- ESL gets relief from Madrid court
- Judgement not to be read as an endorsement to ESL
- UEFA releases statement
WHAT HAPPENED?
The decision, handed down by Madrid’s commercial court, follows almost the same trajectory as the judgement given by the European Court of Justice in December. As BBC Sport reports, A22 Sports Management, the company behind the ESL, had filed the case against UEFA, FIFA, Spain’s La Liga, and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), arguing that the bans imposed by the governing bodies were unjustified and hindered free competition.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
UEFA were quick to clarify that the ruling does not equate to an endorsement of the ESL or any similar proposals and emphasised that the judgement has not approved or given the green light to projects like the Super League – a sentiment echoed by La Liga. However, Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22 Sports Management, interpreted the ruling as a pivotal moment for European club football. He declared that “the era of the monopoly is now definitively over”, hailing the judgement as a crucial step towards a more “competitive and sustainable club football landscape in Europe”.
WHAT DID UEFA SAY
UEFA released a statement that read: “UEFA takes note of today’s judgment from the Madrid Commercial Court. In particular, UEFA is pleased to note that the judge confirmed the validity of a pre-authorisation system being in place for third-party competitions to be approved under UEFA’s authorisation rules and recognised the undoubted benefits of such rules for the football sporting system. The court also confirmed that the current version of UEFA’s authorisation rules (as adopted in June 2022) is not affected by today’s ruling.
“Further, the court has not given the green light to, nor has it approved, projects like the Super League. In fact, the judge has asserted that the Super League project has long been abandoned and that she cannot be expected to rule on any abstract projects. In short, the judgment does not give third parties the right to develop competitions without authorisation and does not concern any future project or indeed any modified version of an existing project. In any case, UEFA will take time to study the judgment before deciding whether any further action is necessary.”
DID YOU KNOW?
The ESL saga began in April 2021 when 12 prominent football clubs, including English giants Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham, announced their plans to form a breakaway league. The announcement sparked widespread outrage among fans and government officials, leading to the collapse of the plans within just 72 hours. However, the ESL came up with a new format which would involve 64 teams from Europe in a three-tier tournament.
WHAT NEXT FOR ESL?
The European Court of Justice’s decision last year effectively allowed for the possibility of competing tournaments to UEFA’s established competitions. A22 has been proactive in seeking to attract clubs to join a potential ‘rebel’ tournament, although no concrete announcements have been made.
