On April 18, 2021, twelve of the most important football clubs in Europa announced, late in the day and through communications on their social networks, that they had reached an agreement to found the Superligaa new competition governed by its founding clubs. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético, Milan, Inter, Juve, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United y Tottenham They identified themselves as founders and Florentino Pérez became the first president of the Superliga.
UEFA monopoly
One year has passed since that announcement that caused an earthquake in European football, in which UEFA, the European Club Association (ECA) and the collective of leagues (EPFL)while the world players union (FIFPRO) received it with suspicion as it had not been consulted. The Super League today is bogged down and pending a resolution of the Court of Justice of the European Union (TWENTY), to rule on a possible abuse of dominant position UEFA by preventing the organization of competitions outside its scope, such as the Super League. This Court of Justice, located in Luxembourg, is made up of 27 judges (one for each Member State) and 11 advocates general. And it will be the one who decides if UEFA has a monopoly on the Champions League, as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus affirm. The three clubs that have remained in the front line of combat after the rest stepped back in the face of threats from UEFA and its president, Alexander Ceferin.
The TWENTY has rejected the request of a court in Madrid for the case to be analyzed by accelerated procedure, which has caused the decision to be delayed until the end of spring or the beginning of summer 2022. If it is confirmed that there is a monopoly of UEFAthesis they defend Florentino and the clubs of the Superligathe new competition will still take a few months to start due to the procedural deadlines of the trial, which must also be closed where it began, in Spain.
It so happens that the Spanish judge who raised the issue to Europa, Manuel Ruiz de Lara, has been replaced by Sofia Gil Garcia, a magistrate specializing in commercial matters, who comes from Commercial Court number 2 of Barcelona.
The future of the Super League now depends on the decision of the TWENTY, once the first hurdle encountered by the new competition had been overcome due to its condition of closed competition. Something that caused the rejection of leagues, federations, governments and even the European Union. This forced a review of the competition model, which would be open with promotions and descents based on sporting merits. With that obstacle resolved, everything revolves around the judgment of the Court of Luxembourg.
Looking at Luxembourg
El Periódico, a newspaper belonging to the same editorial group as this medium, has consulted sources from the Spanish clubs involved in the Superliga confirming that “everything is pending the CJEU’s decision on UEFA’s monopoly. If the abuse is confirmed, there are advanced steps to activate the start of the Super League as soon as possible. It is a firm project that has the support of clubs in Spain, Italy and England”.
Florentino boasts of having the support of several clubs, beyond the three that lead the Super League. While UEFA, for its part, has retaliated by rapidly creating a new Champions League model with a more generous share of revenue for the clubs. Reason that led Florentino and his partners to create this Super League governed by the clubs in which UEFA is left out of the distribution, which increases the income of the participants.
