FIFA and UEFA v. Super League
By: Anthony Tazbaz
Image Credit: Tingey Injury Law Firm
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) joined the football hype — or may have halted it.
On Thursday, the ECJ — located in Strasbourg, France — ruled against FIFA and UEFA’s actions in attempting to block the formation of the breakaway European Super League, which was initially endorsed by 12 of the biggest clubs in the world.
After the botched attempt at creating the league in early 2021, the ECJ handled the matter following the Advocate General’s ruling that FIFA and UEFA’s rules in halting the establishment of a breakaway league were compatible with EU laws.
However, the ECJ rejected the Advocate General’s ruling after an appeal made by Super League organizers A22 Sports. It deemed that FIFA and UEFA’s rules were indeed incompatible with EU laws, which consequently strengthens the case of a handful of clubs to go-ahead (no pun intended) with this controversial project.
A Deeper Look
The ruling fomented backlash and a myriad of statements from UEFA and multiple clubs. UEFA’s statement affirmed its commitment to uphold the European football pyramid — a system of inter-connected leagues and divisions, accompanied by its continental competitions — and its continuation to foster and maintain relationships with national associations, leagues, clubs, fans, club personnel, EU institutions, governments and partners.
In addition to European football’s governing body, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, La Liga and Ligue 1 rejected the formation of a Super League. The British government sided against the project.
As well, several clubs issued statements opposing the prospects of a renewed Super League and rather affirmed their commitment to participating in UEFA competitions. First, Atlético Madrid stepped forward to reject the League. Then, European heavyweights Bayern Munich, along with the remainder of the German clubs, and PSG once again expressed opposition to the Super League.
Former future-Super League members — Manchester United, Manchester City Chelsea, Tottenham and Inter Milan — opposed joining the League. More recently, Liverpool and Arsenal each issued a club statement affirming their rejection to the League.
In addition, mid-level clubs, such as AS Monaco and Sevilla FC, Valencia CF, Villarreal CF, Girona FC, Real Sociedad, AS Roma and Feyenoord outright rejected any chance of joining the Super League.
About the Proposal
Considering the initial 12-team format of permanent members, why should the Super League organizers care about mid-level clubs’ stances on this issue?
This time, the Super League preached inclusivity as it altered the initially proposed 12-team format to a three-tier format totalling 64 clubs. The proposal stipulates that the Star and Gold Leagues — the Super League’s two higher divisions — include 16 teams, whereas the third-tier Blue League comprises 32 teams.
Sounds familiar? That is because it nearly replicates UEFA’s current continental competitions’ format: the Champions League, the Europa League and the Europa Conference League.
However, the format differs slightly. For instance, the Blue League of 32 clubs would consist of four groups of eight teams, rather than eight groups of four teams in UEFA’s competitions. This means that clubs would be guaranteed 14 group stage matches, with seven at home and seven away. The Star and Gold leagues would each consist of two groups of eight, with the same number of group stage matches for their participating clubs.
The group stage would begin with mid-week matches September through April, with the knockout stages held in April and May. Each league’s knockout stages would begin with eight teams — the top two from each group in the Blue League and the top four from each of the two groups in the Star and Gold Leagues, respectively.
The finalists of both Blue and Gold Leagues would gain promotion to the upper tier, with the bottom two from the Star and Gold Leagues facing relegation to the Gold and Blue League, respectively. As a result, A22 Sports confirmed that there would be no permanent members.
Is There A Chance?
Although the format seems plausible and appealing, its similarities indicate that the Super League blatantly undermines UEFA’s pyramid system and its competitions. Its aim to increase the number of participants would result in a drastic decline of the quality and revenue from UEFA’s competitions.
Amid the proposal and clubs’ firm stances against the League, UEFA remains increasingly confident in its ability to maintain its current competitions and retain its member-clubs. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin took aim at Real Madrid executive Florentino Perez — the architect behind the breakaway league — stating that a so-called super league may exist, only that it would have two clubs: Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
So far, both La Liga clubs remain the sole staunch supporters of the project. Two former future-Super League members — Juventus and AC Milan — so far remained mum on the issue. Former Juventus President Andrea Agnelli, who lost his roles at UEFA and the European Club Association due to his support for the initial Super League format, posted a cryptic message re-affirming his stance on establishing such a league.
It remains to be seen whether such a fate ultimately happens. However, facing rejection from this many clubs does not bode well for A22 Sports and both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Following the ensuing uproar from the competition’s initial proposal and clubs’ acceptance to it, no club nor league will want to endure the PR disaster suffered in 2021.
However, it is important to note that although supporters can remain hopeful that UEFA’s competitions are likely here to stay, nothing can be fully guaranteed.
