London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 01, 2025

Football Super League gets red card from EU court aide

Football Super League gets red card from EU court aide

In an explosive opinion, advocate general backs football governing bodies UEFA and FIFA.

UEFA 2, Super League 0.

The Court of Justice of the European Union may deliver a huge blow to the breakaway Super League after a court legal adviser handed down an opinion Thursday that falls firmly on the side of football governing bodies UEFA and FIFA.

UEFA and FIFA have the right to use tough measures to protect their existing tournaments without falling foul of EU competition law, wrote Advocate General Athanasios Rantos. The court aide's opinion is usually followed in judges' final rulings and the court should come out with that in spring 2023.

Rantos wrote that the governing bodies’ existing rules — which require prior approval for new leagues — were “compatible with EU law.” Crucially, he added that EU law did not prohibit UEFA and FIFA from threatening sanctions against clubs that would join rebel leagues. He also came down on UEFA and FIFA’s side regarding the “exclusive marketing” of the rights to their tournaments.

The opinion is a major setback to the Super League, which had complained that UEFA ran an illegal monopoly in European football and hopes that the court would open a new pathway for it. It also wanted UEFA’s roles as the sport's operator and regulator to be broken up — but that now looks almost certain not to happen.

Antitrust regulators have appeared sympathetic to players' arguments that sporting federations wield monopoly-like powers over where they can compete. A landmark 2017 antitrust decision from the European Commission slammed International Skating Union rules that forbade athletes from competing in rival events.

But logic contained in the ISU opinion also delivered Thursday, where Rantos pointed out that “the mere fact that the same entity performs the functions of both regulator and organizer of sporting events does not in itself entail an infringement of EU competition law,” is a clear boost for UEFA’s current structure.

The opinions point toward sports governing bodies being “let off the hook most of the time” by EU competition law as interpreted by the EU’s top court, said Pablo Ibáñez Colomo, professor of law at the London School of Economics.

“The moment Rantos says the object of these measures — whether it is the pre-authorization, whether it is the sanctions — is not anticompetitive, then I think it's all over,” he told POLITICO, adding that the opinion follows established case law.

The opinion also marks a defense of the European Sports Model with its key tenets of open competition and solidarity. If followed by the judges, it will strengthen UEFA and FIFA's role in governing football.


'Clear rejection'


After the setback, the Super League scrambled for morsels of comfort in the opinion.

In a statement, Bernd Reichart, CEO of A22 — the company promoting the Super League — said it was "pleased with the recognition of the right of third parties to organize pan-European club competitions." He said the advocate general had "made clear that UEFA has a monopolistic position which comes with important responsibilities for enabling third parties to act freely in the market."

On the other side, Europe's football establishment was jubilant over an opinion that is seen as a "resounding victory,” according to one senior official.

In a statement, UEFA said it “warmly welcomes today’s unequivocal opinion recommending a ruling of the CJEU in support of our central mission to govern European football, protect the pyramid and develop the game across Europe.”

The European Club Association, which represents nearly 250 clubs across the Continent, said that the opinion “proposes a clear rejection of the efforts of a few to undermine the foundations and historical heritage of European football for the many.”

Javier Tebas, the outspoken head of Spain’s La Liga, which Super League holdouts FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are members of, said that his league would “continue to fight for [the] right of European institutions to legislate and provide legal protections for the current European football model.

And the Continent’s leading fan group, Football Supporters Europe — which lambasted Super League chiefs at a heated meeting in Switzerland in October — echoed those thoughts.

It said the opinion “chimes with the position of football supporters across the Continent. Giving even more money and power to a few would be catastrophic, enriching a handful of clubs at the expense of all other levels of the game.”

A dozen of Europe’s leading football clubs launched the proposed Super League in April 2021, but the project collapsed after several clubs pulled out following two days of vociferous opposition from fans, high-profile players and coaches, other clubs and politicians.

Organizers of the rebel league, however, promptly complained to a Madrid court that UEFA and FIFA were running an illegal monopoly in European football. The Madrid court referred the case to EU judges in Luxembourg, and the EU’s top court heard arguments in July 2021.

Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus remained solidly in favor of the project, with the latter two currently facing economic and legal problems.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
×