The European Court of Justice has delivered a binding ruling, declaring that UEFA and FIFA violated competition law by obstructing the establishment of a European Super League in 2021.
The ruling marks a significant development in the legal process initiated by the European Super League Company after facing threats of sanctions and widespread criticism from governing bodies and clubs involved in the breakaway plans.
The newly proposed league, disclosed by A22 CEO Bernd Reichart, faced immediate rejection from notable clubs such as Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid.
The innovative format includes both men’s and women’s competitions, featuring 64 teams in the men’s league and 32 in the women’s.
Each team is guaranteed 14 matches, playing their group stage opponents home and away on midweek dates from September to April. The top four clubs from both gold and star leagues, along with the top two from each blue group, advance to the respective league’s knockout stages during the spring.
Quarter-finals and semi-finals will be conducted in two legs, leading to finals at neutral venues to determine the league winners. The plan, led by sports consultancy firm A22, emphasizes sporting merit with no permanent members, incorporating promotion and relegation.
The bottom team in each star league group faces relegation, replaced by the gold league finalists. Similarly, the blue league finalists replace the teams finishing last in each gold group.
With a significant turnover in the blue league, 20 clubs exit annually and are replaced based on domestic performance. The inaugural year selects clubs in all leagues through transparent, performance-based criteria. All matches will be streamed for free, aiming to boost revenue through advertising.
Concurrently, the Women’s Super League involves 32 clubs, split across star and gold leagues, each with two groups of eight. The format mirrors the men’s league, featuring 14 group games and two-legged knockout stages to determine champions in both star and gold divisions.
Culled in by Fortune Omosola
