Earlier today, on December 21, the European Court of Justice granted permission for the European Super League, a breakaway league.
The ESL drama began in April 2021 with the announcement that 12 teams, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham, had joined up for the breakaway league.
Strong criticism and condemnation from supporters, rival European leagues, and even the government caused the ideas to fall in less than 72 hours.
Uefa penalized AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, and the six Premier League teams for joining the European Super League.
While other clubs bowed out of the idea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus decided to take legal action against FIFA and Uefa for trying to halt the existence of the league.
The ESL and its supporters, A22, claimed that Uefa and Fifa were violating competition law by threatening to penalize clubs and players who joined the breakaway league.
After a prolonged legal battle, the European Court of Justice concluded that FIFA and Uefa abused “a dominant position” and violated the law by preventing teams from joining breakaway leagues such as the ESL.
The court however added: “That does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved”.
The court ruled that when new competitors are “potentially entering the market,” Fifa and Uefa must ensure that their power is “transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate.”
The report continued: “However, the powers of Fifa and Uefa are not subject to any such criteria. Fifa and Uefa are, therefore, abusing a dominant position.
“Moreover, given their arbitrary nature, their rules on approval, control, and sanctions must be held to be unjustified restrictions on the freedom to provide services.
“That does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved. The Court does not rule on that specific project in its judgment.”
Meanwhile, the decision will be seen as a blow to FIFA’s and Uefa’s power and ability to regulate football.
While celebrating the court ruling on X, A22 chief executive Bernd Reichart wrote that the ESL “have won the right to exist”.
He continued: “Uefa’s monopoly is over. Football is free. Clubs are now free from the threat of sanctions and free to determine their future.
