FOOTBALL fans fear a European Super League is on the way following a ruling by the European Court of Justice.
The court has determined Fifa and Uefa acted against competition law when they blocked the formation of a European Super League in 2021.
APReal Madrid President Florentino Perez is one of the advocates of the European Super League[/caption]
Football fans around the country protested the Super League when it was proposed two years agoGetty
Twelve of Europe’s biggest clubs proposed the formation of a European Super League two years ago.
The proposal was met with significant backlash as fans across the continent protested the idea.
Premier League clubs pulled out one by one following the visceral reaction from fans, who now fear the Super League could be introduced after all.
One supporter reacted to the court ruling saying: “RIP football as we know it ”
Another added: “Football is about to be ruined then…”
A third wrote: “We the fans still don’t want that shoddy league.”
And another commented: “Super league here we go.”
However, English football fans may not need to be concerned as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his government have promised to stop clubs from joining new competitions that would kill off the domestic game.
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But conspirators Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus are refusing to give up on their breakaway project despite it crashing and burning inside 48 hours two years ago.
The latest idea put forward was for up to 80 clubs to leave Uefa to form a new competition.
But that would NOT include any Premier League clubs, with Madrid-based sports marketing firm A22 using the success of English football as a justification for the new tournament.
And in a boost to that trio of clubs the European Court of Justice ruled that Fifa and Uefa rules giving them the power to approve club competitions “are contrary to EU Law”.
The Court said: “The Fifa and Uefa rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions are unlawful.
“There is no framework for the Fifa and Uefa rules ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate.
“Similarly the rules giving Fifa and Uefa exclusive control over the commercial exploitation of the rights related to those competitions are such as to restrict competition, given their importance for the media, consumers and television viewers in the European Union.
“The Court observes that the organisation of interclub football competitions and the exploitation of the media rights are quite evidently economic activities.
“They must therefore comply with the competition rules and respect the freedoms of movement, even though the economic pursuit of sport has certain specific characteristics, such as the existence of associations having certain regulatory and control powers and the power to impose sanctions.”
The only consolation was the Court not giving specific approval for Super League.
It said: “That does not mean that a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved.
“The Court, having been asked generally about the FIFA and UEFA rules, does not rule on that specific project in its judgement.”