The European Court of Justice rule that UEFA/FIFA acted against competition law by blocking the formation of the European Super League in 2021. The new competition was proposed by 12 breakaway clubs who pushed for the new format in a bid to have more control over revenue, but backlash to the project and the threat of UEFA sanctions saw all but two clubs leave the project.
A case was bought before the ECJ by A22, the new promoters of the Super League, arguing that UEFA/FIFA acted against competition law by preventing the creation of the new competition.
The ECJ ruled today that “The FIFA and UEFA rules on prior approval of interclub football competitions, such as the Super League, are contrary to EU law.” They go on to state that “there is no
framework for the FIFA and UEFA rules ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate. Similarly, the rules giving FIFA and UEFA exclusive control over the commercial exploitation of the rights related to those competitions are such as to restrict competition, given their importance for the media, consumers and television viewers in the European Union.”
More to follow….
