European Super League Soccer Wins Landmark Judgement as EU Court Rules Against Global Soccer Bodies for ‘Acting Contrary’ to Competition Law

Naman Ramachandran

In a landmark judgement that could change the face of global soccer forever, Europe’s top court ruled on Thursday that sport’s leading bodies, the UEFA and FIFA, has “acted contrary to competition law” in their efforts to block the launch of a European Super League.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed to the Commercial Court in Madrid by the European Superleague Company against FIFA and UEFA.

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Initially announced in 2021, plans for European Super League called for English and continental European club teams to quit existing European tournaments and instead seen them play each other in mid-week matches. The new elite tournament would not have required the elite teams to qualify each year and would instead have included them on their historical success and financial prowess.

However, the plan was abandoned within days as the six English soccer clubs that were initially part of the league – Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – withdrew in the face of negative reactions from government and fans. They were followed by most of their European counterparts, leaving only Real Madrid and Barcelona as league promoters. Top soccer bodies Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) objected to the project, threatening to impose sanctions on clubs and players who might decide to participate.

“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. 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,” the judgement said.

The judgement blows the lucrative European soccer scene wide open. Deloitte’s 2023 annual review of soccer finance estimates that the European soccer market grew 7% to €29.5 billion ($32.2 billion) over the 2021-22 season, due to record matchday and commercial revenues. The television rights for each of the major European territories are valued in billions.

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