The Court of Justice of the European Union has inflicted a terrible snub on UEFA, ruling that its rules banning competitions like the Super League were contrary to European law.
In the conflict between it and football authorities, the Super League won a battle against UEFA which could be decisive. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) indeed ruled in its favor, arguing that “UEFA and FIFA rules on the prior authorization of interclub football competitions, such as the Super League, violate the law of the European Union.
The European Court of Justice therefore considers that the ban imposed by UEFA and FIFA on clubs and players from participating in such a competition is “illegal”, their rules seeking to prevent the Super League being “contrary to competition law and the freedom to provide services. »
It is also mentioned in his opinion that the rules of UEFA and FIFA “are likely to harm European football clubs, all companies operating in the media markets and, ultimately, consumers and viewers, by preventing them from benefiting from potentially innovative or interesting new competitions. However, it is up to the Madrid Commercial Court to verify whether these rules can nevertheless benefit the various players in football, for example, by ensuring a joint redistribution of the income generated by these rights. »
The CJEU nevertheless went on to clarify that this opinion did not mean that it was in favor of the creation of the Super League. “A competition such as the Superleague project should not necessarily be authorized,” she clarified, adding: “Indeed, the Court being questioned, in general, on the rules of FIFA and UEFA, it does not take a position, in its judgment, on this specific project.”
