FIFA, UEFA and the Super League: the European court battle so far

In the wake of World Cup 2022 fever and related scandals, come some clarifications from Advocate General Athanasios Rantos on the interplay between various EU rules when applied to the sports industry.

The facts of this case filed before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) revolve around a dispute which arose among the International Association Football Federation, (FIFA), football’s world governing body, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), football’s governing body at the European level, and European Super League Company (ESLC), a company governed by Spanish law which was set up by prestigious European football clubs.

In accordance with their statutes, FIFA and UEFA hold a monopoly in respect of the authorisation and the organisation of international professional football competitions in Europe.

ESLC planned to organise the first closed (or ‘semi-open’) annual European football competition, called the ‘European Super League’ (ESL), which would exist independently of UEFA but whose clubs would continue to participate in the football competitions organised by the national football federations and UEFA and FIFA.

Following the announcement of the ESL,...