as all national leagues represent the foundation of European football clubs. That is why it is our duty and our deep conviction to strengthen them and not weaken them,” said Dreesen. “The door for the Super League at FC Bayern remains closed.”
The German Football League said it stands by the European sports model and “rejects competitions outside of those organized by the associations and leagues”. The ruling was understandable and to be expected on the question of the basic rules for the competitions. “The legality of the Super League is a separate question,” said the DFL.
The backgrounds
This was preceded by a two and a half year (legal) dispute. In 2021, twelve top European clubs had already rehearsed the big revolution. The clubs around Real, Barcelona and Juventus Turin founded a Super League practically from nothing – and failed miserably. The outcry from leagues, fans and politicians was so violent that most clubs immediately said goodbye.
But Real and Barcelona in particular did not give up, and the European Superleague Company sued a Madrid court: They accused UEFA and FIFA of acting as a cartel because they opposed the founding of the Super League and of punishing them for participating in one threatened by other competition. The ECJ largely followed this.