Court To Decide Eligibility Of European Super League In December

The European Court of Justice will make its final decision about the legitimacy of the European Super League on December 21.

Recall that in April 2021, the football community was taken by storm by the announcement of the European Super League.

The six Premier League teams that had committed to the project: Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Arsenal, withdrew their support after receiving criticism from supporters, football governing bodies, and even the government.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are still pursuing the idea, so the plans haven’t been completely shelved.

Twelve of the original fifteen clubs pulled out within 72 hours of the project’s launch, leaving Juventus as the last club to abandon the project in July 2023.

Uefa fined the Premier League clubs along with Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and AC Milan following the announcement of the European Super League. However, legal action against Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus was put on hold while the matter was being handled by the European Court of Justice.

The backbone of the European Super League, A22 alongside Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, the only two clubs still publicly pushing the project, are challenging UEFA and FIFA’s rights to punish clubs and players who joined the breakaway league.

In their argument, FIFA and UEFA claimed that their regulations are “compatible with EU competition law”.

The Grand Chamber of the 15-member ECJ did not reach a final decision in the spring as expected. Hence, on December 21, the court is expected to make a ruling on the establishment of the breakaway league.

Afterward, the case will be taken before the Madrid Commercial Court where the facts of the Super League case will be subject to the legally binding interpretation of EU law.