English clubs throw weight behind Uefa after European Super League ruling

Four of the six English clubs who joined the European Super League two years ago have pledged allegiance to Uefa and the old order of European football after the breakaway project was given an unexpected reprieve by the European court of justice.

Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City – alongside a number of other clubs, leagues and organisations – issued statements after a day of drama on which the landscape of European football changed and the Super League relaunched itself with a tweaked format and the promise of every match being streamed for free.

Each message carried similar language to that published first, among Premier League clubs, by Manchester United. “Our position has not changed,” United said. “We remain fully committed to participation in Uefa competitions, and to positive cooperation with Uefa, the Premier League, and fellow clubs through the ECA [European Club Association] on the continued development of the European game.” The other two Premier League clubs that committed to the Super League in 2021 were Arsenal and Liverpool.

The affirmations came after the ruling handed down from the grand chamber of the ECJ. The key headline from the court, as represented in its media release, was stark: “The Fifa and Uefa rules on prior approval of interclub football competitions, such as the Super League, are contrary to EU law,” it read. The court had, in effect, agreed with the Super League company in its case against Uefa over the way in which the governing body sought to control the authorisation of new competitions in European football. The court found Uefa to have been “abusing a dominant position” and said the governing body’s rules on authorisation failed to meet a requirement that they be “transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate”.

Shortly after the court’s verdict the media company A22 Sports, which has managed and developed the Super League concept even as it dwindled to counting only Barcelona and Real Madrid as its proponents, announced that it had rebooted the competition. A22’s CEO, Bernd Reichart, declared that “football is free” and said the new Super League would be expanded from 16 clubs to 64 in the men’s game while a women’s competition would include 32 teams. With both split into divisions, there would be promotion and relegation, 20 teams dropping out of the men’s league each year and no permanent places as had been originally planned. Most eye-catchingly, every Super League match would be streamed live for free via an in-house app currently known as Unify.

Two hours later the president of Uefa convened his own press conference. Aleksander Ceferin sat alongside Nasser al-Khelaifi, the chair of the ECA, and La Liga’s Javier Tebas, to denounce their rivals. “Watching the presentation of the so-called Super League it was hard to decide if I was shocked or amused,” Ceferin said. “Because it is close to Christmas I choose to be amused. I hope they start a fantastic competition as soon as possible with two clubs. I hope they know what they are doing, though I am not so sure of that.”

The A22 CEO, Bernd Reichart, said: ‘We have won the right to compete,’ but many clubs and organisations distanced themselves from the Super League idea. Photograph: Susana Vera/Reuters

Uefa’s official communications also pushed back strongly against interpreting the verdict as a blow for the governing body. They said the ruling did not “signify an endorsement or validation of the so-called ‘super league’” but addressed a “pre-existing shortfall” in Uefa’s framework which it said it had subsequently corrected in June 2022.

“Uefa is confident in the robustness of its new rules, and specifically that they comply with all relevant European laws and regulations,” a statement read. “Uefa remains resolute in its commitment to uphold the European football pyramid … We trust that the solidarity-based European football pyramid that the fans and all stakeholders have declared as their irreplaceable model will be safeguarded against the threat of breakaways by European and national laws.”

The torrent of supportive statements that followed this declaration suggested that, for now at least, there is no public appetite to disrupt the status quo. Real Madrid and Barcelona were the only clubs to come out strongly in favour of the Super League. Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez, said: “Today will mark a before and after; it is a great day for the history of football and the history of sport,” he said. Pérez claimed clubs could now be “the masters of their destiny” and the Super League would give football “the new impetus it so badly needs”.

While Uefa’s revised rules are likely to be challenged, not least by the Super League company which continues to pursue a case against the European governing body through the Spanish courts, other competitions have set up safeguards of their own, including the Premier League. In a statement acknowledging the “significant ruling” the league said it “reiterates its commitment to the clear principles of open competition that underpin the success of domestic and international competitions.

“Football thrives on the competitiveness created by promotion and relegation, the annual merit-based qualification from domestic leagues and cups to international club competitions and the longstanding rivalries and rituals that come with weekends being reserved for domestic football. These principles are enshrined in the Premier League owners’ charter, introduced in June 2022, which aims to improve the collective strength and competitiveness of the league in the best interests of the wider game.”

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Speaking on behalf of the players in the English game, the Professional Footballers’ Association said the court ruling had drawn attention to the way in which governing bodies had failed to take into account properly the needs of the game. “They have felt able to push forward without proper engagement or consultation, and often despite concern or opposition from leagues, clubs, players and their unions,” it said. “This should act as a wake-up call.”