EU legal advisor backs UEFA over Super League

Rantos says governing body acted within law by threatening to expel clubs for joining breakaway league

LUXEMBOURG:

The European Court of Justice's top legal advisor said Thursday that football governing bodies UEFA and FIFA had acted within the law when they threatened to expel clubs or players who joined a proposed Super League.

The opinion of Advocate General Athanasios Rantos is not binding on the court, which is examining a complaint from the company that planned to run the new league, but it will be influential and taken as a sign of the direction the case is taking.

"EU competition rules do not prohibit FIFA, UEFA, their member federations or their national leagues from issuing threats of sanctions against clubs affiliated to those federations when those clubs participate in a project to set up a new competition," he wrote.

The court's final decision is not expected until early next year.

The position was immediately welcomed by FIFA and the Spanish La Liga as well as lobby groups representing European football clubs, leagues and supporters.

FIFA said it was happy Rantos had said it could "approve any new football competitions", that he had said it could impose sanctions and it "had exclusive rights to market" its international competitions.

FIFA also welcomed his recognition of "the special nature of sport."

The Spanish La Liga also welcomed the news.

"La Liga, along with other European leagues, will continue to fight for European institutions to legislate and provide legal protection for the current European model of soccer," said La Liga president Javier Tebas in a statement.

Fan association Football Supporters Europe said: "Last year, twelve obscenely wealthy clubs tried to destroy European football by creating a closed breakaway league.

"They failed because fans across the continent – including their own – stood in solidarity against their plans."

The European Club Association hailed Rantos' advice as "a clear rejection of the efforts of a few to undermine the foundations and historical heritage of European football for the many."

The attempt to set up an elite trans-European league in 2021, under the aegis of the European Super League Company (ESLC), initially attracted the support of some of the continent's biggest and richest clubs – but triggered a backlash from fans and governments.

The effort fell apart within 48 hours, but left behind bitterness and a key legal question.

The ESLC filed a complaint accusing UEFA, which regulates European football and organises the Champions League and Europa League, of "abusing its dominant position" in the market to squeeze out fair competition.

The eventual ruling will be keenly watched by teams and fans across Europe.

If the court follows its advisor's reasoning, the ESLC's challenge will fail.

"Whilst ESLC is free to set up its own independent football competition outside the UEFA and FIFA ecosystem, it cannot however, in parallel with the creation of such a competition, continue to participate in the football competitions organised by FIFA and UEFA without the prior authorisation of those federations," Rantos wrote.

A22 Sports Management, which says it was set up to sponsor and help bring about a Super League in Europe, responded with a press release.

"The Advocate General made clear that UEFA has a monopolistic position," it said, adding: "We believe the 15 judges of the Grand Chamber...will go substantially further and provide the opportunity for clubs to manage their own destiny in Europe."

European law generally protects commercial competition, but the advocate general found that the soccer governing bodies' threats "may be justified by legitimate objectives related to the specific nature of sport".

In the case of the short-lived super league initiative, this may be a moot point.

Initially it was supposed to create a competition for 12 clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Fellow giants Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich refused from the start to take part and the English clubs quickly distanced themselves from the plan in the face of fan fury.

UEFA imposed light fines on the nine clubs that dropped out, extracting a committment they would not try again, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus face a disciplinary inquiry that has been put on hold pending the legal ruling.