EU top court finds FIFA, UEFA abused dominant position in Super League case

euronews (in English)

UEFA and FIFA rules requiring other entities seek their permission to set up new tournaments contravene EU law, the bloc's top court has ruled in a landmark ruling.

Transcript

00:00 The EU`s top court says that FIFA and UEFA acted against EU law when attempting to block

00:07 the creation of the European Super League in what`s being described as a landmark case

00:12 for football.

00:14 The verdict comes after years of fierce debate between the sports governing bodies and leading

00:19 European clubs who want to set up a rival competition to the Champions League.

00:23 UEFA says it has taken note of the ruling, but A22, the company representing the Super

00:29 League, says the decision changes everything.

00:33 The court has effectively opened the door to innovation in football and clubs can now

00:40 openly discuss and consider proposals to address the sport`s most pressing issues.

00:47 The ECJ is the highest court in the European Union and therefore, this rules cannot be

00:53 and this ruling cannot be appealed and it paves the way for the creation of a new, more

01:00 exciting competition at European level in which clubs can determine their own future.

01:07 The ruling on Thursday found that UEFA, which oversees European football and the global

01:11 body FIFA, acted unlawfully in threatening to sanction players and clubs that joined

01:16 the breakaway Super League in 2021.

01:22 The court did not suggest, however, that the Super League must now be approved.

01:25 Instead, the judges challenged the fundamental powers of UEFA and FIFA, saying they must

01:30 get rid of arbitrary rules and open themselves up to competition.

01:36 FIFA will have to inevitably rethink some of its practices and things and consider more

01:43 closely what rules are and the same applies to FIFA, but also other sporting bodies in

01:50 a sense.

01:51 It has grown used in Europe to this pyramid or this monopolistic or quasi-monopolistic

01:57 structure whereby you have a single organisation or sets of organisations within the pyramid

02:05 that set the rules for everybody.

02:07 So, then now a lot of rethinking will come from that and some tweaking might come.

02:14 New proposals by the European Super League mean that their original plans for a largely

02:18 closed competition of Europe's 15 top clubs are over.

02:22 Qualification through domestic leagues is now part of the Super League's plans, similar

02:26 to UEFA's Champions League.

02:28 UEFA also has plans to expand the Champions League while FIFA is revamping the Club World

02:33 Cup.

02:33 [SWOOSH]

02:35 [SWOOSH]

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