The European Court of Justice declared on Thursday that attempts by FIFA and UEFA to prevent the creation of a European Super League were illegal.
Both UEFA and FIFA were informed that by establishing regulations to stop the formation of a new competition, they were abusing their power within the game. This decision could have a significant impact on football worldwide.
The court remarked that such rules were “contrary to competition law and the freedom to provide services.”
It did clarify, though, that it was not making a specific ruling regarding the European Super League. It does not imply that any future submissions of proposals for that competition will automatically be accepted.
“The FIFA and UEFA rules on prior approval of interclub football competitions, such as the Super League, are contrary to EU law. They are contrary to competition law and the freedom to provide services,” the court said as reported by Daily Express.
“The FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful.
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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.”
It would be recalled that in 2020, the Super League was initiated by Real Madrid president, Fiorentino Perez, former Juventus chief, Andrea Agnelli and a host of others.
Three Premier League clubs, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal as well as Barcelona later joined the movement.
The competition aims to break away from the existing UEFA club competitions, with huge financial returns and more competitiveness among elite clubs in Europe.
It remains to be seen if the league will officially be formed as Real Madrid, Juventus and Barca according to reports have not fully backed out from seeing the competition come to life.
