Reference to ECJ ruling
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With a new name, the initiators of the Super League project are intensifying their efforts to create a competition that rivals the Champions League. For the recognition of new “pan-European club football competitions”, the Unify League, the sports project developer A22 sent a corresponding proposal to the European Football Union UEFA and the world association FIFA on Tuesday. Both umbrella organizations are strict opponents of the project.
The A22 repeatedly encountered “fierce resistance”. This does not fit with the fact that UEFA must be “open, transparent and free of conflicts of interest at all times,” says the letter addressed to UEFA General Secretary Theodoros Theodoridis, which is available to the “German Press Agency”. The sports project developer relies on the ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) from last year.
The ECJ had ruled that UEFA and FIFA may not generally make other competitions dependent on their approval. You may not prohibit clubs and players from taking part in these competitions. However, that does not necessarily mean that a new competition always has to be approved.
Changes compared to the Super League idea
The proposal for a Unify League contains numerous changes compared to that for a Super League, for example that placement in the national leagues should be decisive for participation in European competitions. A central point is also the development of a streaming platform on which all games from the new competitions can be viewed free of charge.
“Our close work with key stakeholders has highlighted urgent issues that need to be addressed: rising subscription costs for fans, an overly busy match calendar, insufficient investment in women’s football and dissatisfaction with the format and governance of European club competitions,” said A22 boss Bernd Reichart. “Our proposal aims to address these challenges head-on.”
Super League? Not with FC Bayern
The Super League plans had repeatedly met with public resistance. Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen recently said: “With us there will be no Super League! Absolutely not. This door is closed.” The main criticism in recent years has been that a Super League would establish a closed competition for already large clubs, which would also harm the national leagues.
