Date set for European Super League hearing in Madrid

A new hearing in the European Super League case will take place in Madrid on 14 March.

The European Court of Justice ruled last month that the rules used by UEFA and FIFA to block the formation of the Super League in April 2021 were contrary to EU law.

That ruling followed a referral by the 17th commercial court in Madrid in May 2021, and the Spanish court can now apply the ruling to the facts in this case when it convenes in less than two months' time.

A decision in the Super League's favour would therefore be expected, but would arguably be more symbolic than significant.

UEFA updated its authorisation rules in 2022 and while no judgment has been made on them, European football's governing body insists they are "robust" and compliant with EU law.

Super League promoters A22 could choose to apply to create a new competition under the 2022 rules, but Article 7.4 - which states any such event must not adversely affect the good functioning of UEFA's existing competitions - would suggest any application to stage a rival continental club competition would be unlikely to succeed.

The ECJ ruling said authorisation rules laid down by sports federations needed to be "transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate". It's understood that Super League backers still see the 2022 rules as discriminatory.

A22 chief executive Bernd Reichart said last month that the ECJ ruling ended UEFA's "monopoly" and that football was now "free".

Publicly at least, clubs have given their backing to existing UEFA competitions. The ECJ ruling certainly appears to sway the power dynamic even further towards clubs in their dealings with UEFA.

A22 declined to comment while UEFA has been approached for comment.