Barça and Real Madrid have both emerged victorious from the European Super League affair. The European Court of Justice announced this Thursday that it had resolved against the position adopted by the major football bodies, UEFA and FIFA, regarding the creation of the European Football Super League, in a judgement that has shaken the football establishment and suggests, if the plan goes ahead, a veritable revolution in football on the continent.
Barça and Real Madrid are celebrating
Thus, victory for Barça and Real Madrid, the two clubs that have remained solid in their support for the Super League project since it was announced to the public in 2021. The reaction from the winners was not long in coming. The Barça club gave a clear and forceful statement: "FC Barcelona wishes to express its satisfaction with the sentence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) assessing the Super League project as proposed by A22 Sports. As one of the clubs driving the Super League project, FC Barcelona feels that the sentence paves the way for a new elite level football competition in Europe by opposing the monopoly over the football world, and wishes to initiate new discussions as to the path that European competitions should take in the future".
Barça, in addition, considers that it has always been "a pioneering club in the world of sport", and that this is another step to addressing "such issues as fixture overload and the excessive number of games between national teams". It also points towards the regulation of financial fair play. The proposed new competition, says Barça, is a model that will respect "the functions and sustainability of domestic competitions" and "should be a meritocracy that is primarily based on results on the pitch", adds the Barcelona club.
And Joan Laporta himself also made an institutional statement, with a version in English, below, stating that the new European competition of the Super League does not intend to go against national leagues and competitions. And the president of Barça, very firm, insisted that "a historic opportunity is now open to try to solve some of the serious problems that today jeopardise the future viability of the vast majority of clubs". A new format, which also "arrives to improve the future of European men's and women's football".
And Real Madrid has also had its say, confirming through its president, Florentino Pérez, subtitled in English below, that football will "never again be a monopoly". The president of the blancos declares that "we have before us the beginning of a new era".
An historic Super League victory
Thus, the European Super League now has free rein to take up where it left off when its initial assault on the establishment was halted. Bernd Reichart, CEO of the Super League organization, has already expressed his joy and spoken about where this new competition will go, video in English below. One of the great joys, he says, will be for fans: "We will broadcast all Super League matches for free," he promises. But it will also be the same for the clubs: "Club income and payments in solidarity with football are guaranteed." As Reichart explains, the planned competition will incorporate 64 men's teams and 32 womens'. No club will have a guaranteed permanent place.
Thus, Joan Laporta and Florentino Pérez both assert that the new competition will guarantee more income, in accordance with what the clubs generate through their performance. There will no longer be a body like UEFA or FIFA that regulates payments and keeps a large part of the profits. The football world awaits the next steps in this unfolding saga, some with great enthusiasm, others with trepidation.