ECJ opinion strengthens UEFA and FIFA

Ein the opinion of European Court of Justice (CJEU) strengthens the position of UEFA and FIFA in the fight against a Super League. The Super League is likely to start its own football league, but can then no longer take part in the competitions of the world association and the European Football Union – such as the Champions League – without the permission of the two associations.

Advocate General Athanasios Rantos took this view in his Opinion on Thursday in Luxembourg. The rules of UEFA and the FIFA therefore do not violate the competition law of the European Union. UEFA welcomed the report and saw it as support “to develop football throughout Europe”.

The background is that twelve top clubs announced the formation of a super league in April 2021. However, the plan was quickly scrapped after strong protests from leagues, associations and fans.

Opinion is not legally binding

The three top clubs Real Madrid, Juventus Turin and FC Barcelona still want one great league to compete with the UEFA Champions League. The European Super League Company had therefore filed a lawsuit against the European football union UEFA and the world association FIFA with a court in Madrid, which in turn had appealed to the ECJ.

Specifically, it is about the accusation that Uefa and FIFA acted like a cartel for opposing the creation of the European Super League. The Spanish court had asked the ECJ to interpret EU law for the procedure. This involves details such as free movement of workers, freedom of establishment, free movement of services and free movement of capital.

The opinion of the Advocate General is not legally binding, but the judges often follow his opinion. A verdict is expected in a few months. The judgment of the ECJ will be binding, but the Spanish Court of Justice will ultimately decide the case. However, this must take into account the answers of the ECJ.