The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) today handed down one of the most anticipated and momentous rulings in relation to elite football. So much so that it can be compared to the famous 'Bosman law', regulations that annulled quotas for foreign players whenever they were applied to European athletes. If that ruling transformed football on December 15, 1995, 28 years later, on December 21, the same court revolutionized the same sport by opening the door to an alternative competition not governed by the usual organizations, UEFA and FIFA. This means that if a few clubs decide to play a championship without the approval of third parties, they will not be able to be sanctioned as has happened until now.
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, resilient Super League clubs in the midst of general desertion, are the great winners of this ruling, as well as the company A22, which has been in charge of designing the competition and establishing all its conditions, including the millionaire distribution of the cake. Obviously, if the Super League is able to organize itself with some speed, the largest portions will go to the clubs involved. There is talk that in a couple of years of preparation the Super League could be ready. Will have to see.
While Barcelona, led by president Joan Laporta, maintains a pact stance with UEFA, now from a much stronger position, with the aim of taking advantage of structures already created and that work (logistics, arbitration and a long etcetera), the Real Madrid, with Florentino Pérez at the helm, wants to break with all the established power and create a new one.
It will be essential in the coming dates to attend to the reaction of the founding clubs. It should be remembered that there were 12. Apart from Madrid and Barcelona, Milan, Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham signed the founding document. When the Super League was made public bungled, on April 19, 2020, was met with opposition from the English and French governments, with threats from UEFA and with no less popular response.
The CJEU ruling radically modifies this scenario. The clubs that jumped ship at the first opportunity argued before A22 that their alliance was losing validity due to the impossibility of carrying out the project. Now A22, protected by the legal coverage of justice, can claim the compensation agreed upon with all the signatory clubs for non-compliance. The solution, therefore, would be to accept the new rules of the game and reunite the 12.
The response of the Premier League clubs seems essential to confirm that the Super League could be a reality or a failed project.
But whatever happens in the medium term, today is a historic day for football. And a bad day for UEFA and FIFA, kings that are less so. Their monopoly is history.
