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The ESL has introduced a bold new strategy to revamp football following a significant court decision that found Uefa in violation of EU competition regulations by initially banning the project.
The European Court of Justice declared that the governing bodies of football acted in violation of the law by preventing the formation of the breakaway league. The court stated that Fifa and Uefa misused their dominant position by prohibiting clubs from participating in the ESL, but also noted that the Super League may still not receive approval.
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The establishment of A22, a sports development company, was focused on aiding the formation of the ESL. They rejoiced at the decision and saw it as a new beginning for the sport.
“According to A22 CEO Bernd Reichart, we have earned the opportunity to participate and the Uefa’s domination has ended. Football is now liberated,” stated Reichart. “Clubs are no longer under the risk of punishment and are able to decide their own destinies.”
Besides the Uefa suspension, the Super League’s original proposals, which were introduced in April 2021, were met with harsh criticism from supporters. The main point of contention was the exclusive nature of the tournament, which would have favored top teams with no risk of demotion or promotion, and no mention of a women’s division.
After the decision of the ECJ, the Super League has been reintroduced with a revised structure that includes both men’s and women’s European tournaments during the week, featuring promotion and relegation, as well as all Super League games being available to watch for free.
The European Super League has returned.
According to A22, the Court of Justice of the European Union has made a decision on the case involving Uefa’s anti-competitive actions. This puts an end to their exclusive control over cross-border club football in Europe for the past 69 years. Now, clubs are able to arrange and oversee pan-European football competitions.
After the recent ruling, A22 has put forth a new plan for midweek European competitions for both men and women. The participants will be selected based on their sporting achievements and there will be promotion and relegation, without any permanent members.
The suggestion also involves creative strategies for introducing the top direct-to-fan sports streaming platform in the world. This platform would allow billions of fans to watch all Super League games live for no cost.
Format of the new European Super League
More information about the suggested new format disclosed that the men’s division would consist of 64 teams divided into a three-tiered league setup. The top tier, called the ‘Star League’, would have 16 clubs, followed by the ‘Gold League’ with 16 clubs, and the third tier, known as the ‘Blue League’, with 32 clubs – named after the elements of the European Union flag.
Clubs will play home and away matches in groups of eight, guaranteeing at least 14 matches per team each season, with a knockout competition for the top eight sides then determining the league winners.
Promotion and demotion will occur between the leagues, with advancement to the third-tier ‘Blue League’ based on performance in the domestic league.
The women’s tournament will consist of 32 teams divided into two leagues: the primary ‘Star League’ with 16 teams and the secondary ‘Gold League’ also with 16 teams. Similar to the men’s competition, teams will compete in groups of eight and play both home and away matches. Each team will play at least 14 matches per year and at the conclusion of the season, the top eight clubs in each league will participate in a knockout stage to determine the champions.
Each year, there will be a promotion and relegation process between the two leagues. Advancement into the Gold League will be determined by a team’s performance in their domestic league.
The idea of the European Super League, first introduced in 2021, faced strong opposition from supporters of English teams.
Could Premier League teams potentially become members of the European Super League?
Despite the potential approval of a modified European Super League, it seems that teams from the Premier League will not be able to participate. This is due to the UK’s departure from EU regulations following Brexit. The Department of Culture, Media & Sport, under the UK government, has announced that a new bill establishing a separate football governing body would prohibit English clubs from joining.
According to a spokesperson from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the decision to form a separate competition was a pivotal event in the history of English football and was met with widespread disapproval from supporters, teams, and the government.
“We proactively initiated the fan-led examination of football management, which proposed the establishment of an autonomous governing body for English football. We will soon introduce legislation to actualize this and prevent clubs from participating in any future breakaway competitions.”
Source: independent.co.uk
