European Super League LIVE: A22’s breakaway format won’t include Premier League clubs after ‘ban’ claims

We mentioned that the ECJ were also announcing the verdict in a case brought by the International Skating Union (ISU) today and that has just been handed down.

The ISU has lost its bid to overturn an EU antitrust order that it must stop penalising speed skaters for taking part in new money-spinning events, as Europe’s highest court backed earlier orders.

The European Commission in its 2017 ruling said the sport’s governing body had imposed “disproportionately punitive” sanctions on skaters, preventing the emergence of rival events in violation of EU antitrust rules.

The verdict should be delivered shortly by the ECJ. In the meantime, allow Miguel Delaney to explain why it could be a bigger decision than Bosman and change the future of football.

Then-prime minister Boris Johnson called the European Super League ‘a cartel’ when it was first proposed by the clubs in April 2021.

The thinking behind the new-look European Super League proposal was explained when it was launched

Why is the Super League back now?

After its defeat in 2021, the European Super League returned with a new format, crucially removing the “closed shop” format that would have seen its founding members be immune from relegation.

The latest proposal has been tweaked and could contain up to 80 teams in a multi-divisional format. The Super League would also be based on sporting performance only with no permanent members.

A22 have consulted with nearly 50 European clubs since October last year and developed 10 principles based on that consultation which underpin its plans for a new-look league. The people involved with the European Super League believe football across the continent is in danger and they are the self-appointed guardians to save it.

A22 chief executive Bernd Reichart said the new-look Super League would be an open competition, with qualification achieved via performance at national level and with all its teams competing in their domestic leagues. Those national leagues would remain “the foundation” of the game, Reichart said, and argued that the new Super League would generate new revenues to support the entire pyramid. There is a guarantee of a minimum of 14 matches that would provide “stability and predictability” of revenue.

What happened to the European Super League in 2021?

It was a rare triumph of fan power when the European Super League first tried to launch back in April 2021 as immediate, sustained protests from across the football community caused the clubs involved to scuttle away with their tail between their legs.

The competition was initially launched with 12 founding members – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid – who would permanently take part in the competition.

The plan quickly collapsed after the six Premier League clubs pulled out within 24 hours in the face of fierce criticism from supporters, pundits, clubs and the media, but Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid remained committed to the concept.

What is being decided today?

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice will decide whether Uefa and Fifa acted against competition law by blocking the formation of the European Super League in 2021 and sanctioning the clubs involved.

A22, the company backing the European Super League, believe Uefa and Fifa are abusing a dominant position by acting as governing body, regulator, commercial operator and gatekeeper, while also having significant sanctioning powers.

They argue Uefa and Fifa should not be able to run a “monopoly” over football and want to have the right to launch new competitions without facing punishment under a free market.

A non-binding decision delivered by the Advocate General in the case last December found rules allowing Uefa to have prior approval of new competitions were compatible with EU law - now the European Court of Justice will now consider its own interpretation of the EU’s competition law and will deliver its verdict on whether Uefa acted lawfully.

It’s “judgement day” in the European Super League case, as a decision that could shape the future of football is set to be delivered on Thursday.

First launched in 2021, the European Super League proposed a breakaway competition involving some of Europe’s biggest teams in a “closed shop” format.

But the controversial plans were met with fierce opposition from fans and the football’s governing bodies, leading to its stunning collapse within days of being launched.

But like a monster from a horror movie, the European Super League wasn’t actually killed off, and now those backing the competition have taken Uefa and Fifa to court as they seek to relaunch their competition.

Now, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice is set to deliver a verdict on the case, in what is a huge moment for the sport. Here’s everything you need to know.

“If it seems strange that there is still so much talk of the European Super League given what happened in April 2021, there are many involved in the case now that are making even grander statements about it all.

“They believe that Thursday is “bigger than Bosman”. That will be the day the entire episode either comes to a conclusion or a new start. The European Court of Justice [ECJ] will rule on whether bodies like Uefa and Fifa represent monopolies that must be broken up, or if that structure is necessary for the running of football. It all stems from the case the Super League planners took around the time of its launch.

“Put in simple terms, this will decide whether they can get the project properly going again, and change the face of European football.

“Thursday will also see two connected cases decided, making it a potentially landmark day in sport legislation. Those very words might sound dismally dry but the outcome will determine what the football we watch will actually look like. We will know whether the Champions League can be the same; whether the sport as a whole will stay a unified pyramid or potentially disperse into the same sort of chaos as boxing.”

Preview by Miguel Delaney

The Grand Chamber judgement’s interpretation of EU law will be passed back to a Madrid commercial court to make a decision, after the Spanish jurisdiction made the referral in 2021.

That court also placed an injunction on sanctions UEFA imposed on the nine clubs who joined Super League but who later withdrew. It remains to be seen whether UEFA will press on with those sanctions, and potentially investigate more serious charges against Real and Barcelona.