Top EU court rules UEFA, FIFA ban on Super League illegal - ESPN

In a significant boost to the Super League project, Europe's top court ruled on Thursday that UEFA has been «abusing a dominant position» in its control of European football.

The Super League and its backers, A22 Sports, argued that UEFA's prohibition of the would-be competition — a concept launched in April 2021 — and its threatened punishments for participating clubs was an illegal monopoly under European competition law.

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Thursday's ruling by the European Court of Justice [ECJ] found that FIFA's and UEFA's rules requiring new football competitions to be subject to their prior approval, and banning players from taking part in those competitions, were «unlawful.»

«There is no framework for the FIFA and UEFA rules ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate,» the court said.

«Similarly, the rules giving FIFA and UEFA exclusive control over the commercial exploitation of the rights related to those competitions are such as to restrict competition, given their importance for the media, consumers and television viewers in the European Union.»

The court found that organising football competitions is an economic activity and «therefore must comply with the competition rules and respect the freedom of movement.»

The court made clear that its ruling «does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved,» saying that it was a verdict on FIFA's and UEFA's rules in general, rather than any specific project.

Nevertheless, the decision is a significant boost for the Super League project, which seeks to replace UEFA's Champions League.

«We've won the right to compete,» Bernd Reichart, A22 Sports CEO