EXPLAINER: Super League back on football agenda after EU ruling - is it selfish and elitist?

Spain's top football league LaLiga calls it selfish and elitest. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says it's a "great day for football." The chief of Fair Game says it "undermines the very ethos of the pyramid."

On Thursday, the European Court of Justice ruled football's European and world governing bodies UEFA and FIFA contravened EU law when they prevented the formation of a so-called Super League. It declared the need for prior authorization in creating a new competition and prohibiting clubs and players from participating in it, under penalty of sanctions, was illegal.

It's safe to say the decision divides opinion with some declaring it the death of the sport. Some are celebrating by declaring that football has won its freedom.

WHAT IS THE SUPER LEAGUE?

Following the ruling, sports development company A22, formed to assist with creating a European Super League, swiftly unveiled its proposals to form a new competition with 64 men's and 32 women's teams playing midweek in a league system across Europe.

The concept was initially launched in April 2021, but failed - or rather paused. A22 offered no details on Thursday of when the planned competition might start, how much backing it enjoys, the clubs potentially involved or prize money. 

It did say, though, that the tournament would feature promotion and relegation and would be broadcast live for free "on a new streaming platform."

WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE INITIAL LAUNCH?

The case goes back to April 2021, when 12 of Europe's biggest clubs announced they had signed up to the planned Super League, a direct competitor to UEFA's flagship competition the Champions League, which features the most successful clubs from Europe's various national leagues. 

The upstart league quickly fell apart in the face of a strong backlash from supporters and UEFA and FIFA threatened to take disciplinary action against the clubs involved. English fans, in particular, remained loyal to their traditional domestic league model and nine of the 12 rebel clubs - including six from the English Premier League - threw in the towel within 48 hours.

Two-and-a-half years on, only Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have stood by the dormant project, with Italian giant Juventus withdrawing in July. 

WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES?

The verdict means European clubs can join another continental league - without the threat of sanctions - instead of playing in competitions run solely by UEFA.

UEFA downplayed the significance of the latest ruling, stressing it did not constitute an approval or validation of the Super League. "It rather highlights a pre-existing gap" in UEFA regulations, the organization stressed, specifying that this had been corrected in June 2022 with new texts.

The threat of a partial secession of the most powerful clubs, who dream of the very lucrative model of North American closed leagues while wanting to remain in the national championships, has hovered over European football for over 20 years.

"UEFA's monopoly is over. Football is free," Bernd Reichart, boss of A22, reacted. But the future of this initiative, currently only supported by two clubs - Real Madrid and FC Barcelona - remains uncertain. 

HOW HAS FOOTBALL REACTED TO EU RULING?

A22 CEO Bernd Reichart - "We have won the right to compete. The UEFA monopoly is over. Football is free. Clubs are now free from the threat of sanction and free to determine their own futures."

UEFA - "We are confident in the robustness of its new rules, and specifically that they comply with all relevant European laws and regulations."

Football Supporters Europe - "We have stood firm against a breakaway super league time and time again, and repeatedly called for the greater protection of our game. Whatever comes next, the super league remains an ill-conceived project that endangers the future of European football. We will continue to fight it."

FC Barcelona - "As one of the clubs driving the Super League project, Barcelona feels that the sentence paves the way for a new elite level football competition in Europe by opposing the monopoly over the football world and wishes to initiate new discussions as to the path that European competitions should take in the future."

Spanish LaLiga - "Today, more than ever, we reiterate that the 'Super League' is a selfish and elitist model. Anything that is not fully open, with direct access only through the domestic leagues, season by season, is a closed format."

Manchester United - "Our position has not changed. We remain fully committed to participation in UEFA competitions, and to positive cooperation with UEFA, the Premier League, and fellow clubs through the ECA on the continued development of the European game."

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game - "The European Super League is not in the wider interests of football and undermines the very ethos of the pyramid. The devil is in the details, but what is essential is that such a venture cannot ever be allowed to pass."

Conrad Wiacek, Head of Sport analysis at Globaldata - "Unwilling to sacrifice their own dominant market positions domestically to create a more competitive product, which in turn would drive higher media rights fees, the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona will see the ECJ ruling as an opportunity to enrich themselves and further imbalance the soccer ecosystem and create a new commercial reality for the sport."

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Although the initial Super League project was a closed competition, the new one would see clubs participate based on sporting merit with no permanent members. The clubs would also stay in their respective domestic leagues. 

Despite the obvious support by Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid, A22's continued force to drive this project forward will depend on the clubs across Europe. There is certainly no guarantee England's Premier League clubs will sign up. Manchester United have reiterated their commitment to UEFA's competitions. 

Clubs will be extremely wary of any decision, judging by the powerful emotions and actions from fans in 2021. Two months after the six English clubs pulled out of the initial project, they said they would pay a combined $27.78 million to the Premier League as "a gesture of goodwill."

They face a 30-point deduction if they attempt a similar move in future while the Premier League also said they would each be fined $31.6 million pounds if they attempt another breakaway.

It may be Christmas, but it will be interesting to see how much goodwill remains in the game if some of Europe's top football clubs reignite their interest in a breakaway league.

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