Judgment in Madrid

Lawsuit successful! Is the Super League coming after all?

The initiators of the controversial soccer Super League have achieved a legal success. A commercial court in Spain partially upheld a lawsuit brought by the European Super League Company SL (ESLC), the company responsible for the planned competition, against possible sanctions by the international associations FIFA and UEFA. However, the ruling is not final and can be appealed in Madrid.

The competent judge at Commercial Court no. 17, Sofia Gil Garcia, stated in her ruling on Monday that the international association FIFA and the European Union UEFA had abused their dominant market position and prevented free competition on the market. The judge ordered the "anti-competitive behavior" to cease. The associations had imposed "unjustified and disproportionate restrictions" that violated two articles "of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)".

Gil Garcia had to take into account a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in December. At the time, the EU judges had already accused the international associations of abusing their market power. According to EU law, a competing product to the Champions League must be possible in principle. However, this does not automatically mean that the Super League must be approved, the European judges said.

Florentino Perez(Bild: AFP)

In an initial reaction, the boss of the Spanish professional league, Javier Tebas, has now pointed this out, opposing the project, which is being driven forward primarily by the president of top Spanish club Real Madrid, the powerful entrepreneur Florentino Pérez. "It is important to make it clear that the judge (following the ECJ) is demanding that FIFA and UEFA make the rules for new competitions transparent and guarantee them, but she is not giving her blessing to the Super League," wrote Tebas on X. The ruling is neither final nor does it bring anything significantly new. Furthermore, the Super League is "described as a project that has been abandoned in its original form".

Twelve top European clubs
Following the ruling, it remains questionable whether and when the European Superleague Company project can be realized. In 2021, twelve top European clubs rehearsed the great revolution. They founded the Super League practically out of nowhere - and failed resoundingly. UEFA and FIFA threatened to impose penalties. The outcry from leagues, fans and politicians was so great that most clubs quickly backed down. With the exception of Real and FC Barcelona, no one is currently openly supporting the project.