The Spanish court considered that FIFA and UEFA “abused their dominant position” by rejecting the Superliga, a competition project that was about to implode European football in 2021, according to a decision published this Monday and whose scope is currently uncertain.
The two entities, which rule world and European football, must end “anti-competitive conduct”, which includes “unjustifiable and disproportionate restrictions”, demanded a commercial court in Madrid.
Judge Sofia Gil endorsed the arguments presented in December by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which rejected the FIFA and UEFA regulations in force in 2021, but later modified, and which intended to block the creation of continental tournaments.
Until then, FIFA and UEFA submitted “the creation of any new competition project to its prior authorization”, under threat of sanctions on participating clubs and players, but without clear criteria.
The two bodies claimed “the discretionary power to prohibit participation in alternative competitions and impose unjustified and disproportionate restrictions”, which according to the Spanish Court, goes against European competition law.
Continental Championship
This decision by the Madrid commercial court, with the participation of A22 Sports Management, promoter of the Superliga, theoretically offers a way to launch a closed European competition.
But, like the CJEU, the Madrid judge does not authorize a new tournament, “without first establishing the foundations to channel a system of free competition for the organization of football competitions”, said Gil in his decision, which AFP obtained a copy.
Therefore, there are no guarantees that the new project announced at the end of 2023 by A22, for a continental championship with three divisions and 80 teams, will be carried out.
After this decision, UEFA argued that the legal loophole denounced by the European Court was corrected with a modification of the regulations approved in June 2022, which provides in detail the criteria to be met for new competitions to be authorized in Europe.
Politically and, above all, economically, Superliga promoters continue to seek solutions to the problems that led to the failure of the first project, just 48 hours after it was presented.
Launched in April 2021 by 12 clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus, the first draft of the Super League was soon drowned out by threats from UEFA and FIFA.
Despite the enormous economic potential of the closed tournament, the six participating English clubs quickly announced their departure in the face of opposition from their fans and the risk of legal measures announced by the British government.
Only Real Madrid and Barcelona remained in the project.
“I hope they start their fantastic tournament with two clubs”, joked UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, trying to minimize the impact of the CJEU’s decision.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
