“UEFA has been trying to kill the Super League for three years,” said Fernando Giménez, lawyer for the company A22, citing “unquantifiable” damage during a hearing before the Madrid Commercial Court, including judge Sofia Gil will have to say whether UEFA abused its dominant position to prevent the project from succeeding.
A22’s lawyer and European Superleague company representative Fernando Irurzun argued that UEFA had used its dominant position in the football market to prevent the creation of this new competition.
Relying on a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in December 2023 which found the ban on the Super League contrary to European law, the plaintiffs pointed out that in 2021, when the project was was presented, UEFA did not have clear criteria for authorizing or not new competitions.
According to its lawyer, A22 “was denied entry into a market where competition should exist. She is the victim of anti-competitive behavior and the damage is unquantifiable.”
Presented in 2021 by twelve clubs – including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and three Italian clubs (Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus) – the first version of the Super League project was quickly buried due to opposition from supporters English clubs in particular and threats from UEFA and FIFA.
But the project was relaunched this winter following the CJEU decision. The first formula reserved for only twelve clubs this competition competing with the European Cups organized by UEFA. The A22 organization is now talking about a competition open to 64 clubs divided into three leagues.