The European Court of Justice recently made a decision in favor of the European Super League in its legal battle against FIFA and UEFA. The backdrop to this was the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted 12 teams, including six from the Premier League, to propose the creation of a new division as a means of securing their financial stability.
However, the majority of the English clubs, such as Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea, along with AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid, quickly backed out. In contrast, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus remained committed to proceeding with the previously agreed-upon plans. In response to protect their own competitions, FIFA and UEFA issued threats of sanctions. In response, A22 Sports took the case to the European Court of Justice.
After being presented to 15 judges, the objective was to prevent the two major governing bodies from imposing sanctions if the European Super League were to materialize. The court's ruling on Thursday morning stated that any attempt to ban players from participating in a breakaway competition like the Super League would be deemed "unlawful," as indicated in the official statement.
"The FIFA and UEFA rules making any interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful."
Furthermore, it ruled: "However, the powers of FIFA and UEFA are not subject to any such criteria. FIFA and UEFA are, therefore, abusing a dominant position.
"Moreover, given their arbitrary nature, their rules on approval, control and sanctions must be held to be unjustified restrictions on the freedom to provide services.
"That does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved. The Court does not rule on that specific project in its judgment."
After the court ruled in their favor, A22 Sports CEO Bernd Reichart declared that football was now "free," anticipating that the three mentioned clubs would take the lead in establishing a rival league.
He further stated:
"We have won the right to compete. The UEFA-monopoly is over. Football is free. Clubs are now free from the threat of sanction and free to determine their own futures.
"For fans: We propose free viewing of all Super League matches. For clubs: Revenues and solidarity spending will be guaranteed."
