All about the football earthquake: what will the Super League look like and when will it come?

Sebastian WendelFootball reporter

In summary, the question was whether the monopoly position of UEFA and FIFA in football is compatible with EU law. The ECJ now rules: No! This means that Super League supporters can continue with their plans without being punished by UEFA.

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Rather yes. In his closing argument, ECJ Advocate General Athanasios Rantos said that Real Madrid and Barça could further develop the Super League, but in return could be excluded from the Champions League and the domestic competition by UEFA. The 15 jury members have now overturned this second part: promoters of competitions that compete with UEFA formats should not be sanctioned by UEFA.

And how! There is nothing left to stand in the way of the Super League, which from the perspective of FIFA and UEFA is hated in terms of competition law. The judges of the European Court of Justice found the ‘abuse of a dominant market position’ by UEFA and FIFA – strong talk that stands in stark contrast to the associations’ self-image as football conductors. FIFA and UEFA must accept that competition formats arise outside their structure and cannot do anything about it according to the judge’s ruling.

It will probably take years before it starts. And the ruling does not automatically turn the traffic light green for the Super League.

Firstly, the judges announced that they had ruled on the dominant market position of the associations – but not specifically on the Super League. “That does not automatically mean that a competition such as the Super League project must by definition be approved,” said the jury members.

Secondly, the ruling only applies to EU territory, but not to England, which left the EU in 2020. The Premier League is threatening all clubs that want to participate in the Super League with a deduction of 35 points per season. The Premier League can continue to do this because the Court of Justice ruling has no value on the island.

Thirdly, a Super League needs participants. The latest model, developed by the A22 agency, includes 64 teams in three competitions (with promotion and relegation). The question is whether so many clubs want to participate and thus wage war against UEFA: in Germany all clubs, including Bayern and BVB, refused from the start. In England and Italy, the big clubs quickly gave in after violent fan protests.

Real president Florentino Perez speaks of a “historic day. From today onwards, the present and future of European football are ultimately in the hands of the clubs, the players and their fans.” They now want to plan the future of the European Cup in dialogue with all European clubs.

Barça said: “As one of the clubs driving the Super League project, FC Barcelona believes that the ruling paves the way for a new elite football league in Europe, which opposes the monopoly in the world of football and would like to initiate new discussions on which way European competitions should take place in the future.

And the A22 agency, which one day wants to organize and market the Super League, rejoices in the person of boss Bernd Reichert: “UEFA’s monopoly is over!”

A statement said: “This judgment does not constitute an endorsement or endorsement of the so-called ‘Super League’. UEFA is convinced of the robustness of its new rules, in particular that they comply with all relevant European laws and regulations. This signals a legal counter-attack from UEFA if the Super League plans actually go ahead.

The initiators of the Super League must now get all European clubs behind them. Otherwise, their three-tiered model with connections to the national leagues is hardly feasible. After the ruling, UEFA must open up to the clubs, that is to say, give them more say in the organization of the European Cup, so as not to lose them one day. Because one thing is clear: Champions League and Super League next to each other – impossible!