The European Super League is in the news again.
It initially launched 32 months ago, but nine of its 12 founding members left almost immediately.
This came after widespread opposition in England that reached the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the royal family through the president of the Football Association, Prince William.
But the concept has received a new boost. BBC Sport’s Simon Stone assesses a seismic day for European football and looks at what may come next.
What happened on Thursday?
A ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg declared that global and European governing bodies FIFA and UEFA had “abused a dominant position” by threatening Super League clubs and their players with sanctions and exclusion. of the main competitions.
He also said rules requiring prior approval for “interclub football projects” were “illegal” and that his exclusive control in negotiating commercial rights for competitions was a restraint of trade.
The ECJ described FIFA and UEFA rules on the exploitation of media rights as “harmful” to clubs, media companies and fans.
In a matter of hours, a new proposal for the European Super League (ESL) had been made public.
It was a big deal, grabbing attention in the same way the launch had.
In any case, the reaction this time has been faster and broader.
Should UEFA be concerned?
There are a couple of elements to this. Firstly, when they digested the initial statement, UEFA officials were surprised.
However, when they began to read the details of the case, they did not quite match the damning words in the ECJ press release.
Within the case, it seemed that UEFA’s status as a power in European football was being confirmed.
It also soon became apparent that some of the issues he has been accused of ignoring, specifically the rules on authorizing the launch of new competitions, have been addressed since the initial launch of the Super League, but it was the old details that he used the ECJ in reaching its conclusions.
“Fans can be convinced to support the separatist league”
Arteta says Arsenal must oppose ESL for fans’ sake
In short, UEFA felt it had nothing to complain about. As FIFA president Gianni Infantino put it in his own statement: “Today’s ruling changes nothing, really.”
Except it was. The press release was music to the ears of A22, the group that supports the Super League project and is alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona, its two remaining members, given that Juventus had expressed their intention to resign.
And, unlike the initial ‘launch’, which was limited to a late-night interview – in Spanish with Real president Florentino Pérez -, this time, A22, the management organization contracted to sponsor and assist in the creation of the Super League, It was on the front foot.
What would a new European Super League be like?
A22 issued a statement half an hour after the CJEU press release was sent. In it, executive director Bernd Reichart declared: “UEFA’s monopoly is over. Football is free.”
A little more than an hour later, the renewed proposals for the A22 Super League arrived. Sixty-four men’s teams divided into three divisions, 32 women’s teams divided into two. No club was mentioned, but “guaranteed income” was promised, along with solidarity payments and a free, state-of-the-art digital streaming platform.
Speaking to BBC Sport a couple of hours later, Reichart was optimistic about what had changed in the football landscape as far as A22 and their supporters were concerned.
“The ruling was pretty clear,” he said. “It speaks of abuse of jurisdiction. There is little room for doubt. It is a clear sentence and a great day for football.”
Is the Champions League threatened?
At 13:00 GMT, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin led a press conference also attended by European Club Association (ECA) President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also President of Paris Saint-Germain. -Germain, who does not belong to the Super League. The pair have established themselves as the two most powerful football administrators in Europe.
Also on the Zoom call were league representatives, players and fans. The counteroffensive was about to begin.
“What they propose is even more closed than the 2021 plan that was rejected by everyone,” said Ceferin.
“We will not try to stop them. They can create whatever they want. I hope they start their fantastic competition as soon as possible, with two clubs. I hope they know what they are doing.