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Europe’s top court ruled that UEFA's control of European football is illegal. Further, the court stated that FIFA and UEFA blocking the creation of the European Super League (ESL) was against EU law. The sporting bodies had disallowed the formation of the ESL competition in 2021 and were seeking to sanction the clubs involved in the league. The league and its supporters argued that the sanctions by UEFA were incompatible with European laws.
The European Court of Justice found that FIFA and UEFA's rules were "contrary to EU law." The court said, "The FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful. There is no framework for the FIFA and UEFA rules ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate."
The court’s ruling further 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 said that organising tournaments is an economic activity and hence, "must comply with the competition rules and respect the freedom of movement."
Bernd Reichart, A22 Sports CEO, said, "We've won the right to compete. UEFA's monopoly is over. Football is free. Now the clubs won't suffer threats and punishments. They're free to decide their own future. He added, "For the fans: we'll broadcast all the Super League games for free. For the clubs: club income and solidarity payments in football are guaranteed."
