Court’s final verdict on European Super League due in December

 The European Court of Justice will deliver its final verdict on the validity of the breakaway European Super League on December 21st.

The ESL and its backers, A22, had claimed that UEFA and FIFA were breaching competition law by threatening to sanction clubs and players who joined the breakaway league.

However, in a report released last month, the ECJ confirmed that UEFA and FIFA rules were “compatible with EU competition law.”

The ECJ’s 15-strong Grand Chamber is yet to release the outcome, and the ruling in December will be a binding interpretation of European Union law.

The case will then be referred back to the Madrid commercial court, which will apply it to the facts of the Super League case.

Recall that the plans for the ESL caused a huge fallout across the football world when it was announced in April 2021.

After a backlash from fans, football governing bodies, and even the government, the six Premier League sides (traditionally known as the Top 6) that signed up to the project quickly withdrew their support.

The teams were Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham.

The six Premier League clubs alongside Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and AC Milan were fined by Uefa, but action against Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus was halted during the legal process.

In July, Juventus also withdrew from the project after 12 of the initial 15 clubs backed out within 72 hours of its launch, leaving the Spanish giants as the only two sides still interested in the project.

Further interest from European giants Real Madrid and Barcelona means the plans have not been scrapped completely, with the clubs still interested in pursuing the idea