December 15, (THEWILL) – According to a significant opinion issued on Thursday, by the European Union’s Court of Justice, football governing bodies, UEFA and FIFA, would be allowed to banish a European Super League, if another is ever formed and the teams that sign up for it.
THEWILL recalls that twelve teams agreed to join the Super League after its disastrous debut the previous year, but the majority quickly withdrew in the face of a ferocious backlash from football fans, politicians and governing bodies.
Since then, the Spanish league has declared that it will do everything in its power to defeat a new proposal for an elite league that it has warned will “destroy” the current organisation of the domestic game. Still, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus are rumoured to be interested in the proposals, which were revealed to be under consideration in October 2022.
However, the proposals continue to face steadfast opposition from FIFA and UEFA, which oversees European football.
Athanasios Rantos, the CJEU’s Advocate General, was replying to the Commercial Court of Madrid’s request for a decision on whether FIFA and UEFA would have the ability to operate in compliance with competition law and fundamental freedoms.
Chief Executives of the European Super League (ESLC) stated that these practices should be viewed as anti-competitive and incompatible with EU competition legislation. But, Rantos stated in his unofficial opinion, which will be followed by a court decision anticipated in the new year, that: “Whilst ESLC is free to set up its own independent football competition outside the UEFA and FIFA ecosystem, it cannot, however, in parallel with the creation of such a competition, continue to participate in the football competitions organised by FIFA and UEFA without the prior authorisation of those federations.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
