EU top court rules FIFA, UEFA unlawfully blocked Super League plans
Al Jazeera
The two football governing bodies contravened law by stopping the formation of league, the European Court of Justice says.
The European Union’s top court has ruled that UEFA and FIFA broke EU law in blocking the formation of a rival Super League competition.
Thursday’s ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) marks a serious legal setback for UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) and for football’s world governing body, FIFA.
The court found that the two sporting bodies threatening to ban future Super League clubs and players from taking part in their competitions was illegal.
“FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful,” it said.
In early 2021, 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs announced they had signed up to the planned Super League, triggering a furious backlash from fans and a stark warning from UEFA that clubs and players who took part would be barred from competitions like the World Cup.
