Manchester United committed to UEFA competitions after ruling Super League

Manchester United have pledged their commitment to UEFA competitions and the Premier League following a court ruling that appeared to open the door to a revived European Super League.

Supporters of the European Super League declared victory after the court ruled that rules allowing UEFA the right to give prior approval to new competitions were contrary to EU law.

However, United – who were one of 12 clubs to form the controversial Super League in 2021 before withdrawing amid fan protests – say they are committed to the existing competitions.

“Our position has not changed,” the club said in a statement.

“We remain fully committed to participation in UEFA competitions, and to positive collaboration with UEFA, the Premier League, and other clubs through the ECA on the continued development of the European game.”

Bayern Munich, which refused to rejoin the Super League in 2021, and Atletico Madrid – one of the original clubs – also gave their support to UEFA on Thursday.

But A22, the company set up to help create the European Super League, said the ECJ’s binding ruling meant “football is free”.

Since the ECJ’s announcement A22 has already presented proposals for new “open and merit” men’s and women’s competitions at European level which would compete directly with existing UEFA competitions if ultimately approved.

A22 says fans will be able to watch live games for free on a streaming platform called Unify, paid for through advertising.

Fan groups remain against anything like Super League 2021, with Football Supporters’ Association chief executive Kevin Miles describing it as a “dead walking monster” and insisting “no English club will come in”.

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European football’s governing body UEFA insisted Thursday’s ruling was not an “endorsement or validation” of the Premier League project. He is also confident that the authorization rules he introduced in June 2022 are “robust” and comply with European law.

“We hope that the European football pyramid based on the solidarity announced by the fans and all interested parties as their irreplaceable model will be protected against the threat of breaking with European and national laws,” said UEFA.

The Grand Chamber of the ECJ decided that where an undertaking such as UEFA is dominant and has the power to determine the conditions under which potentially competing undertakings, such as A22, may gain access to the market , that power must be subject to a criterion in question. transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate.

The court found that the powers of UEFA and FIFA were not subject to such criteria and therefore found that both bodies were abusing sovereignty.

FIFA issued a statement noting the decision which it said would now be subject to further analysis.

A22 has proposed a new 64-team competition, with 16 teams in the Star League, 16 in the Gold League and 32 teams in the Blue League. The leagues will include promotion and relegation, with 20 teams qualifying through domestic performance each season into the Blue League, although A22 said more work and dialogue was needed to determine exactly how those 20 teams would qualify.

In the women’s competition he plans there are 32 teams divided into a Star and Gold League of 16 teams each. In both the men’s and women’s competitions, the top eight teams in each division would play a knockout tournament.

While the verdict was hailed as a success for Super League defenders, A22 or any other tournament organizer would have to get clubs and fans on the other side.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who was one of the main architects of the 2021 project, said the ruling would mean clubs were now “masters of their own destiny”.

The ruling at least appears to give clubs a stronger hand in future competition development and governance, but whether it will result in reform rather than revolution remains to be seen.

The ruling comes less than a month after the Premier League announced a record £6.7billion home rights deal.

While the A22 insists its plan is a midweek European competition dependent on successful domestic leagues, anything that would damage interest in the Premier League race could have a commercial impact. European places. The league also relies heavily on competitive balance.

The European Leagues group, which includes the Premier League as a member, issued a statement that said: “The leagues believe in the fundamental principles of openness and quality for international club competitions through annual domestic competition performances.”

The European Club Association, which runs commercial operations jointly with UEFA for the existing club competitions, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September which will run until July 2030. The MoU promises that ECA members will not enter into any a competition not organized by UEFA.

The ECA’s statement on Thursday said: “The world of football has moved on from the Premier League years ago and progressive reforms will continue.

“Most importantly, football is a social contract, not a legal contract. All the recognized stakeholders of European and world football – which include confederations, confederations, clubs, leagues, players and fans – stand more united than ever against the efforts of a few people who are pursuing personal agendas to undermine foundations and fundamental principles European football. “